AH-1 Cobra downed by manpad

[GScholz]

The Igla has a gas cooled IR seeker. When he arms it it a gas canister starts cooling the seeker unit. It must do so for a number of seconds before launch. The noise you hear is the BCU (battery coolant unit) cooling the seeker to below -200 C and powering up the missile.

The AH-1 was an almost perfect target. Range was perfect at 1 - 2 km. Flying slow and low, but not even trying to use the terrain. That's like begging to be shot down.

[Zimme83]

I guessed on something like that. But it seems like they know what they are doing and that they have been trained to use the missile. Question is were.. PKK has not used SAM:s before, (prob why the Cobra flew like it did...)

[GScholz]

The PKK has been using a small number of Strela and Igla missiles since the mid-'90s trained by well paid ex-Soviet instructors. In 1997 they shot down two Turkish helicopters using MANPADs. One of them a Cobra like this one.

[Zimme83]

In iraq yes, i haven't found any sign of them using Manpads inside Turkey.

[GScholz]

The PKK has always operated in the border area between Turkey, Iraq and Syria. This shoot down was in the Hakkari province which is on the border with Iraq.

https://www.google.no/maps/place/Hakk%C3%A2ri,+Tyrkia/@36.2625467,42.9850088,7.5z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x400f005946d21a3f:0x113bababd0efa07c!8m2!3d37.4459319!4d43.7449841

[Zimme83]

i know..

[GScholz]

To summarize:

PKK has not used SAM:s before, (prob why the Cobra flew like it did...)

Yes they have.

[Zimme83]

To summarize:

Yes they have.

I found out about the 1997 downings after i wrote that so i give you right on that, but still no evidence of them using them inside Turkey before as i have found. (or after 1997).

[GScholz]

The was a ceasefire between 1999 and 2004, and after that the PKK military faction were busy in northern Iraq, PKK mostly just doing protests and terrorism in Turkey. Last summer the PKK mounted the first real military action against Turkey since the '90s.

[Zimme83]

It was not the PKK that flushed the peace process down the drain last year..

But yes - i know about the conflict but it still not the point. As far as i know they have not used SAM:s in Turkey before. It is a serious escalation of the conflict and some speculates that Russia is providing them with manpads, although there is no evidence for it and there are more than one way they could have get the weapon from ex Syria or Iraq.

[GScholz]

Irrelevant. There should be no peace with such people.

[Zimme83]

Irrelevant. There should be no peace with such people.

And who are "such people"..?

[GScholz]

See Rule #14

[Zimme83]

jeez.... 

[GScholz]

Do you support them?