--I tend to agree with you, just pointing out it's not completely impossible. I realise subs basic defense is to *not* be there all the time, we'll accept that as a common sense given. Personally, I don't think any of the regular naval units were involved, I think they were just in the vicinity. So far anyway. I know that's a popular theory, but I don't put it at the top of the list. With that said, I know people personally who have related stories of things they have seen go down who were "ordered" such and such never happened, they didn't see it, 'or else". I think both these observations are correct and *true*. Here's an example, my girlfriend and her crew, she's retired skygoddess-were deadheading one day, for 20 minutes they had a ...hmmm...an "aircraft" sitting right off their wings at around 200 yards. When they landed, offical but un-identified dudes walked the cockpit crew into a room, ten minutes later, they come out with these other unidentified guys, the captain tell the rest of the cabin crew they "didn't" see what they saw, "or else". This was an 'advisory" that was designed to basically coerce them into shutting up about it right then. shes' still scared of these guys, BTW..... I've met the captain, he's retired now as well, and he's still steamed about it, but wasn't in any rush to mess up his check, if ya get my drift. None of the crew was in any rush to mess up their checks, although anecdotally a few sentences get spoken. Quite the story really...... I'd bet a nickle that's not the only time this sort of thing has happened with the airline industry, or the military either.
Total aside, what's the ID of the aerial asset reported at the time at around 80,000 feet? Do you know? No, don't have that discussion link handy, but I read it here on this site, someone else might have it. I'm just interested in anything that can maintain that sort of altitude, that would have been used in a non-exercise exercise.
I tend to agree with you, just pointing out it's not completely impossible.I am merely pointing out the evidence against a SUBSAM.
My personal opinion is that the shootdown was with an RBS-70 missile, fired by non-governmental actors of unknown identity. This weapon is laser-guided (which explains the near center mass hit--the shooter keeps the crosshairs centered on the target, and the missile follows the death dot), and it has both a higher altitude limit and a much heavier warhead than a MANPADS system (the RBS-70 is designed to be moved and set up by a four-man team instead of a single person).