Heron drone Photo: AFP
Posted on 01/03/2012 9:02:42 PM PST by sukhoi-30mki
'Israeli drone spying on Turkey almost shot down'
Turkish media outlet claims fighter jets called up to intercept unmanned aerial vehicle circling over missile batteries, radar equipment
An Israeli drone flying over Turkey was nearly intercepted by Turkish aerial defense forces, an Istanbul-based media outlet reported on Tuesday.
Two F-16 fighter jets were called-up to the area, but failed to locate the drone.
"The Israeli 'Heron' drone was detected spying on military headquarters in Turkey's southern Hatay province," the report stated, adding that "the aircraft hovered over the Turkish forces in order to capture images of missile batteries and radar equipment."
A Turkish officer, who reportedly noticed a bright light in the sky, asked a senior sergeant to confirm the identity of the object. When they received confirmation, the soldiers abandoned their post for fear of an attack.
Meanwhile, the report claimed the Turkish radar continued to monitor the unmanned aerial vehicle, while the Turkish army waited for authorization to shoot it down.
The report stated that "by the time the order was given, the drone had already left the area."
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit refused to comment on the Turkish report.
The IDF maintains full coordination with the Turkish army regarding all flights in the eastern Mediterranean region. Turkey has also purchased from Israel 10 drones of the same
(Excerpt) Read more at ynetnews.com ...
Heron drone Photo: AFP
In the Islamic lexicon this is referred to as “a glorious victory.”
“Missed it by that much...”
Yeah, and I get laid “almost” every night. I almost got laid Monday, I almost got laid Tuesday....
Turkey’s Hatay province is the closest part of turkey to Israel, kind of in a remote area. There is a helicopter base about 200 miles away. There was zero evidence or confirmation in both cases that there was a drone or that it belonged to Israel. Also it’s apparent from the reports that one reason it was not shot down was because Turkish forces fled.
Saying it was almost shot down certainly removes the burden of proof from the accuser.
As I read the titles of these articles I’m stuck by the unintended silliness. “Almost shot down”? Is that the same as “Most certainly not shot down”?
I can’t help poking a bit of fun at the headlines.
Turkish Maxwell Smart-type to commander: “Sir, we missed it by THAT much!”
Cool
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.