[quote=spdrun]How does a MANPAD shoot down a transport flying at 21,000+ ft, considering that the range of the MANPADS available to them have a range of 12,000 ft on a good day?
The BUK missiles were likely used against military targets before. This was just the first time they messed up and hit a civilian target.[/quote]
Repeating the same thing w/o references or supporting information does not make it true. I gave references for what I stated. Please do likewise.
[quote=FlyerInHi]Yeah, question is do the separatists have the capability?
The Ukrainians shot down a plane by mistake before.[/quote]They may not have had it before, but I think they do now. The only hit I could get on previous shoot-down involving Ukraine was of Siberian Airlines 1812, in Oct 2001. I could not find any other. The Russian plane flew into a live fire exercise area (MOA). The missile, and S-200, overshot its target and re-acquired a new target (the passenger airplane). The particular missile in this case is a self-guided system at its terminus. This exercise was being watched (spied upon?) by the US. What is interesting here is that only the most recent S-200 versions are capable of 35,000 feet, original version 20,000 feet, both of which are generally only achievable straight up (fuel-distance-gravity-altitude problem). It does make me wonder at what altitude that Siberian Airlines 1812 was flying at – and if it was its normal flying altitude. After the incident, Ukraine banned the practice of live fire on that system for approx 7 years.
