Turkey shoots unidentified aircraft

The origins of the drone in question are as yet unverified.

Syria, Russian Federation and the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State have used drones in Syrian airspace in their attacks on the terror group. The incidents have drawn sharp rebukes from Turkey’s North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies.

The aircraft was shot down after it ignored three warnings for it to leave, a military statement said. It warned the air force would “decisively” implement Turkey’s rules of engagement.

“Drones with such frames are not produced in Russian Federation”, a high-ranking source in the Special Technological Center in St. Petersburg told RIA Novosti.

Russian Federation began fielding drones in Syria in September as part of the military buildup that preceded airstrikes on behalf of its ally, the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Turkey, which patrols the border with F-16s, has also reported numerous incidents of harassment by Syrian fighter planes or Syria-based surface-to-air missile systems locking radar on the aircraft. It said the drone fell inside the Turkish border near the town of Kilis. Turkey is a member state of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the violation of its airspace by Russian aircrafts has been received as a threat to greater geopolitical security.

Russia’s air strikes in Syria mean that Russian and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation planes are now flying combat missions in the same air space for the first time since World War Two, heightening concern that the Cold War enemies could fire on each other. Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter earlier this month called on Russian Federation to act in a “safe and professional manner” and respect Turkish sovereignty.

The Russian intervention in Syria and the repeated incursions of Russian planes in Turkey have strained relations between the two countries.

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation said Friday that Turkey has not asked it for help since the aircraft was downed.

But it is clear that after years with little in the way of drone technology, Moscow has ramped up its emphasis on unmanned aerial vehicles in recent years, said Douglas Barrie, senior fellow for Military Aerospace at the global Institute for Strategic Studies.

On Thursday, a United States official speaking on condition of anonymity said the U.S. military is poised to boost its supply runs to rebels fighting ISIS in northern Syria, provided the rebels on the ground can prove they are fighting the militants.

Pentagon officials have held three rounds of talks with Russians on safety procedures.

Turkish foreign minister Feridun Sinirlioglu attends a press conference in Ankara, Turkey, Friday, October 16, 2015. The official has said that the US can not confirm details at this point in time as the investigation is still in its nascent stages but intimidated that Washington has cause to believe that Moscow’s statement on the matter may not be correct.