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That's not entirely unrealistic. In the 70s and 80s there was a USAF program to convert passenger 747 airplanes into surveillance planes and missile launch plat

That's not entirely unrealistic. In the 70s and 80s there was a USAF program to convert passenger 747 airplanes into surveillance planes and missile launch platforms (under the designation "E-4"). Soviet fear of those militarized 747s contributed to the shoot-down of KAL007.

ngcc_hk 5y ago
Is it supported by fact? You know as noted then it was one of the first death of IT workers in those days. I do not think I would accept Soviet Union justified that in any way. They can send in plane to fight eve it down and show to the world that if truth. Not shooting it down.
- hannasanarion 5y ago
  The fear was that it was a military-operated plane using the same shape as a civilian plane, which was a real thing the USAF was using at the time. The plane had, completely by accident, flown directly over a missile test in progress. It didn't respond to attempts to contact it because the pilots weren't listening on the right channels, and they didn't notice the warning shots across the nose because it was too dark and cloudy. When, by complete coincidence, KAL007 climbed to a higher flight level for fuel efficiency moments after the soviet interceptors obtained missile lock, the air defense commanders took that as confirmation that it was a USAF E-4 taking evasive action, not a civilian 747, and ordered the shoot-down.
  - petre 5y ago
    > moments after the soviet interceptors obtained missile lock So it would have been shot down anyway, with or without "confirmation". This is just the Soviets being paranoid trigger happy like they were when they downed flight MH17 and also one of their own flights shot by mistake in 2001 during an Ukrainian/Russian military exercise.
    - hannasanarion 5y ago
      No, you you misunderstand the incredible coincidence here. The pilots, thinking they were about to arrive in Japanese airspace, requested and recieved permission to climb to a higher altitude. At that very moment, the soviet fighters had obtained missile lock. The plane suddenly began to climb, losing speed and resulting in the interceptors overshooting and needing to maneuver to get back in line with the plane. From their perspective, it was a well timed and effective evasion of the first missile, but the Korean pilots still had no clue. I mean think about it from their persepctive, this plane is visually indistinguishable from a military plane built specifically built to conduct surveillance operations doing a perfectly timed flyover of a missile test, not responding to communications or warning shots, and apparently dodging an AA missile. The soviets were paranoid, sure, but that situation is one in a million.

ngcc_hk 5y ago

Is it supported by fact? You know as noted then it was one of the first death of IT workers in those days. I do not think I would accept Soviet Union justified that in any way. They can send in plane to fight eve it down and show to the world that if truth. Not shooting it down.

hannasanarion 5y ago
The fear was that it was a military-operated plane using the same shape as a civilian plane, which was a real thing the USAF was using at the time. The plane had, completely by accident, flown directly over a missile test in progress. It didn't respond to attempts to contact it because the pilots weren't listening on the right channels, and they didn't notice the warning shots across the nose because it was too dark and cloudy. When, by complete coincidence, KAL007 climbed to a higher flight level for fuel efficiency moments after the soviet interceptors obtained missile lock, the air defense commanders took that as confirmation that it was a USAF E-4 taking evasive action, not a civilian 747, and ordered the shoot-down.
- petre 5y ago
  > moments after the soviet interceptors obtained missile lock So it would have been shot down anyway, with or without "confirmation". This is just the Soviets being paranoid trigger happy like they were when they downed flight MH17 and also one of their own flights shot by mistake in 2001 during an Ukrainian/Russian military exercise.
  - hannasanarion 5y ago
    No, you you misunderstand the incredible coincidence here. The pilots, thinking they were about to arrive in Japanese airspace, requested and recieved permission to climb to a higher altitude. At that very moment, the soviet fighters had obtained missile lock. The plane suddenly began to climb, losing speed and resulting in the interceptors overshooting and needing to maneuver to get back in line with the plane. From their perspective, it was a well timed and effective evasion of the first missile, but the Korean pilots still had no clue. I mean think about it from their persepctive, this plane is visually indistinguishable from a military plane built specifically built to conduct surveillance operations doing a perfectly timed flyover of a missile test, not responding to communications or warning shots, and apparently dodging an AA missile. The soviets were paranoid, sure, but that situation is one in a million.