decide what to do. As it turned out - his decision was wrong.
Unfortunately, the Iranians have not answered several key
questions yet. For instance, no information was provided as
to why optoelectronic sensors have not been used, that the
Iranian launchers use.
According to the information that is available in the open
sources, Iran procured 29 Tor-M1 launchers in Russia. These
have been delivered between 2006 and 2007. The main mission
assigned to those systems is the protection of critical facilities
involved in nuclear and missile development programs. Boeing
737-800 belonging to the Ukraine International Airliners is
probably the second airliner shot down by the Tor-M1 SAM.
The system in question has become a part of the inventory
of the armed forces in at least 11 countries around the world.
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Tor-M1 also shot down
an IRIAF F-4 Phantom II - both crew members ejected. The
incident was caused by airspace intrusion nearby a nuclear
power plant.
Photo: GettyImages
CATASTROPHE
