Turkish F-16 shows off Syrian Mig-23 kill mark

Another interesting kill mark has appeared on a Turkish Air Force F-16.

Along with the F-16C that downed a Syrian Mi-17 Hip helicopter back in 2013, another interesting plane can be found at Konya airbase, in Turkey, where Tiger Meet 2015 exercise is currently being held.

It is the F-16C serialled 91-008, belonging to the 182 Filo (squadron), that shot down a Syrian Arab Air Force Mig-23 Flogger on Mar. 23, 2014.

On that day, the SyAAF Mig-23, flying with another aircraft of the same type, approached the Turkish-Syrian border at around 13.00 LT. While one of the Floggers turned back, the other aircraft violated the Turkish airspace by about 1 km, at 13.13LT. It then continued to fly inside Turkey’s airspace for about 1.5 km until it was hit by an AIM-120 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile) fired by the F-16C 91-008 in Combat Air Patrol near the border.

The Syrian pilot successfully ejected from the Mig.

Mig kill TuAF F-16 close up

Image credit: Levent Gokcen via Kokpit.aero

 

About David Cenciotti
David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.