Who shot down a Russian spy plane in Syria? The National Interest (USA): Who really shot down the Russian plane? Who shot down the bomber
On the night of September 17-18, a tragedy occurred in the sky over Syria. Repelling an attack by Israeli aircraft, Syrian air defenses hit a Russian Il-20 electronic reconnaissance and electronic warfare aircraft located not far from the Israeli sides. It all looks as if the missile just aimed at a target with a larger reflective surface. According to the preliminary version, taking into account the means of destruction (missiles of the S-200 complex), all 15 military men on board were killed.
The situation requires the deepest and most serious analysis, and responsible structures have already begun to deal with it. However, already today there are several main versions of what happened, which can be conditionally reduced to two groups: “Israelis are to blame” and “Syrians are to blame”. And Moscow's reaction will largely depend on which of them turns out to be closer to the truth.
An eye for an eye?
The first of the "Israeli" versions - what happened is a deliberate provocation by Israel, which exposed the Russian aircraft to the attack of the Syrian air defense. In this case, Jerusalem thus tried to send a signal to Moscow about its attitude towards the supply of Russian weapons to the Syrians.
The point is that before entering Russian troops to Syria, Vladimir Putin, as a responsible leader, turned to the countries, one way or another involved in the Syrian civil war, with a proposal to develop certain rules for interaction in Syria in order to avoid a clash between their troops and Russian ones. Israel was one of the few who wisely agreed to the offer Russian President. As a result, a pragmatic formula was developed. Jerusalem does not prevent Russia from dealing with terrorists in Syria, in response to which Moscow guarantees that high-tech Russian weapons will not fall into the hands of Iranians or pro-Iranian formations. In the event that these weapons do end up with the Iranians, Moscow and Russian air defense in Syria turn a blind eye to the fact that Israel is depriving its opponents of weapons by rocket and bomb methods. In addition, Jerusalem received a relative freedom of hands in the area of the Golan Heights in order to prevent the same Iranian or pro-Iranian units from going there.
Russia had a hard time fulfilling the terms of the deal (many of its allies criticized it for Israeli strikes), but the Kremlin followed through. But the Israelis (especially after the large-scale victories of Assad and the Iranians) began to abuse their right. Jerusalem not only increased the intensity of the bombings, but also began to strike at those targets that were not included in the list of permitted ones for it. However, even after that, Moscow did not withdraw from the deal, only strengthening the Syrian air defense. Which, ultimately, led to an increase in the number of downed Israeli aircraft already this year. And, against the backdrop of very difficult Russian-Iranian negotiations about the future of the Iranian presence in Syria, Jerusalem supposedly decided to teach Russia a lesson and clearly explain that the new Syrian air defense will lead to the fall of Russian aircraft.
Other people's hands and their fears
This version is quite plausible, and there are even precedents in history for such military provocations (for example, the liquidation of a Russian aircraft by the Turks in 2015). However, it has several serious flaws. Unlike contacts between Moscow and Ankara, Russian-Israeli communication in the framework of the Syrian conflict has always been exemplary. It is difficult to assume that the Israelis have chosen to voluntarily destroy this status quo, especially given the fact that the future of Israeli interests in Syria largely depends on the goodwill of Moscow. It was Russia that ensured the non-admission of Iranian units to the Golan Heights, and it was Russia that could contribute to the fact that Israel's interests would be taken into account in post-war Syria. In fact, this is the only member of the "Syrian triumvirate" with which Israel has good relations.
Therefore, it is possible that we can talk about the fact that the United States persistently asked the Israelis to substitute the Russian plane. Those who need an aggravation of Russian-Israeli relations, a radicalization of Moscow’s position in Syria, as well as an elementary demonstration by Russia, which is too presumptuous, in their opinion, that its possibilities in Syria are not unlimited. Yes, these goals could also be achieved through the organization of a chemical provocation, but it risked drawing the Americans into a direct military conflict. And here the demonstration is carried out by someone else's hands.
