Jordanian F-16 "Shot Down" by ISIS

[500]

It could be, the pilot may not have been flying with the proper countermeasures package or perhaps he was not expecting it. Unlike Radar systems whose warning system are more common, it remains to be seen whether this aircraft had the systems installed as the recently bought European AM/BMs may not have had IR warning sensors on them(the Norwegians only had them installed as recently as 2012).

Its not just matter of countermeasure. F-16 is very fast, MANPADS needs time to lock on and because of small engine envelope where it can engage target is very narrow. So its very unlikely.

During recent Libya campaign one F-15 also crashed due to mechanical failure:

Plus F-16 is single engine.

 

[Imran Khan]

Stupid pilot with great machine remain stupid

 

[MoshteAhani]

Got no love for Jordans foreign policy on Israel and USA but i guess it would be better for ISIS scum to release him.

From ISIS twitter account :

Image of the Apostate Jordanian Pilot Mu'adh Al-Kasasbeh with the Apostate Taghout Abdullah of Jordan

 

[Mosamania]

Stupid pilot with great machine remain stupid

How is he a stupid pilot? Were you there? Could you pilot the machine better? How is he stupid?

 

[thesolar65]

Suicide is not allowed in Islam.

But then pulling the nails, gauging out eye balls, cutting jugular vein and lastly your head....I mean instant death is much better than these!!

 

[chauvunist]

By listening to the US administrations and imposing restrictions and prolonging the conflict. They should have supported FSA all the way back then. Everything was falling perfectly into place until the US refused and imposed restrictions on support. Entire brigades were defecting at that time and more were willing to defect.

The longer the conflict lasts the more extreme it gets. Also there is a huge wave of Anti-Secularists who use the fact that Saudi Arabia is supporting secular FSA against it to justify terrorist actions against it. Mainly MB and ISIS. I am sure there are individual donors who are sympathetic to their cause. But ISIS doesn't live on donations.

FSA is NOT ISIS, they are the main force fighting ISIS in Syria, even the Syrian regime is only engaged in one front against ISIS and it is in a stalemate. Both regime and ISIS are fighting FSA together, and FSA is where my support in this conflict is. They are the only ones remaining true to Syria, refusing foreigners and relying on Syrian arm alone. The only true Syrian army left in Syria. FSA is fighting foreign Ismaist terrorist in one hand in the form of ISIS, and is fighting Iraqi, Lebanese, Afghan, Yemeni, Turkish, Pakistani shias who are fighting for Assad on the other.

The fact is People here ignore "Iranian intervention" in Syria which lead to this whole fiasco,It's a shame that they are viewing this whole fiasco from their biased sprectrum...Had Iran not supported Syrian's massacre,there would be no FSA and more importantly the"this devil" ISIS would not have become so strong...But alas people propagate things which suit's their sectarian agenda...

 

[500]

Stupid pilot with great machine remain stupid

Jordan uses 30 years old second hand F-16As - thats not so great. Plus single engine makes them more prone to accidents.

 

[SipahSalar]

But then pulling the nails, gauging out eye balls, cutting jugular vein and lastly your head....I mean instant death is much better than these!!

Yes you are right. But if you are a muslim, then its not instant death because you will face eternal pain in hellfire. So with that logic, long death in this world compared to eternal pain in hereafter, most people will chose the latter.

 

[truthseeker2010]

Stupid pilot with great machine remain stupid

being a veteran, these types of comments doesn't suit u......

Jordan uses 30 years old second hand F-16As - thats not so great. Plus single engine makes them more prone to accidents.

has the cause of being "shot-down" determined? was it really downed by ISIS, or was it a mechanical failure?

 

[Hindustani78]

Islamic State has a guide to shoot down Apache helicopters with MANPADS - The Washington Post
October 28 2014

While the Stinger has never been documented in Islamic State hands, both the SA-16 and SA-18 have been sighted, albeit in limited quantities, with armed groups in Syria according to a report released by Small Arms Survey in August. Additionally, the Islamic State released still images last month after claiming responsibility for shooting down an Iraqi Mi-35 helicopter north of Baghdad with a Chinese FN-6 MANPADS.

The FN-6 can hit targets flying at around 11,000 feet while the SA-18 has an effective range upwards of 18,000 feet.


On Aug. 24, ISIS reportedly plundered several Russian-made SA-16 anti-aircraft missile systems from the Taqaba airbase in eastern Syria

Both Iraq and Syria were operators of the Strela-2. As such, ISIS could have seized the weapon from either military during its conquest of enemy military bases.

 

[Beast]

The missile manpad that brought down the F-16 cannot be Russian Igla. Becos it not advance enought to brought down an F-16. Only the FN-6 can do it. FN-6 is the most advance manpad China exported. Fitted with digital seeker, even chaff and decoy can hardly fool the seeker.

 

[thesolar65]

Yes you are right. But if you are a muslim, then its not instant death because you will face eternal pain in hellfire. So with that logic, long death in this world compared to eternal pain in hereafter, most people will chose the latter.

Hmmm. Ok then, beliefs are beliefs. I respect that, but that was my opinion. But still I belief that one must choose carefully as to who is your enemy and its nature!!

 

[Hindustani78]

The missile manpad that brought down the F-16 cannot be Russian Igla. Becos it not advance enought to brought down an F-16. Only the FN-6 can do it. FN-6 is the most advance manpad China exported. Fitted with digital seeker, even chaff and decoy can hardly fool the seeker.

If i am not wrong during 1991 Gulf war, Iraqis did bring down RAF Tornado bomber using Igla-1E (or Strela-3).

If that can be done in 1991 then why it cant be done in 2014 ? Iraqi and Syrians do have manpads which can bring down fighter planes which is even accepted by American intelligence agencies.

 

[ravinderpalrulez]

Look they have a downed F-16 and people wonder "how was that possible?"
My reply "simple, just as they did with one of those Syrian MiGs".
There is no miracle stuff on F-16's, they are not flying faster or accelerate that much better than a MiG and they do no not have any science fiction "shield" around them or some hyper sensor detecting incoming AAA fire.

By the way, just few days ago "the aviationsist" website posted how low coalitions aircraft go. You can even hear the 30mm gun of an A-10 firing. So there is your reply about "coalition aircraft do not need to go that low".

Why did they went for that option? Who knows... I guess they thought the risk was affordable or they decided to spend some dumb iron bombs and save some LGB's or JDAM (remember it was a Jordan plane: they do not have unlimited free access to guided bombs as US, Israeli or NATO forces do, they have to import those things!)... or they needed to go low to properly identify the target.

***** happens.

 

[SipahSalar]

I feel bad for his parents.
Father of F-16 pilot captured in Syria pleads with ISIS to show mercy and release his son as terrified relatives gather at family home  | Daily Mail Online

By the way, just few days ago "the aviationsist" website posted how low coalitions aircraft go. You can even hear the 30mm gun of an A-10 firing. So there is your reply about "coalition aircraft do not need to go that low".

A-10 is a CAS plane, that's the only way it operates during combat, low and slow. Very different from F-16 and likes.