Turkish F-16s shot down a Syrian MiG-23 that is said to have crossed over into Turkish airspace, reported Reuters. “A Syrian plane violated our airspace,” Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said during an election rally in northwest Turkey. “Our F-16s took off and hit this plane. Why? Because, if you violate my airspace, our slap after this will be hard.” Syrian rebels have been battling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces in the same area as they attempt to gain control of the border crossing, reported Reuters. The Syrian government said the jet was pursuing rebel fighters inside of Syria, calling the attack “blatant aggression,” states the report. The pilot ejected before the plane crashed some 1,300 yards inside Syrian territory, reported Reuters. Six months earlier Turkish forces shot down a Syrian helicopter that crossed into Turkish airspace in the same border area. Turkey, which was once Assad’s ally, is now a “fierce critic” of the Assad regime and has “sheltered and supported rebels battling to overthrow him,” states the report.
The Space Force should take bold, decisive steps—and soon—to develop the capabilities and architecture needed to support more flexible, dynamic operations in orbit and counter Chinese aggression and technological progress, according to a new report from AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.