This version also has a minus. Israel, of course, respects the Americans, but it respects its security even more. Previously, the United States has already put pressure on Jerusalem demanding anti-Russian provocations, but was refused. Why did Israel agree now? Perhaps this is somehow tied to the latest anti-Palestinian steps of Donald Trump? For example, with the closure of the office of the Palestine Liberation Organization in Washington?
Finally, there is a third version - the Israelis are to blame, but this is not about intent, but about a combination of circumstances. The Israelis regularly carry out strikes from areas where there are foreign military (for example, American ships), so that the Syrians are afraid to shoot down planes. So it was this time: the planes went to bomb the cargo in Latakia, did not warn of their departure in time, and a Russian intelligence officer served as their “cover”. The Syrians launched rockets, the Israeli pilot tried to avoid defeat and covered himself with a Russian aircraft. His life was more important to him.
The Israelis have already promised to transfer all flight data to Moscow, and if direct Israeli guilt is proven, the Kremlin will most likely react unambiguously. The Russian-Israeli "gentlemen's agreement" will be broken and no more Israeli missiles will be allowed to open a green corridor to Syria, up to the elimination of such missiles in the event of a launch. It is necessary to show that no one can destroy Russian aircraft without hindrance. If we are talking about an accidental defeat, then we can talk about, at a minimum, a serious tightening of the rules of Israeli flights. Well, decent compensation, not to mention elementary apologies.
Iranian ears above someone's head
However, the Israelis have their own version - they have nothing to apologize for. They only offer condolences and claim that Iranians, Syrians and Hezbollah are to blame for the death of the Russian military. And not only because the missile was launched by the Syrian air defense.
By official version Jerusalem, his aircraft carried out the mission in strict accordance with the Russian-Israeli agreements. "Last night, IDF fighter jets attacked a Syrian military facility whose systems for producing precision lethal weapons were soon to be transported by Hezbollah to Lebanon on behalf of Iran," the Israeli Defense Ministry said in a statement. All information about the flight was handed over to the Russian side in advance. In response, the Syrian air defense, according to the Israelis, “opened chaotic fire” (moreover, after the Israeli planes left the affected area) and hooked on the Russian side, without even checking, before opening fire, its presence in the affected area.
At first glance, the version is quite logical - both in terms of the level of combat skills of the Syrian anti-aircraft gunners, and in terms of the cynical interests of Damascus and Tehran. After all, it could have been not just an accidental air defense error. The Iranian and Syrian leadership categorically dislikes neither high level Russian-Israeli relations, nor the "gentleman's deal" itself. So the Russian allies decided to arrange this provocation (perhaps even knowing that there is a Russian plane in the affected area), in order to put the blame for what happened on the Israelis and tell the Russians: “well, we said that the Jews cannot be trusted!”. In fact, it is the Iranians and Syrians who are the main beneficiaries of this tragic story.
However, at a second glance, the version looks untenable. And it's not even that the air defense system is not an ordinary anti-aircraft gun firing bursts. Here, chaotic fire is basically impossible - missiles are aimed at a specific target. So an accident is unlikely, and if we are talking about the “set-up” by the Iranians of the Israelis, then this kind of move is very easily revealed in the course of further investigation. And it is unlikely that Russia will let down such a provocation to its allies - after all, it has become a serious blow to the Russian image in the region. The result of this provocation may be an elementary withdrawal of Russia from Syria (we have already defeated the terrorists there) or a rapprochement between the positions of Moscow and Ankara in the Syrian triumvirate.
Anything is possible in the Middle East, but the cautious Iranians are unlikely to play such games. So the version of Israeli wine looks much more likely. And the only question is who exactly is to blame: the Israeli leadership, which wanted to teach us a lesson, or - an Israeli pilot who just wanted to live?
