1996 Turkish F-16 shootdown

On 8 October 1996, seven months after the escalation of the Imia/Kardak crisis, a Greek Mirage 2000 reportedly fired an R.550 Magic II missile and shot down a Turkish F-16D over the Aegean Sea near Chios island. The Turkish pilot died, while the co-pilot ejected and was rescued by Greek forces. In August 2012, after the downing of a RF-4E on the Syrian Coast, Turkish Defense Minister İsmet Yılmaz confirmed that the Turkish F-16D was shot down by a Greek Mirage 2000 with an R.550 Magic II in 1996 after allegedly violating Greek airspace near Chios island. Greece denies that the F-16 was shot down. Both Mirage 2000 pilots reported that the F-16 caught fire and they saw one parachute.

Background

Greece–Turkey relations have always been tense over the disputes in the Aegean Sea. For years, more frequently than not, HAF and TAF pilots have engaged in mock dogfights over the Aegean sea. Greece accuses Turkey of violating its airspace thousands of times over the past few decades. In multiple cases these mock dog fights have ended in deadly accidents with either side losing a fighter jet and at times their own pilots. ==Event==

Event

On the afternoon of October 8, 1996, 2 Turkish F-16s and 4 F-4s were on a SEAD training mission over the Aegean when they violated Greek airspace north of Chios. In 2012, after the downing of a Turkish RF-4E on the Syrian Coast, Turkish Defence Minister İsmet Yılmaz confirmed that the Turkish F-16D was shot down by a Greek Mirage 2000 with an R.550 Magic II in 1996 after violating Greek airspace near Chios island. ==Aftermath==

Aftermath

In 2014 Turkish prosecutors tried to seek the indictment of Greek officials over the 1996 crash of a Turkish F-16 warplane in the Aegean Sea. Greece had denied it being shot down and both Mirage pilots reported that the Turkish F-16 caught fire at random and only saw one parachute. ==References==

Source: Wikipedia ↗

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