Crew of downed Israel F-16 made wrong judgment call

A full military probe of the incident in which an Israeli Air Force F-16 was shot down by a Syrian missile on Feb. 10 concluded that the crew made the wrong judgment call. Their first priority was to evade enemy missiles, whereas they decided to continue their mission. The plane’s warning systems operated efficiently and in time. Their decision after the plane was hit to return to Israeli air space and eject was correct. Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin said he expected the pilot to return to full activity after he recovered from his injuries.

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7 thoughts on “Crew of downed Israel F-16 made wrong judgment call

  • Feb 26, 2018 @ 7:50 at 7:50
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    How do you evade enemy missiles..if you just can’t friggin evade them..huh

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    • Feb 26, 2018 @ 12:50 at 12:50
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      What is not said here but in other reports you can find…They were apparently too high and still in range of the SA5’s at that altitude…the reason they were flying so high was so that they could monitor that the strikes the group had made were successful in destroying the target…that was the drone’s command vehicle…the lead aircraft in the group was also painted but they managed to dive to a safer level and thereby, avoid the SAM’s.

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  • Feb 26, 2018 @ 16:12 at 16:12
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    The crew evidently prioritised the completion of the mission over their own safety.
    Incredible dedication by IAF pilots but they must protect themselves and their aircraft next time.

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  • Feb 26, 2018 @ 23:05 at 23:05
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    brave crew. but also stupid. were they so focussed on the mission’s missile strike success even at risk of their lives and losing the F-16I, because the syrians/iranians/russians were shooting down the attacking missiles successfully?…………..this must be asked………..

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    • Feb 27, 2018 @ 0:08 at 0:08
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      You do realise that virtually no one on the planet can shoot down strike missiles inbound right?
      You’re literally quoting arab propaganda releases.
      I doubt very much even Israel, with one of the most complete missile defence systems, can realistically shoot down incoming missiles, iron dome shoots unguided ballistic trajectory rockets/morters, at best. When Syria announces that they shot down most of the incoming missiles, thats nonsense for the hoi paloi to eat so they think their govt can actually do something effectual against a western power. They can’t.
      By far the most likely case is that the pilot suffered from target fixation, couldnt get his head out of sights, despite all the audio/visual warnings in the world. It happens.

      Reply

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