On September 18, a Russian Il-20 military aircraft with fifteen officers on board was shot down in Syria, all of them died. The Defense Ministry said the plane was shot down by Syrian government forces, but blamed Israel for the crash. According to the MoD, the Syrians were not shooting at the Russian aircraft, but at Israeli fighter jets, which at that time staged a bombardment. The defense department believes that Israel deliberately jeopardized the Russian military, and threaten with an "adequate response." Journalists and military experts are now arguing what it will be like: from military action to descent on the brakes. Medialeaks has compiled the main top forecasts.
Russian military aircraft Il-20 disappeared from radar while flying over Syria on the night of September 18. Later, the Ministry of Defense stated that it was shot down by Syrian air defense, writes BBC. However, the department immediately stated that Israel was to blame for the death of fifteen Russian soldiers who were on board the ship. According to the Ministry of Defense, during the flight of the Il-20, Israeli F-16 fighters attacked targets in the province of Latakia with guided aerial bombs. Syrian air defense responded, but their shells hit the Russian side.
Hiding behind a Russian aircraft, Israeli pilots set it up under fire from Syrian air defense systems. As a result, the Il-20, which has an effective reflective surface an order of magnitude larger than that of the F-16, was shot down by a missile from the S-200 complex, Igor Konashenkov, spokesman for the Defense Ministry, said.
At an emergency briefing in the Defense Ministry, they also showed the flight path of Israeli F-16s.
RT in Russian
⚡️Screenshot from MoD briefing - you can see the trajectory of Israeli F-16s (in blue) and our Il-20 (in red)The representative of the Ministry of Defense also said that Israel did not warn the Russian command in Syria about the operation. Shortly after the incident, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had a telephone conversation with his Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman. According to RIA Novosti, the head of the Russian military department laid the blame for the downed Il on the Israeli military. Shoigu also recalled that Russia had previously called on Israel to abandon strikes on Syria, as this endangers the security of the Russian military.
The Israeli military after the incident at first did not comment on the situation, but later stated that Syria was to blame for the death of the Russian military. Israel offered condolences to Russia and admitted that it was indeed carrying out an air operation at the time of the tragedy. But they say the responsibility lies with Damascus, Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah movement.
Israel also assured that they had warned about the bombing.
Between the Israel Defense Forces and Russian army there is a system for preventing conflict situations, on which there is an agreement between the leaders of the countries and which has proven itself many times over the past few years. This system was used tonight as well.
The Israeli military said they were ready to provide all the necessary data for an investigation. At the same time, Franz Klintsevich, a member of the Federation Council Committee on Defense, said that Israel warned about its operation late, literally a minute before it began.
What will happen to Russian-Israeli relations after the downed Il-20
After the incident with the Russian military aircraft, various versions of the further relations between Russia and Israel began to appear in the media. A number of politicians and experts are calling for forceful measures, others are sure that no answer will follow. The Kremlin said it was concerned about the situation, but specified that "a full assessment of what happened was given in a statement by the Russian Defense Ministry." At the same time, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that the incident “will not affect in any way” the agreements reached on Monday between Russia and Turkey on the creation of a demilitarized zone in the Syrian province of Idlib.
A more radical position was voiced in the Duma Defense Committee. Committee Deputy Chairman Alexander Sherin, in an interview with Interfax, called for tough measures.
Israeli planes took off freely from their airfields and attacked Syria. If a bandit climbs into your house to kill your children and wife, then the answer should be the toughest, no one will sit in the kitchen at that time and drink tea.
Sherin also said the Defense Department's warnings "are becoming like delayed promises." The deputy voiced the same position on the radio "Moscow Says".
I call on the Bastion, S-400, Iskander systems to show how they really work. Here we have the Vostok-2018 training ground, and the same thing needs to be done with the site from which planes take off - that's all.
Military expert, editor-in-chief of the National Defense magazine Igor Korotchenko believes that further relations between Russia and Israel depend on how the Israeli side reacts to the conflict. According to Parliamentary Newspaper, Krotchenko believes that Israel should fire its defense minister and compensate Russia for the cost of the downed plane.
