The scene shows, what according to Syrian rebels were fires caused by Russian military plane shot down by rebel forces near Idlib, Syria, reportedly on February 3, 2018 in this still image obtained from social media via REUTERS
L. Todd Wood, Washington Times: The ManPAD Rubicon has been passed in Syria
On Saturday, a Russian Su-25 Frogfoot attack jet was shot down in Syria by what Russia calls “terrorists” and the U.S. calls “Anti-Assad rebels.” The Su-25 is Russia’s version of the vaunted, American A-10, and was designed and built around the same time. The Frogfoot has only slightly swept wings, and is meant to fly low and slow over the battlefield, carrying a heavy load of weapons. In short, it is meant to loiter and find targets on the ground to attack. It is not an air-superiority aircraft, and is 1970s technology. It has one mission—to find things on the ground and kill them.
The problem with this type of aircraft design is that it can be vulnerable to threats from the ground due to its low speed and mission of repeatedly flying over targets to locate and destroy them. One of the most dangerous threats to low-flying attack aircraft are man-portable air-defense missiles, or ManPAD weapons systems. It was during the Soviet invasion and conflict in Afghanistan that the “Stinger” ManPAD became famous, and shot down many a Soviet Su-25 by the Islamic rebels that went on to destroy the World Trade Center in New York City on 9/11.
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Update: Commando op underway at crash site to trace MANPAD rocket origin – Russian MP (RT)
WNU Editor: ManPads have been in Syria for quite a while .... and this Russian pilot was unlucky. But the impact of this downing of a Russian Su-25 has been immediate for Russian air operations over Syria .... Russia orders warplanes in Syria to fly higher after jet shot down (Reuters).
