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India.com
09-05-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Pakistan Once Shot Down Its Own F-16 Jet: A Costly Mistake Resurfaces Amid Fresh Tensions With India
With escalating military tensions in India and Pakistan amid cross-border drone attacks and retaliatory action, a little-known historical episode involving a critical PAF gaffe has returned to the scene — one that saw Pakistan downing its own F-16 fighter aircraft inadvertently. The disclosure is made at a time when the Indian government has said that Pakistani military forces probably used Turkish-produced "Asisguard Songar" drones in the May 8 attacks on Indian cities. Initial forensic examination of debris from captured drones verified their origin and tactical application for reconnaissance and precision strikes. Against this background, defence experts are going back to a significant 1987 incident that humiliated Pakistan in the international arena. During the Soviet-Afghan War, two F-16 aircraft of Pakistan's 14th Squadron were sent to intercept four Soviet-supported Afghan MiG-23s along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. But the mission turned tragic when one PAF pilot accidentally opened fire on his own wingman in mid-air. The mission was commanded by Wing Commander Amjad Javed, with Flight Lieutenant Shahid Sikandar piloting the second F-16. When the jets climbed to attack the MiG-23s, Javed confused Sikandar's plane as an enemy target and fired an AIM-9P Sidewinder missile. The missile hit Sikandar's F-16, which was destroyed. Luckily, the pilot ejected safely and lived. First, the Afghan Air Force took credit for the shoot-down, saying that it had destroyed a Pakistani fighter plane. But a close examination of the wreckage told a different story: Pakistan had accidentally shot down one of its own planes. What made the humiliation worse was that the F-16, which was one of the most sophisticated multirole fighter aircraft then, had a friend-or-foe identification system. Investigations indicated that the system malfunctioned, but American officials were unconvinced for years about the explanation given by Pakistani authorities. With Indo-Pak tensions erupting anew, military observers point out that such incidents highlight the paramount value of operational discipline, good intelligence, and trusted technology in preventing unintended escalation — particularly between two nuclear-armed neighbours.
The National
10-04-2025
- Politics
- The National
Turkey in talks with Israel to avoid military conflict in Syria
Turkey has been holding technical talks with Israel to avoid military misunderstandings that could start a conflict in Syria, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said. His remarks came a week after Israel stepped up air strikes in Syria, declaring the attacks a warning to the new government in Damascus and accusing Turkey of trying to turn the country into a protectorate. Turkey could set up a military base in Syria's desert city of Palmyra and is studying the possible use of a Turkish-produced air defence system known as Hisar, a senior Syrian military commander told The National last week. 'While we are conducting certain operations in Syria, there needs to be a non-conflict mechanism with Israel, which flies aircraft in that region, similar to mechanisms we have with the US and Russia,' Mr Fidan told broadcaster CNN Turk on Wednesday. 'There are technical contacts to prevent combat elements from misunderstanding each other.' Teams are contacting each other 'when needed', he added. Mr Fidan said the talks were solely for avoiding conflict in Syria and not aimed at normalising relations. He said Ankara's military activities in Syria were aimed at avoiding instability that could impact Turkey. 'We have no intention of fighting any country in Syria, not just Israel,' he said. 'If an area of instability emerges in a neighbouring country that will affect us and cause us harm, we cannot remain spectators. 'We cannot watch Syria again be subjected to internal turmoil, an operation or a provocation that will threaten Turkey's national security.' Ankara has been fiercely critical of Israel over its attacks on Gaza, saying they amount to genocide against the Palestinians. It has applied to join a case at the International Court of Justice against Israel, while also halting trade. Israel denies the genocide accusations.