I believe that an emergency meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers is currently taking place in Israel, at which a position is being worked out on this tragic incident.
President of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, ex-head of the Main Directorate of International Military Cooperation of the Russian Defense Ministry, retired Colonel General Leonid Ivashov believes that Israel needs to respond both by military and political methods.
Any Israeli aircraft that violates Syrian airspace must be attacked. And not only by Syrian air defense systems, but also by Russia. There are Russian planes there, there are S-300 and S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems. Everything that exists must destroy the intruder aircraft, the aggressor aircraft. And you can do it without warning. This is the legal right of both ours and the Syrians.
According to Ivashov, Russia should also expel the Israeli ambassador from Russia and cancel the visa-free regime with the country.
Alexei Pilko, director of the Eurasian Communications Center, said that, in his opinion, Israel is unlikely to have deliberately set up a Russian aircraft under fire from the Syrians. According to AiF, according to the expert, one of the specific F-16 pilots could decide to hide behind the Russian side at his own discretion, and not on assignment.
Apparently, this was the initiative of a particular pilot who was sitting at the helm of the aircraft. It is difficult to believe that Israel deliberately went for this provocation. Although this option is also not excluded. In this case, the question arises why this was done. Israel clearly does not need to aggravate relations with Russia now, since it is among the losers in the Syrian conflict.
But then the expert nevertheless expressed suspicions that the incident could not be an accident.
Personally, I am still embarrassed that this blow occurred after the announcement of the results of the talks between Putin and Erdogan in Sochi to resolve issues in Idlib. As soon as it became clear that there would be no conflict between Moscow and Ankara, that a decision had been made on Idlib that did not completely satisfy either side, but this was a compromise, Israel immediately struck, as a result of which 15 people died. This leads to questions.
In social networks, opinions about the incident in Syria were also divided. Both ordinary users and journalists do not believe in the statement about Israel's guilt for the downed plane. Chief Editor radio "Moscow Says" Sergei Dorenko in his telegram channel said that the Ministry of Defense itself framed its people.
Dear military command, when I was little, I served in your army - I sat near Moscow in headphones and listened to the conversations of American pilots in Germany. I was not far from Podolsk, and they were in West Germany. I heard every word clearly. So, you listened to every word of every Israeli pilot from the moment the aircraft engine was started. Already when he requested to start the engine, you listened to him. You flew him every second, this Israeli pilot. Is that so? Or you will begin to lie that you have amateur performances there, and not an army.
Then the question is: why did you make it so that our Il-20 was in the middle of someone else's battle?
From whom will epaulettes be torn off for the life of 15 Russian officers?
Russian officers were not killed by Arabs, no.
Russian officers were killed by a specific boss with his ignorance and poor organization of the service.
Russian military aircraft Il-20.
Electronic reconnaissance aircraft disappeared from radar while returning to Khmeimim airbase
Russia in Syria seems to have another loss. The command of our air base in the Khmeimim province on the evening of September 17 lost contact with the crew of the Il-20 electronic reconnaissance aircraft. This was reported by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
According to the military department, the loss of communication was recorded around 23.00 Moscow time. At that moment, the plane was over the Mediterranean Sea, 35 kilometers from the Syrian coast and was returning to base. There were 14 people on board. The search operation has not yet yielded results.
Who could hit
At the time of the loss of communication with the aircraft, Russian radar facilities recorded missile launches across Syria from the French frigate Auvergne, which is stationed in the area.
In addition, it is known that at the same moment, four Israeli F-16s attacked the Syrian province of Latakia.
There is no information about attacks by the US military.
There are no official comments from Paris at the moment. The Israeli military also declined to comment on the incident. The Pentagon said it was not involved in the rocket attack on Latakia.
