The London Independent is reporting a
worrying new development in Iraq. It is looking increasingly likely that the
RAF C-130 that was downed at the end of January was shot down by a missle.
The findings, outlined to MPs by Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, raised fears within the MoD that the insurgents could possess a new missile capable of hitting aircraft flying above 15,000 feet.
......
The inquiry team will now have to determine whether the plane was brought down by a heat-seeking missile designed to reach aircraft at high altitude or was a lucky strike by insurgents using a (shoulder-launched)Sam (surface-to-air) missile which normally has a range of less than 10,000 feet.