Boeing 777 shot down

thep02 · 17 Jul 2014 at 19:18

Wow Putin's plane crossed paths with the downed jet, this could be an assassination attempt gone wrong, witnesses on site are saying it was definitely shot down, I hope it wasn't our side.

snips86x · 17 Jul 2014 at 19:19

19:00: A tweet (in Russian) from a key Twitter account used by pro-Russian separatists, in which they claim to have captured a Buk surface-to-air missile system, has now been deleted, BBC Monitoring observes. Ukrainians say the Malaysian plane could have been downed with a Buk, but pro-Russian rebels have now denied they have it.

A defence expert has told the BBC that shooting down a plane at 10,000m (32,000ft) would have required a long- range surface-to-air missile - possibly guided by radar.

That suggests it is unlikely it could have been downed by a portable air defence missile, or Manpad, which has a much shorter range.

Bhoya · 17 Jul 2014 at 19:19

Just watching RT as it's good to see what they come up with - but they're saying that it could been a mistake as Putin's plane was in the area about 40 minutes before this one was shot down. Both looked similar so they might try peddling the story that it was actually an assassination attempt.

But then again, it's RT saying this so 99% likely to be rubbish.

arknor · 17 Jul 2014 at 19:19

has a bird strike ever took out a jet at 32,000ft ? lol gonna be someone claiming it sometime no doubt

jsmoke · 17 Jul 2014 at 19:20

Apparently the BUK only goes up to 25k feet whereas the Plane should have been at 33k feet, something like a s-300 would be needed which is one serious piece of hardware.

anything I don't mind · 17 Jul 2014 at 19:20

The pictures of the crash site indicate that if the plane was hit by a missile it did not blow up completely in the air and was only partially damaged, it then came down presumably having lost control. Absolutely terrifying and terrible.

As for conspiracies, quite a coincidence that russia was just hit with sanctions and then we have russia blamed for taking out a commercial airline. Either very stupid and foolish on russia part or there is something else amok here.

ThundyCat · 17 Jul 2014 at 19:20

Gobsmacked.

thep02 · 17 Jul 2014 at 19:21

arknor said:
has a bird strike ever took out a jet at 32,000ft ? lol gonna be someone claiming it sometime no doubt

MA have lost 2 planes recently so maintenance problems can't be ruled out.

ubersonic · 17 Jul 2014 at 19:21

Westyfield2 said:
Plus, the BUK equipment to get a plane down from 33,000feet isn't the same as the should launched stuff that your average jihad terrorist has. This is serious equipment.

Yep. Donetsk People's Republic were claiming that they'd shot it down, and then backtracked now the news says it's a passenger jet.

The rebels in that area captured a Ukrainian SAM base in June, the Ukrainians must have known about it and that the rebels now had the ability to shoot down high altitude planes but not the ability to distinguish between military/commercial flights.

Edit:

Here you go: http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_...trol-of-Ukrainian-anti-air-installation-1561/

They took a SAM base complete with mobile Buk launchers three weeks ago.

sniffy · 17 Jul 2014 at 19:23

This is terrible. I believe it's either the Russians or the rebels seeing as rebels don't even have planes for the Ukraine government to be concerned with. I can't see the Russians being this stupid so looks like some rebels have seriously messed up.

Fireskull said:
RIP to all onboard.

But imagine being the pilots :/ do commercial planes get a warning if something locks onto them??

Nope! I remember reading the transcript from a commercial flight shot down by a Russian jet many years ago. They had no idea what was going on.

CAT-THE-FIFTH · 17 Jul 2014 at 19:24

Iran Air Flight 655 was shot down by an Aegis cruiser over Iranian airspace in 1988(one of the most advanced air defence systems in the world at the time) and the Soviets shot down Korean Air Lines Flight 007 in 1983 and nothing really happened.

Then there was the Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 shot down in Ukranian airspace in 2001 by an errant S200 missile during a live fire excercise and the Aerolinee Itavia Flight 870 shot down in 1980 by what is suspected to be a French missile. Anything much happen about those two either??

Who paid for those??

It will be all political wrangling with people attempting to win browny points,and then a few years later,everybody forgets.

If its a Buk system,the Russians or separatists can get attempt to wrangle out of any involvement(if it was them) since Ukraine has earlier versions of the system from Soviet times.

For example,the Ukranian military was seen transporting some Buk systems in the conflict area:

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news...014+Photo+Dmitry+Lovetsky/10004193/story.html

Ukrainian government forces maneuver antiaircraft missile launchers Buk as they are transported north-west from Slavyansk, eastern Ukraine Friday, July 4, 2014.

That is from nearly two weeks ago.

Expect,lots of wrangling to happen with more rhetotic from both sides.

scorza · 17 Jul 2014 at 19:25

anything I don't mind said:
The pictures of the crash site indicate that if the plane was hit by a missile it did not blow up completely in the air and was only partially damaged, it then came down presumably having lost control. Absolutely terrifying and terrible.

As for conspiracies, quite a coincidence that russia was just hit with sanctions and then we have russia blamed for taking out a commercial airline. Either very stupid and foolish on russia part or there is something else amok here.

Go on, say it - "false flag".

Freefaller · 17 Jul 2014 at 19:25

http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukr...rash-of-malaysian-plane-in-donbas-356499.html

So much for Russian "intelligence" officer. He should be tried and convicted for war crimes and face each member of family from which he stole.

This is so tragic.

This is also rather frightening.

anything I don't mind · 17 Jul 2014 at 19:28

scorza said:
Go on, say it - "false flag".

I didn't say that.

delta0 · 17 Jul 2014 at 19:28

jsmoke said:
Apparently the BUK only goes up to 25k feet whereas the Plane should have been at 33k feet, something like a s-300 would be needed which is one serious piece of hardware.

22,000 m/72,000 ft.

arknor · 17 Jul 2014 at 19:29

jsmoke said:
Apparently the BUK only goes up to 25k feet whereas the Plane should have been at 33k feet, something like a s-300 would be needed which is one serious piece of hardware.

33k feet above sea level though? how high is the land around where it was shot

CAT-THE-FIFTH · 17 Jul 2014 at 19:29

Freefaller said:
http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukr...rash-of-malaysian-plane-in-donbas-356499.html

So much for Russian "intelligence" officer. He should be tried and convicted for war crimes and face each member of family from which he stole.

This is so tragic.

This is also rather frightening.

Maybe we should wait for a proper and impartial investigation first??

Yes it could be the separatists(probably is),but remember the Ukranian military shot down a Russian airliner in 2001 with an errant S200 missile during a live fire exercise,and they also had Buk systems in the current conflict area,at least two weeks ago.

Westyfield2 · 17 Jul 2014 at 19:30

Bhoya said:
But then again, it's RT saying this so 99% likely to be rubbish.

Yup!

Eddie182 · 17 Jul 2014 at 19:31

jsmoke said:
Apparently the BUK only goes up to 25k feet whereas the Plane should have been at 33k feet, something like a s-300 would be needed which is one serious piece of hardware.

SA-11 and SA-17 (the two Buk, to use the Russian name, variants) both have a ceiling greater than 25,000 metres, not feet. Well above 70,000 feet.

Django x2 · 17 Jul 2014 at 19:32

Not Malaysia Alirlines year!