However, the "leak" that an unnamed US official shared with CNN is alarming. According to him, "a Russian naval patrol aircraft with several crew members on board was inadvertently shot down by the Syrian air defense forces while they were repelling an attack by the Israeli Air Force."
We are talking about systems supplied by Moscow to Damascus over the past few years. "The Syrian air defense network is very densely littered with western Syria with anti-aircraft missile and radar systems," CNN said in a report.
According to the broadcaster, the US military learned about the incident by intercepting a Syrian radio message with an emergency rescue search signal on an international frequency.
In addition, the United States allegedly received a direct message from another country about the circumstances of the incident and the type of downed aircraft.
The English-speaking audience took this information critically. RIA Novosti cites examples of the reaction of Internet users.
« Fake news. Nobody knows who did it. But does an anonymous American officer know about it and tell CNN? Amazing source!"- wrote on Twitter user @BattleFFreedom.
« So, CNN is full of fake news, except when they put out REALLY fake news to cover up US and Israeli war crimes? Hypocrites!"- Josef1601 is outraged.
What tasks did the IL-20 perform
Il-20 (according to NATO classification - Coot, "Coot") is designed for integrated electronic intelligence and electronic warfare. It was created on the basis of the Il-18 passenger turboprop aircraft in the late 60s. Deep modernization of the Il-20 at a new technological level began in 2009. The task of the upgraded aircraft is to "dazzle" the enemy's radar reconnaissance means. Along the way, the aircraft conducts reconnaissance, detecting all radio communications and bearing the work of radio equipment over a vast territory.
The aircraft is capable of transmitting all the intelligence information received online to command posts, directing the most powerful missile and aircraft systems at targets. Thanks to good aerodynamic properties and improved engines, the aircraft can stay in the air without landing for up to 12 hours.
18.09.18 08:50 /Sergey Aksenov, svpressa.ru/
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Added on 09/18/18 at 11:15
Russian Il-20 was shot down through the fault of Israel, the Defense Ministry said
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation said that A Russian Il-20 was shot down by a Syrian air defense S-200 missile, but Israel is responsible for this. Russia regards Israel's provocation as a hostile act, Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said.
« The bombing was carried out not far from the location of the French frigate Auvergne and in the immediate vicinity of the landing Il-20 aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces. As a result of the irresponsible actions of the Israeli military, 15 Russian servicemen were killed. This absolutely does not correspond to the spirit of the Russian-Israeli partnership", - said Konashenkov.
According to him, the Israeli pilots, hiding behind the Il-20, exposed it to the attack of the Syrian air defense. In addition, it is noted that Israeli aviation controls could not help but see the Russian plane, as it came in for landing. " Israeli aircraft controls and F-16 pilots could not help but see the Russian plane, as it approached from a height of 5 km. However, they deliberately went for this provocation.", - the Ministry of Defense emphasized (quote from Interfax).
« Israel did not warn the command of the Russian group of troops in Syria about the planned operation. The hotline received a notification less than one minute before the strike, which prevented the Russian aircraft from being taken to the safe zone", - added the representative of the Ministry of Defense.
As Konashenkov noted, the Ministry of Defense reserves the right to adequate response. The Israeli Embassy in Moscow declined to comment on this information.
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Added on 09/18/18 at 13:20
The Russian military lifted the wreckage of the Il-20 aircraft from the water
The crash site of the Il-20 aircraft was found 27 km from locality Banias in Syrian Latakia. Fragments of a Russian Il-20 aircraft shot down in Syria and fragments of the bodies of the military on board were raised from the water, the Russian Defense Ministry reports.
Archival photo Photo: press service of the EMERCOM of Russia / TASS
« Fragments of the bodies of the crew and personal belongings, as well as aircraft wreckage, were taken aboard the Russian ships", - said the military department.
The ministry said the crash site was located 27 km west of the village of Banias in the Syrian province of Latakia.
