Engagements with Turkish F-16s in the Aegean

DefenceGreece ^

[jhpigott]

September 28, 2011 | Filed under: Air Force,Featured News

Three engagements between Greek and Turkish F-16 fighter jets occurred over the Aegean Sea on Wednesday, for the first time in the last months. Today, Turkish pilots did not change their course after being intercepted and identified by Greek pilots, leading to engagements. One of them took place west of Lesbos while two more took place between Lesbos and Chios.

A total of 12 Turkish military aircraft entered the Athens FIR without having previously submitted flight plans. Eight of them were armed. Besides the three engagements, three violations of Greek airspace by an equal number of Turkish aircraft formations were also recorded.

[jhpigott]

Not sure what is meant here by "engagements". Don't think any shoot-downs occurred or we would have heard of it. But it does sound like the Turkish F-16s were intercepted by the Greek AF and they refused to change course and were chased off by the Greek AF?

[jhpigott]

Couple other sources reporting similar stories. This source claims that during the engagement today one of the Turkish F-16 actually attempted to lock on to Greek warplanes with its AIM-120. Sounds like things were pretty dicey over the Agean today. - - - - - - - - Turkish fighters invade Greek air space Wednesday, September 28, 2011 Hellas Frappe Turkish fighter jets violated Greek airspace again on Wednesday and obligated Greek air fighters to show the same aggressive behaviour. From Greece it was reported that two F-16’s from 341M in N. Anchialos and two 330m from South Anchialos - "Keryanos" and a Mirage 2000-5 from 331M were called to action and were challenged with what defencenet just said a very heated tough situation. So much so, that the pilots did not stop until the fighters ran out of fuel. The dogfight began when a Turkish fighter from Balıkesir attempted to hook a shot parameters missile AIM-120 at the Greek fighters. The outcome of the aerial dogfight is predictable. Ultimately the Greek air force was able to seize full control of Hellenic airspace, even though they were caught off guard by the Turkish fighters, and were capable enough of surprising the opposite side who did not expect this aggressive reaction. Before the aerial challenge took form and colour, defencenet said that two formations of the Turkish Air Force consisting of 12 fighters, eight of which were armed, made three violations over Greek National Airspace (IDPs) and two violations of the Athens FIR. Entanglements between Hellenic, alerted fighter aircraft and Turkish fighters violating Greek airspace had not been recorded since September 2010. Officials at the Defence Ministry were said to be monitoring the situation very carefully. http://hellasfrappe.blogspot.com/#axzz1Z3z8tOLH

[jhpigott]

3rd source reporting the incident. Have to use Google Translate.

http://www.onalert.gr/default.php?pname=Article&catid=2&art_id=8607

[jhpigott]

ping

[MrB]

One of them took place west of Lesbos while two more took place between Lesbos and Chios.

What's a "chio"?

[spokeshave]

The island of Chios...

When on Chios...don't accept any grapes or figs harvested by local residents during the night.

[DTA]

[NeverForgetBataan]

The Greeks can still pay for JP-8?

[Truth29]

I wonder if Israel and Greece could cooperate on some air defense patrols? Greek Cyprus and Greek/Cypriot oil and gas platforms are going to need protection from the Turks.

[GeronL]

Could this be the flashpoint of starting WW3?? We have treaties and NATO that says we have to take sides with Turkey, the Islamic nation.

How messed up is that?

[mapmaker77]

Any downed turkish pilot will be incarcerated on the Isle of Lesbos, I guess that is better than gitmo.

[ctdonath2]

All too often national financial collapse is addressed by starting a war. Persuades citizens to adopt austerity economics, facilitates increased taxation, permits expansive confiscation of resources & wealth, and terminates creditors.

[GonzoGOP]

Greek Cyprus and Greek/Cypriot oil and gas platforms are going to need protection from the Turks.

They have made other arrangements. The platforms off Cyprus are joint owned by a Russian company. When Turkey threatened to use their navy against them the Russians sent two nuke submarines and a destroyer to protect their investment. The Turks may be crazy, but they aren't that crazy.

[Tallguy]

NATO might end-up having to expel Turkey if it wants to continue existing. Personally I think that NATO has long outlived it’s usefullness. Should have gone out of business the day after the Warsaw Pact folded.

[BusterBear]

The oil rigs are going to have Russian crews. Putin has said he is sending submarines to protect them. The Russians are very heavily invested in Cyprus.

[Citizen Tom Paine]

Locking on with fire control radar used to be a very serious provocation. Under some rules of engagement you could shoot back. I am surprised that the Greek aircraft were armed.

[GeronL]

It sounds like they really should be armed.

[rbg81]

I’m sure that Turkey is just itching for the chance to move in and “restore order” to Greece in case riots break out over the economy.

[Ronin]

Maybe not that soon, but certainly after the Berlin Wall came down.

It’s utterly stupid to have NATO involved in conflicts in the MidEast and I totally agree that Turkey should be given the heave ho on general principles.

Islamism is fundamentally incompatible with democracy. Turkey has gone too far down that road to ever recover.

[HereInTheHeartland]

“One of them took place west of Lesbos while two more took place between Lesbos and Chios.”

Quite a bit of Lesbos activity it sounds like.