[Bleed]

Turkish fighter jets have shot down a Russian warplane near the Syrian border, with conflicting claims over whether the downed aircraft violated Turkish airspace.

Turkey's military said two Turkish F-16s were involved in shooting down the plane, after issuing 10 warnings in five minutes.

But Russia's defence ministry said it could prove that the plane, a Sukhoi Su-24, was over Syrian air space for the duration of its flight.
Footage from private broadcaster Haberturk TV showed a warplane going down in flames in a woodland area, a long plume of smoke trailing behind it.

The plane went down in area known by Turks as Turkmen Mountain, in northern Syria near the Turkish border, Haberturk said.

Separate footage from Turkey's Anadolu Agency showed two crew members parachuting out of the jet before it crashed.

Al Jazeera reported that the plane came down in the village of Yamadi in Syria's Latakia governorate.

Russian military helicopters were searching for the pilots from the warplane, Turkey's Dogan news agency said.

One of the crew was in the hands of Turkmen forces in Syria, who were searching for the other pilot, broadcaster CNN Turk reported, citing local sources.

Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan has been briefed by the head of the military, while prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu has ordered consultations with NATO, the United Nations and related countries, their respective offices said.

A Syrian military source said the incident was being investigated.

Russia has repeatedly carried out air strikes in Syria in defence of president Bashar al-Assad, who is fighting a multi-faceted insurgency involving Islamic State and other groups.

Turkey, a member of NATO, called this week for a UN Security Council meeting to discuss attacks on Turkmens in neighbouring Syria, and last week Ankara summoned the Russian ambassador to protest the bombing of their villages.

Ankara has traditionally expressed solidarity with Syrian Turkmens, who are Syrians of Turkish descent.
source

This should be entertaining.

[Londonlegacy]

Nato-member Turkey has shot down a Russian warplane in the first time the alliance and Moscow have come to blows directly over the crisis in Syria.

Ankara and Moscow gave conflicting accounts of the incident, which appears to have occurred in an area near the Turkish-Syrian border straddling Iskenderun and Latakia.

The Turkish military said it scrambled two F-16 fighter jets after a plane penetrated Turkish airspace in the province of Hatay at 9.20am on Tuesday morning, warning it to leave 10 times in five minutes before it was shot down.

The area near where the plane was shot down is the site of ongoing clashes between forces loyal to the embattled Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, and rebels fighting to overthrow him. Russia launched a military intervention in October aimed at protecting the areas in western Syria still under control by the regime after nearly five years of civil war. The northern Latakia countryside has seen repeated aerial assaults by both the Russian and Syrian air forces.

Shortly after the Russian intervention, Turkey warned the Kremlin that it would not tolerate violations of its airspace, after two incidents that prompted consultations with Nato.

Turkey opposes Assad and has condemned the Russian intervention for targeting rebels not affiliated with the terror group Islamic State.

The latest incident highlights the grave risks of clashes of arms between the various international forces that have intervened in Syria. A coalition led by the US is conducting an ongoing campaign against Isis in the country, and American and Russian officials have worked on ensuring there are no clashes between their forces as they pursue their separate campaigns.

But the shooting down of the Russian plane is an escalation that leaves open the possibility of an open clash between a Nato member state and Russia.

[Londonlegacy]

Reports suggest both fighter pilots parachuted out of the plane before ground impact and have now been captured by Turkmen Rebels on the ground!

Another report (un-confirmed), claims one fighter is dead.

[b0g]

2 chutes have been seen this is the dead pilot the other is alive

http://pbs.twimg.com/media/CUkdnCuW4AAxX9L.png:large radar flight path

[kellyhound]

Russia closes turkish embassy saying the plane didn't enter turkish airspace.
Oh dear, hope this doesn't escalate.

[Zambini]

Bad, bad news !!!

[Berserk]

Not goood....
Shitty situation..
The NATO has to decide if they gonna kick Turkey out of NATO, or support them in the attack against Russian jets..
Luckily the NATO withdraw their Patriot missles some months ago so it would be less likely the Turks pull us into their stupid Dictator vs Dictator war..

[Londonlegacy]

One for the WW3 timeline in future history books I believe!

[Berserk]

Shit is escalating fast!!!

BREAKING: Second pilot found dead amid reports rescue helicopter also DOWNED
A RUSSIAN helicopter has been downed while searching for the pilots who ejected from their burning jet after it was shot down this morning while flying over Syria, according to unconfirmed reports.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/...ng-downed-jets

[Berserk]

Russia just confirmed their jet got hit by an air-to-air missle fired by an turkisch F16
-Sputnik