8 boats and support vessels of the Russian Navy were involved in the search for the crashed Il-20. The Ministry of Defense noted that at the transition from the Black Sea to the site of the crash there is an experimental vessel of project 11982 "Seliger". " On board there are remote-controlled uninhabited underwater vehicles "Super GNOM" and "RT-2500", capable of diving to a depth of up to 2.5 thousand meters, as well as navigation and hydroacoustic equipment", - said the military department.
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Added on 09/18/18 at 15:25
General Gorkov: Not only Israel is to blame for the death of the Il-20
Contrary to the assertion of the Russian Ministry of Defense, questions also arise for our flight management in Syria
The situation with the death of the Russian Il-20 radar reconnaissance aircraft on the night of September 18 near the coast of Syria has been clarified. The tragedy was provoked by the actions of the Israeli Air Force, said the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Major General Igor Konashenkov.
According to him, four Israeli F-16 fighters flying to bomb the Syrian province of Latakia carried out low-altitude approaches from the Mediterranean Sea, hiding behind Russian aircraft. " As a result, the Il-20, which has an effective reflective surface an order of magnitude greater than that of the F-16, was shot down by a missile from the S-200 complex", - explained Konashenkov.
Circumstances of the tragedy commented to "Free Press" ex-chief of the anti-aircraft missile forces of the Russian Air Force, Lieutenant General Alexander Gorkov.
In order for this to happen, you must completely lose control of the airspace. In addition, it is necessary to completely lose control of forces and means.
SP: Please explain..
There is a system of identification "friend or foe". Il-20 is a special aircraft whose flight route is known at all levels of air defense command and control. To shoot him down, you need to go beyond all the existing rules adopted in air defense.
Before pressing the start button, the operators of the Syrian anti-aircraft missile system should have requested the nationality of the target. For example, the Israelis or the French look like "strangers" to the Syrian air defense. Here they could be knocked down. And "his"...
"SP": The human factor? Insufficient qualifications of Syrian air defense crews?
Independent decision-making on the shelling of an aircraft is not entrusted to the commander of the lowest link. He must request permission from the superior. That one is at an even higher one.
In the S-300 or S-400, in order to launch a missile at an aircraft that automatically answers “I am mine” to an electronic request, you generally need to unlock it. And for this you need a command: "Remove the locks and hit."
"SP": - So the Syrians do not have S-300 or S-400. They only have S-200s. The Israelis were against the supply of S-300s to Damascus. And Russia went to meet them. Just received confirmation from the Russian Ministry of Defense that the Il-20 was shot down by a missile of the Syrian S-200 system.
All information about what is happening in the airspace always flows to the command post of the formation. All air defense systems operate based on this information. If there was a convergence of Israeli F-16s with our Il-20, then at the command post they should have seen this and made a different decision.
"SP": - What?
For example, do not give permission to land our board. Or vice versa - give the command to go to the side, descend, rise, turn around, etc.
In addition, the resolution of the S-200 radars is about 100-150 meters. If there was a rapprochement between our and Israeli aircraft at such a distance, the crew of the Il-20 had to visually see the fighters and transmit information about their approach to the ground. And again, another decision had to be made.
Open fire on a plane that replies that it is one of its own, and even if other people's fighters are next to it, drive a “two hundredth” rocket into this pile ...
It is clear that the battle is fleeting. Suddenly, a large mark appeared - a good target for air defense. Well, they hit it. And those - fighters, scattered. Only one of our Il-20s remained.
It ended up the way it could have ended. General system management didn't work. Serious mistake. Now we need to figure it out.
Editor-in-chief of the Military Russia portal Dmitry Kornev, admits that the Syrian air defense crews may not be sufficiently qualified to accurately fulfill their tasks.
"SP": - Communication with the Il-20 was lost when it was 35 kilometers from the coast of Syria. Not far?
No, it's not enough. At such distances, the aircraft may already begin to descend. In fact, he was shot down a few minutes before landing. Such a large aircraft could even be visually seen from the airfield. Already in binoculars - one hundred percent. The same S-200 has a range of more than 200 kilometers.
