Surface-to-air missile engagements with large systems (not MANPADS) are frontal or near-frontal engagements. A tail chase is a rotten way to bring down a plane. The system is driven by computer, which is connected to the tracking radar---which is looking toward the direction of attack, not over its shoulder. About the only human control available is to select a target and commit to engage. No "punching in of coordinates." (I once worked on the propulsion and system [guidance] engineering for the U.S. ROLAND 2 anti-aircraft missile.)
The idea that it was an accidental shot is, frankly, ridiculous. Not helped by the Ukrainian initial attempt to declare it a Russian missile (disproven by the serial numbers found), and the feeble suggestion that it was a runaway. The Poles know better. They were keeping circumspect until it developed there was no benefit from it. It is interesting how the Poles announce themselves as Ukraine's best ally, but in all other respects they seem to despise Ukraine.
Well we dont know for sure that the missile hitting Poland was surface - to- air. If it was, that seems to defeat the "they did this on purpose" angle because I doubt you can hit anything on the ground accurately with missiles expecting radar lock on airborne targets.
It was identified as a Ukrainian surface-to-air missile by the wreckage and serial numbers. There was no way it could have gotten there except by launch azimuth selection.
Who said you needed to hit anything on the ground accurately in order to create an incident to frame the Russians? (Surface-to-Air missile systems have been repurposed to Surface-to-Surface, e.g., the Nike Hercules system by the South Koreans.)
If it lands in the woods where nobody sees it, that wont create much of a scandal now will it? The fact is any missile launch upwards towards poland has to come down somewhere, and the only places are NATO. It would be impossible to prove they hit Poland on purpose, and of course they would try to blame the russians no matter what the truth was. There is no way to prove it was deliberate without ukraine cooperating with an investigation and obviously they wont
Well, in fact it landed in farmland where it was seen and the wreckage photographed. The scandal has to do with the firing of weapons at a neighboring country who is a NATO member. Any missile launch is deliberate. Cars don't start up and drive themselves. Neither do missiles launch except by human control. The fact that it was a Ukrainian missile and they boldly lied to blame the Russians is a patent of deceit, which eliminates the possibility of innocent accident. The Poles are not stupid enough to not understand all this.
Surface-to-air missile engagements with large systems (not MANPADS) are frontal or near-frontal engagements. A tail chase is a rotten way to bring down a plane. The system is driven by computer, which is connected to the tracking radar---which is looking toward the direction of attack, not over its shoulder. About the only human control available is to select a target and commit to engage. No "punching in of coordinates." (I once worked on the propulsion and system [guidance] engineering for the U.S. ROLAND 2 anti-aircraft missile.)
The idea that it was an accidental shot is, frankly, ridiculous. Not helped by the Ukrainian initial attempt to declare it a Russian missile (disproven by the serial numbers found), and the feeble suggestion that it was a runaway. The Poles know better. They were keeping circumspect until it developed there was no benefit from it. It is interesting how the Poles announce themselves as Ukraine's best ally, but in all other respects they seem to despise Ukraine.
Well we dont know for sure that the missile hitting Poland was surface - to- air. If it was, that seems to defeat the "they did this on purpose" angle because I doubt you can hit anything on the ground accurately with missiles expecting radar lock on airborne targets.
It was identified as a Ukrainian surface-to-air missile by the wreckage and serial numbers. There was no way it could have gotten there except by launch azimuth selection.
Who said you needed to hit anything on the ground accurately in order to create an incident to frame the Russians? (Surface-to-Air missile systems have been repurposed to Surface-to-Surface, e.g., the Nike Hercules system by the South Koreans.)
If it lands in the woods where nobody sees it, that wont create much of a scandal now will it? The fact is any missile launch upwards towards poland has to come down somewhere, and the only places are NATO. It would be impossible to prove they hit Poland on purpose, and of course they would try to blame the russians no matter what the truth was. There is no way to prove it was deliberate without ukraine cooperating with an investigation and obviously they wont
Well, in fact it landed in farmland where it was seen and the wreckage photographed. The scandal has to do with the firing of weapons at a neighboring country who is a NATO member. Any missile launch is deliberate. Cars don't start up and drive themselves. Neither do missiles launch except by human control. The fact that it was a Ukrainian missile and they boldly lied to blame the Russians is a patent of deceit, which eliminates the possibility of innocent accident. The Poles are not stupid enough to not understand all this.