In a Facebook post, the Armenian Defence Ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanyan said the Turkish F-16 was 60km (37 miles) deep into Armenian air space.
On Sep. 29, 2020, an Armenian Sukhoi Su-25 (NATO reporting name: Frogfoot) attack aircraft was shot down by another military aircraft in a major escalation of the conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
The Armenian Defence Ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanyan said the pilot of the Soviet-made Su-25 died after being hit by the Turkish F-16 in Armenian air space.
In a Facebook post, she said the Turkish F-16 was 60km (37 miles) deep into Armenian air space.
Turkey, which is backing Azerbaijan in the conflict, has denied the claim.
However, according to Tom Cooper, a modern military aviation author, there’s no doubt about the nationality and the type of aircraft that shot down the Armenian Su-25.
He explains on Facebook:
‘OK, to make sure:
‘- Today at 10.30hrs local time, an Armenian Su-25 was shot down inside Armenian airspace, over the town of Vardenis, in northern Armenia.
‘- Contrary to what is reported by (meanwhile ever more hysteric) Armenian MOD, this jet was not shot down by a ‘Turkish F-16’, but by an Azeri MiG-29 (most probably by means of an R-27 air-to-air missile).
‘There are NO Turkish F-16s in Azerbaijan – especially not at the Gajr AB, only 60km from the frontlines (and thus within easy reach of Armenian surface-to-surface missiles).’
According to BBC, nearly 100 people, including civilians, have died in three days of fighting over the disputed mountainous region.
The enclave is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but has been run by ethnic Armenians since a 1988-94 war between the two former Soviet republics.
The fighting that started three days ago now appears to be spilling out of Nagorno-Karabakh, with Armenia and Azerbaijan trading accusations of direct fire into their territories.
They also blame each other for starting the conflict.
While Turkey openly backs Azerbaijan, Russia – which has a military base in Armenia but is also friendly with Azerbaijan – has called for an immediate ceasefire.
Photo by Russian Ministry of Defence and Digital Combat Simulator
