Subject: Safety of civil aircraft operating in Damascus FIR
Action required: Communicate to national civil aircraft owners and operators, intending to operate within the Damascus FIR, the need to fully assess the potential for risks to flight safety
Sir/Madam,
1. I have the honour to address you as the appropriate State Authority of aircraft operator(s) which may use the airspace of the Syrian Arab Republic.
2. Taking into consideration the armed conflict that is currently taking place in the Syrian Arab Republic, I draw your attention to the possible existence of serious risks to the safety of international civil flights operating within the Damascus flight information region (FIR).
3. Information received by ICAO from certain States, based on reports originating from their operators, indicates that incidents have recently taken place involving civil aircraft transiting the Damascus FIR. Such incidents include situations whereby civil aircraft unexpectedly found themselves in close proximity to munitions and missile firings. In addition, unsubstantiated reports in the public media would suggest that munitions firings were also directed at an aircraft during its final approach to an aerodrome in the Syrian Arab Republic.
4. It has also come to my attention that several operators have already taken the decision, based on their assessments of the level of risk involved, to circumnavigate the Damascus FIR, availing themselves of alternate routings in neighbouring FIRs. An increase in the level of traffic on these alternative routings is expected to have a limited impact on the overall capacity of the system.
5. ICAO continues to actively coordinate with authorities of the Syrian Arab Republic and other States in the region as regards developments as they unfold, specifically those which could impact flight safety.
6. ICAO will continue to monitor the situation and I will notify you of any significant developments.
Accept, Sir/Madam, the assurances of my highest consideration.
Raymond Benjamin
Secretary General
fonte: ICAO
Action required: Communicate to national civil aircraft owners and operators, intending to operate within the Damascus FIR, the need to fully assess the potential for risks to flight safety
Sir/Madam,
1. I have the honour to address you as the appropriate State Authority of aircraft operator(s) which may use the airspace of the Syrian Arab Republic.
2. Taking into consideration the armed conflict that is currently taking place in the Syrian Arab Republic, I draw your attention to the possible existence of serious risks to the safety of international civil flights operating within the Damascus flight information region (FIR).
3. Information received by ICAO from certain States, based on reports originating from their operators, indicates that incidents have recently taken place involving civil aircraft transiting the Damascus FIR. Such incidents include situations whereby civil aircraft unexpectedly found themselves in close proximity to munitions and missile firings. In addition, unsubstantiated reports in the public media would suggest that munitions firings were also directed at an aircraft during its final approach to an aerodrome in the Syrian Arab Republic.
4. It has also come to my attention that several operators have already taken the decision, based on their assessments of the level of risk involved, to circumnavigate the Damascus FIR, availing themselves of alternate routings in neighbouring FIRs. An increase in the level of traffic on these alternative routings is expected to have a limited impact on the overall capacity of the system.
5. ICAO continues to actively coordinate with authorities of the Syrian Arab Republic and other States in the region as regards developments as they unfold, specifically those which could impact flight safety.
6. ICAO will continue to monitor the situation and I will notify you of any significant developments.
Accept, Sir/Madam, the assurances of my highest consideration.
Raymond Benjamin
Secretary General
fonte: ICAO
Two missiles have been fired at a Russian passenger plane flying over Syria, according to Russian media.
About 160 people were on board the charter aircraft at the time of the attack, the origin of which remains unknown, a source told the Interfax news agency.
An unnamed source is understood to have said: "Syrian [officials] informed us that on Monday morning, unidentified forces launched two ground-to-air missiles which exploded in the air very close to a civilian aircraft belonging to a Russian airline."
The source said the pilots managed to manoeuvre but it was only because they did so that lives were saved.
The source added: "It remains unclear whether the attackers knew whether it was Russian or not."
Russia is an ally of the embattled regime of Bashar al Assad, who is struggling to hold on to Syria amid a civil war that he seen 70,000 killed.
The targeted plane belonged to Nordwind Airlines – a Russian charter air carrier.
According to other sources, it was en route to the city of Kazan, in Russia's republic of Tatarstan, from Egypt's resort city of Sharm el Sheikh.
Russia's Agency For Tourism later confirmed an incident had taken place, saying: "No one was injured, and the plane was not damaged. The aircraft landed in Kazan as it had been planned."
Russia's foreign ministry later issued a statement about the incident.
A spokesman said: "On April 29, at 0455 moscow, a Northern Wind plane was travelling in Syrian airspace from Sharm el Sheikh to Kazan and the pilot crew has recorded military activities on the ground that could have endangered the plane and 159 passengers.
"The Russian authorities are taking urgent measures to clarify the situation including in contact with Syrian authorities."
The Syrian regime is battling a diverse range of opposition fighters, with some following an ideology akin to that shared by al Qaeda, and others supported by western allies who are seeking to achieve democracy.