In addition, the Il-20 over the Mediterranean Sea is a large, unprotected, high-contrast target. That is, if a missile “captures” it, in order to cancel the defeat - to self-destruct the missile, several specific actions must be performed. Not just a button press. If the calculation is not trained enough, then it could well not have time to perform these actions at such a short distance.
"SP": - Syrian air defense is made in Russia. The "friend or foe" system was supposed to protect the IL-20 from such accidents.
Here, unfortunately, there may be nuances. On the one hand, ours would have to take care of this and integrate the defendants on Russian aircraft with Syrian air defense systems. On the other hand, the likelihood of a mess in the armed forces of Syria is quite high. Some things may not be strictly regulated. So, everything is theoretically possible.
For example, an anti-aircraft missile battery could work, which simply does not have means of identification. Absolutely no. Maybe they have everything there, like in the 1970s - by phone? The head of the nearest base calls the surrounding air defense: "Listen, do not shoot, mine are flying." And they don't shoot.
And then they didn't call. Of course, this is a hypothesis.
"SP": - A few words about the Il-20 aircraft itself.
IL-20 is a radio-technical and specific reconnaissance aircraft. It is very often used to patrol marine areas. He has all the possibilities for this: a relatively long flight duration, a set of radio stations on board, which allows you to listen to different bands, fix bearings, etc.
"SP": - Is this an analogue of AWACS?
No, this is not AWACS. Close, but not the same. AWACS still serves for reconnaissance and targeting of other forces and means, aircraft and coordination of their actions. This is the command post.
And the IL-20 does not fly over the battlefield under enemy fire, collecting information. This is an aircraft that can simply record some negotiations and conduct visual observation and photography.
Military expert Boris Rozhin does not see what military measures the RF Ministry of Defense could use against Israel.
If we recall the story of the Su-24 shot down by Turkey, then economic sanctions were introduced, which were in effect for a long time and caused significant damage to the Turkish economy.
"SP": - Yes, we lost then Turkish tomatoes. But the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation does not deal with tomatoes…
So far, the threat is vague. It can be both economic and forceful actions. Apparently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Kremlin will outline their position in the next few hours. Then it will be more clear. Will we confine ourselves to warning or will confrontational mechanisms be used?
"SP": - Maybe you need to break " hotline» with Israel? They clearly abused our trust - they reported less than a minute before the attack.
The military is interested in maintaining communication. For example, our generals in Syria keep in touch with the Americans no matter what. This helps to reduce the risk of armed conflicts. Therefore, a gap is unlikely. If this happens, it will lead to further escalation in relations with Israel, as Israel continues the practice of terrorist attacks on Syria.
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that the Il-20M complex electronic, photographic reconnaissance and radio interception aircraft with 14 Russian servicemen on board disappeared from radar on the night of Tuesday, September 18, when returning to the Khmeimim airbase. It is noted that the plane disappeared during a raid by four Israeli F-16 aircraft on the Syrian province of Latakia.
A missile launch from the French Navy frigate Auvergne was also recorded.
The French and Israeli military have not yet commented on reports of a missing person in the area of their military operations. Russian aircraft IL-20.
The United States suggested that the Il-20 was accidentally shot down by the air defense forces of the Syrian government forces. According to CNN, the disaster occurred when the Syrian military was trying to repel an attack by the Israeli Air Force.
The US Department of Defense said the US military did not take part in the rocket attack on the Syrian province of Latakia on Monday.
The Il-20M reconnaissance aircraft (NATO designation - Coot-A) of the Russian Aerospace Forces on Monday late in the evening returned to the Khmeimim military base over the Mediterranean Sea. There were 15 people on board - the crew and specialists.
At about 23:00, the plane disappeared from the radar of the Russian military aviation control 35 kilometers from the coastline. At this time, Russian airspace control radars observed several missile launches from the French military frigate Auvergne, which was in the same area. In addition, four Israeli F-16 fighters attacked Syrian targets in the province of Latakia.
