Talk:Sukhoi Su-15
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[edit] KAL 007 Shootdown was a Mistake
The shootdown of Korean Air Lines Flight 7 over Sakhalin Island was actually a mistake, because the pilot of the Red Air Force Su-15 mis-identified the KAL 747 as a USAF EC-135. This is one of a few cases in which aircraft identified as military airplanes are mis-identifications of commercial airliners or private airplanes.
The pilot of the Soviet interceptor knew that he was shooting down a Boeing 747 passenger plane. He admitted to that in 1996:
"I saw two rows of windows and knew that this was a Boeing. I knew this was a civilian plane. But for me this meant nothing. It is easy to turn a civilian type of plane into one for military use." (New York Times interview, September 9, 1996). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.139.222.66 (talk • contribs)
- Please stop adding links to your own conspiracy theory website (link removed). Akradecki 22:36, 10 May 2007 (UTC)
The theory it was a mistake is only a theory. The motivations of the pilots and more importantly his commanders is something that can really only ever be conjectured. mercator79 0929 6 July 2007 (UTC)
Though it is clear from the above that the Soviet pilot knew he was shooting down a civilian passenger plane, the real motivations for the shootdown are still in the realm of conjecture. What has come to the fore now with the Russian Federation supplied military communications is this: far from the shootdown being some junior officer's (or gereral's) knee jerk reaction in a tense situation, the command for the shootdown (on the military side) went very high up - General Ivan Moseivich Tretyak, Commander of the Soviet Far East Military District and his superior, General Vladimir Govrov, Commander of the Far East Theatre of Operations. It is not clear how high it went up on the civilian governmental side, But the Soviet system of intertwined military and governmental commands would indicate that the Defence Minister Dmitri Ustinov and even Soviet head Yuri Andropov would have been involved in the decision for shootdown.
[Among the ground-to-ground communications appended to the 1993 ICAO Report, the following conversation (unidentified speakers) is recorded at 18:45:
“Weapons were used, weapons authorized at the highest level. Ivan Moiseevich authorized it. Hello, hello.”
“Say again.”
“I cannot hear you clearly now.”
“He gave the order. Hello, hello, hello.”
“Yes, yes.”
“Ivan Moseivich gave the order, Tretyak.”
“Roger, roger.”]
217.132.141.58Bert Schlossberg217.132.141.58 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.132.141.58 (talk) 06:06, 3 September 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Tu-28
Why did the USSR build the Su-15 in much larger numbers than the similar, but more powerful Tu-28?
Well in the Tu-28 article itself, it was noted, "As a pure interceptor the Tu-28P had almost no ECM or defensive avionics, not even a radar-warning receiver (RWR) like the smaller Sukhoi interceptors." This might have been reason enough. Defensive avionics and size. Tu-28s make Thuds look small...
[edit] Military usage info
I dont think Soviets were using this plane to intercept civilians only ; ). If it is possible add some more combat situations.
No conflicts occurred during the time of service. As interceptors they wouldn't have any use in Afghanistan. They were interceptors and border integrity. They were the main line defence fighter and as such they happened to be the aircraft sent up against threats that turned out to be mistakes.