Sky news
About 160 people were on board the charter aircraft at the time of the attack, the origin of which remains unknown, a source told the Interfax news agency.
An unnamed source is understood to have said: "Syrian [officials] informed us that on Monday morning, unidentified forces launched two ground-to-air missiles which exploded in the air very close to a civilian aircraft belonging to a Russian airline."
The source said the pilots managed to manoeuvre but it was only because they did so that lives were saved.
The source added: "It remains unclear whether the attackers knew whether it was Russian or not."
Russia is an ally of the embattled regime of Bashar al Assad, who is struggling to hold on to Syria amid a civil war that he seen 70,000 killed.
The targeted plane belonged to Nordwind Airlines – a Russian charter air carrier.
According to other sources, it was en route to the city of Kazan, in Russia's republic of Tatarstan, from Egypt's resort city of Sharm el Sheikh.
Russia's Agency For Tourism later confirmed an incident had taken place, saying: "No one was injured, and the plane was not damaged. The aircraft landed in Kazan as it had been planned."
Russia's foreign ministry later issued a statement about the incident.
A spokesman said: "On April 29, at 0455 moscow, a Northern Wind plane was travelling in Syrian airspace from Sharm el Sheikh to Kazan and the pilot crew has recorded military activities on the ground that could have endangered the plane and 159 passengers.
"The Russian authorities are taking urgent measures to clarify the situation including in contact with Syrian authorities."
The Syrian regime is battling a diverse range of opposition fighters, with some following an ideology akin to that shared by al Qaeda, and others supported by western allies who are seeking to achieve democracy.
Sky news
Infatti non sarebbe male l'istituzione di una no fly zone sulla Siria vista la situazione
Domanda da ignorante totale: esistono missili terra-aria in grado di centrare un bersaglio a 36,000 piedi di altezza?
Verissimo. Credo siano comunque missili piuttosto grandi, che non dovrebbero essere nelle disponibilità di talebani o di altri ribelli con similare organizzazione.
Domanda da ignorante: come può un aereo civile "accorgersi" di essere "puntato" da missili? ed ancora ha capacità di manovra tali da "sfuggire" ad un missile?
Dipende da un'infinita' di fattori. Vado a memoria, ma anche il meteo ha un sua parte se non ricordo male.
Va innanzitutto precisato che i missili possono avere dimensioni e portate estremamente diverse: si va dai piccoli spalleggiabili a quelli che misurano svariati metri.
E' banale da dire, ma un aereo è un bersaglio tanto più difficile, quanto più vola alto e veloce. E ovviamente quanto più è piccolo...
Quindi il momento milgiore per abbatterlo, è poco dopo il decollo o poco prima dell'atterraggio, cosa resa più semplice dal fatto che sono sufficienti armi piccole e nella disponibilità anche di chi non è una nazione con esercito "regolare". In questo caso credo che il pilota di un aereo civile (di norma non dotato di speciali contromisure), non abbia modo di percepire in anticipo la minaccia.
Nel caso di un attacco ad un aereo ad alta quota, immagino che la cospicua dimensione del missile lo renda visibile sul radar del "bersaglio". Credo però che a prescindere dal tipo di "guida" del missile, la possibilità di schivarlo da parte di un aereo civile siano davvero poche. Anche perchè se il missile non è "stupido", lo insegue...
Peraltro di norma prima di tirare giù un aereo in quota, gli si mandano "in visita" un paio di intercettori, che possono valutare meglio la situazione e qualora si renda davvero necessario l'abbattimento, possono sparare uno o più missili aria-aria ed avere un riscontro immediato della situazione.
A memoria i missili terra aria spalleggiabili, tipicamente in dotazione delle forze "ribelli" in mezzo mondo, di origine USA o ex URSS hanno una portata molto limitata, intorno ai 3/4 km e con una quota operativa max intorno ai 12.000 piedi. Non a caso, come si accennava anche nel 3d relativo all'incidente di Bagram, la migliore manovra evasiva è costituita da salita e discesa "tattica" con gradienti molto elevati. Tendenzialmente sono missili a guida infrarossa e con testate da guerra a frammentazione di potenza non particolarmente elevata.
Per agganciare un aereo civile in crociera occorre un missile a guida radar, che presuppone un sistema di lancio complesso, composto da almeno 2 veicoli (per sicurezza il radar viene collocato a una certa distanza dal lanciatore in quanto è il bersaglio preferenziale delle operazioni "wild weasel")
Per agganciare un aereo civile in crociera occorre un missile a guida radar, che presuppone un sistema di lancio complesso, composto da almeno 2 veicoli (per sicurezza il radar viene collocato a una certa distanza dal lanciatore in quanto è il bersaglio preferenziale delle operazioni "wild weasel")