Command of the Russian military base Khmeimim has already organized a search and rescue operation in the area of the loss of the Il-20M reconnaissance aircraft.
REFERENCE.
The Il-20 complex radio-electronic, photographic reconnaissance and radio interception aircraft was created in 1968 on the basis of the Il-18 passenger aircraft. It is intended for reconnaissance along the state border and the frontier strip. Cameras for perspective aerial photography, a general electronic intelligence station are installed on the sides of the cabin. In the ventral gondola there is a side-scan radar antenna and detailed electronic intelligence, radio interception equipment. IL-20 can be used for radio interception and scanning of enemy radio broadcasts, which makes it possible to determine the location of the concentration of enemy forces.
On board the aircraft are usually eight operators of radio systems, as well as a crew of five people. The Military Space Forces are armed with 15 Il-20Ms, and the Navy Aviation has several more aircraft.
There are nine modifications of the Il-20 aircraft:
- Il-18D "Igla" - an experimental model of the Il-18 aircraft, converted for electronic intelligence. Equipped with the Igla-1 radar station, from which it got its name. Another model name: "Product 20".
- Il-18RTL - a modification of the Il-18D, converted into a telemetry aircraft used in missile testing.
- Il-20M is the main model of the Il-20 aircraft. Electronic reconnaissance and combat aircraft.
- Il-20M1 is an aircraft equipped with modernized electronic warfare systems and a radio-technical complex.
- Il-20RT - modification of Il-20, converted into an aircraft - a flying laboratory for telemetry. Used in missile testing.
- IL-22 "Bizon" - a modification of the aircraft used as an air command post.
- Il-22M-11 "Zebra" - an improved model of the Il-22 aircraft.
- Il-22M-15 is the latest developed modification of the aircraft used as an air command post.
- Il-22PP "Chopper" - a modification of the Il-22, used as an electronic warfare aircraft, as well as a jammer.
P.
S .: In the 80s, I personally had a chance to fly a lot on board the Il-20M reconnaissance aircraft - as part of a man group. Including - over the territories of Greece and Turkey.
The reconnaissance flight usually lasted 6 hours.
Although everyone on board had a parachute with them, it was not recommended to use it in case of emergency - the plane was hung with antennas that could cut into pieces a person who jumped out with a parachute.
The hope was that with a “successful” downing, this 4-engine colossus could fly to the base on one engine.
Or successfully splash down. In the latter case, by inflating the raft, one could try to row from the coast of Turkey to Odessa ...
Nothing unusual - such was the work ...
/Alexander Artsov/
The Russian Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft was shot down by the S-200 of the Syrian air defense, but it was put under attack by Israeli aircraft. This was stated by the official representative of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Major General Igor Konashenkov, Interfax reports on Tuesday, September 18.
"Hiding behind a Russian aircraft, Israeli pilots exposed it to Syrian air defense fire. As a result, the Il-20, which has an effective reflective surface an order of magnitude larger than that of the F-16, was shot down by a missile of the S-200 complex," he said.
"We regard these provocative actions of Israel as hostile. As a result of the irresponsible actions of the Israeli military, 15 Russian servicemen were killed. This absolutely does not correspond to the spirit of the Russian-Israeli partnership," Konashenkov said.
He noted that the search and rescue operation in the area of the Il-20 crash continues.
Konashenkov also noted that the Syrian air defense forces last night repulsed the attack of the Israeli Air Force for more than 40 minutes.
"Some of the missiles were intercepted, but some hit the target, hitting industrial facilities, including an aluminum plant, as well as household chemicals," he said, adding that two civilians were killed and several were injured as a result of the shelling.
Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that during an attack by Israeli F-16 fighters on Syrian facilities in Latakia. In addition, the Russian department reported that during the disappearance of the aircraft, rocket launches from a French frigate were allegedly recorded.