Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, a three year old Boeing 737-800, carrying 176 people crashed after departing Imam Khomeini International Airport en route to Kyiv, Ukraine early Wednesday. Best evidence suggests that it was taken down by a Russian Tor missile system. The Tor is an all-weather low to medium altitude, short-range surface-to-air missile system designed for destroying airplanes, helicopters, cruise missiles, precision guided munitions, unmanned aerial vehicles and short-range ballistic threats.
It was likely put in “automatic mode” wherein it would engage any aircraft within a range specified by the operator that was heading toward it. There are assumptions afoot backed by evidence, that it was in place to defend Iranian missile batteries from a US counterattack. Flight 752 was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I could sit here and beat up the Iranians, but I recall the USS Vincennes (CG-49) on July 3, 1988, also made a horrible mistake. USGOV admitted to the mistake by the captain and crew of Vincennes that led to downing of Iran Air 655 (an Airbus 300). (more about that here)
Circumstances notwithstanding, civilian flights should be grounded when offensive operations are underway. It’s easy for me to write this, but things happen. There’s also Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 that was dropped by a 9M38 SAM as it flew over Ukraine.
My only curiosity on this flight was what exactly were 60 Canadians who perished on this doomed flight doing in Tehran? Business? With our enemy? An unstable, hostile enemy?
Those Canadians should have known the hazards of their actions. When you mess with the bull, you get the horns.
They were Canadian-Iranians supposedly visiting family. Many Canadians seem to embrace Middle Easterners and invite them in, much the same way as happened when Barack was the American shot caller.
Iran should have grounded civilian flights while they launched their ballistic missiles. That they allowed the flight to take off is vastly foolish.
Agree. Iranian ATC/Control Tower shouldn't have allowed any civilian operations. Maybe they had other instructions?
I just don't seem to hear condemnations of the Iranians over this.
I wonder why.
I think that when you put mullahs in charge of things, things get fouled up. Which is why Iran is a dump.
The mainstream media celebrities (multi-millionaires all) want to hit the streets and shout "Death to America". They seem to restrain themselves barely, but that is clearly the mindset. Why would they condemn Iran for anything. They need to buy "I stand with the Ayatollah" t-shirts, even though half of them are sodomites and would be executed as soon as they de-planed at Khomeini Airport.
Their dysfunction will be the stuff of legends to future generations.
Your post says about what I thought. Not a mistake.
Oh, I think that it was a mistake – or just plan carelessness on the part of the Iranian air traffic control/military/command and control network. It's what happens when you give the kids gasoline and matches.
I wonder who was aboard that airliner that Iran wanted dead.
And was willing to cover the murder of one by murdering many.
I actually think Vincennes did the right thing, and the captain was unfairly sacrificed for politics.
That plane shouldn't have entered a combat zone, and there was no reason to believe it wasn't being used as a Kamikaze.
The Iranians managed to shoot down (maybe) a scheduled flight that had just departed the primary airport in their capitol.
-Kle.
-Kle.
I responded on your blog. My sense is that it was an accident. If they want you dead in Iran, Allah orders you killed and the Revolutionary Guard make it happen. It's not like Hillary. They don't have to skulk around.
The Tur has an automatic feature that I think was triggered. Just a guess.
As to the situation with the Airbus and the Vincennes, the SPY1 showed that the aircraft was climbing. The cruiser was engaged with some Boghammer (gunboats) and then the airliner showed up. I would likely have done the same thing as Capt. Rodgers, but history and data would have proved me as wrong as they proved him. There was a lot going on, the bridge was busy, somebody reported it as an F-14, descending. The Iranian aircraft didn't respond to messages on the guard frequency, but it was transponding as a scheduled civilian flight on the civilian frequency that Vincennes did not monitor. Given that the Vincennes was actively involved in shooting, the captain shot two SM2's and asked questions later. Unfortunately for all concerned, it was a bad call.
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