Is the End approaching?

[Asmodean]

It could have been on an espoinage mission for all they knew though, no? With a big camera on it, yes?

Could have been. But without evidence to that effect you can't go killing the two men who are the crew of an F4.

Can't you though? When another nation's military aircraft is in your own back yard without permission to like... Be there?

[Tank]

It could have been on an espoinage mission for all they knew though, no? With a big camera on it, yes?

Could have been. But without evidence to that effect you can't go killing the two men who are the crew of an F4.

Can't you though? When another nation's military aircraft is in your own back yard without permission to like... Be there?

In the final analysis I think you're right that of course a country can defend itself in the same way an individual can. However during the cold war Russian jets regularly attempted to breach NATO airspace and were intercepted by fighters. If Syrian systems are sophisticated enough to track an incoming aircraft that should IMO first attempted an intercept.

[Firebird]

It could have been on an espoinage mission for all they knew though, no? With a big camera on it, yes?

Could have been. But without evidence to that effect you can't go killing the two men who are the crew of an F4.

Can't you though? When another nation's military aircraft is in your own back yard without permission to like... Be there?

In the final analysis I think you're right that of course a country can defend itself in the same way an individual can. However during the cold war Russian jets regularly attempted to breach NATO airspace and were intercepted by fighters. If Syrian systems are sophisticated enough to track an incoming aircraft that should IMO first attempted an intercept.

I'm not saying it's definitely true, but what if this really was just a training mission and the jet accidentally crossed into Syrian airspace briefly, which is at least feasible? Is it really best to shoot first without any warning? In this case, it's made an already tense situation much worse, not to mention the unnecessary loss of life.
Asmo, you argued in another post against taking immediate violent action when confronted with a hostile situation, as it would be rash to do so. Wouldn't this be a potentially rash response to a possible, but not necessarily, hostile situation?

[Asmodean]

Asmo, you argued in another post against taking immediate violent action when confronted with a hostile situation, as it would be rash to do so. Wouldn't this be a potentially rash response to a possible, but not necessarily, hostile situation?

Of course, and was there any semblance of stability in Syria, I'd be inclined to assign the blame to them. However, the situation there seems rather schizophrenic. Thus, their response to even minor provocations should be expected to be rather... Extreme. That aircraft should not have crossed their air space, as such an event may be interpreted as a sign of aggression when it occurs without warning. If the pilots didn't know where they were, then someone is (and/or was) an incompetent fool, pretty much. Incompetence is, however, a poor excuse.

[cncracer]

The plane shot down over international waters as I understand it so I would guess taking are taking spy pictures of fish?  I personally think the area is trigger happy, and all of them will shot at anything that moves.  As for shooting down an Israeli jet I think that would only add one more group into the already crowded killing fields. Better idea is we all just stop selling them guns. 

[Tank]

The plane shot down over international waters as I understand it so I would guess taking are taking spy pictures of fish?  I personally think the area is trigger happy, and all of them will shot at anything that moves.  As for shooting down an Israeli jet I think that would only add one more group into the already crowded killing fields. Better idea is we all just stop selling them guns. 

Unfortunately the Israelis are quite capable of making many of their own weapon systems. Their MBT the Merkava is a beautifully designed vehicle very accurately tailored to the specific needs of the Israeli army. Just one example is the placement of the engine at the front of the tank which combines with an exit door at the rear. The Israeli army carried out a battle damage and casualty assessment and found that the majority of tank crew deaths happened when they were exiting a damaged tank through the turret hatches; so the gave them an alternative exit under cover of the bulk of the vehicle. The fire control systems, gun and armour are a match for any other tank and when met on Israeli soil probably unbeatable.