RUMOR
RUMOR: BRIT PLANE DOWNED BY US MISSILE: The BBC story I posted earlier has now been updated to include the rumor/report RAF aircraft ‘hit by US missile’, confirming(?) TV reportage.
I’m still skeptical. Why would they fire Patriots at an airplane? What about our IFF (Identify Friend or Foe) equipment?
Update/Correction: I’ve gotten a couple pieces of feedback saying Patriot is indeed an anti-aircraft weapon. I knew that! Indeed, during GW-I, I was baffled that they were using them against missiles. My point, in my early morning stupor (I was awakened after two hours sleep by a malfunctioning smoke alarm) was that we have better anti-aircraft systems than Patriot, like Avenger and Linebacker. Indeed, the Army’s official description of Patriot doesn’t even bother to mention it can be used against airplanes.
