Plane crash in Kazakhstan: Russia allegedly shoots down aircraft, similar to Iran’s UIA Boeing incident
Photo: Russians shot down a plane that crashed in Kazakhstan (Getty Images)
Russians shot down an Embraer 190 aircraft of AZAL Airlines, which crashed in Kazakhstan. It is reported that the aircraft was likely downed by a Russian Pantsir anti-aircraft missile and gun system operating in automatic mode, informs Defense Express.
Immediately after the plane crash, online discussions began rejecting the initial claim that the crash was caused by a bird strike. Later, footage was published showing characteristic traces of shrapnel from an anti-aircraft missile on the aircraft's fuselage.
These traces were noted on the relatively intact tail section of the Embraer 190, which was flying the Baku-Grozny route.
It is known that before the crash, drones were being shot down in Grozny, likely by the Pantsir system defending against an attack. Defense Express recalls that as early as 2020, Russians boasted about the automatic mode of the system.
In Moscow, it was claimed that the Pantsir-S had "artificial intelligence features" and could engage targets without human intervention. The Russian Ministry of Defense’s website also mentions this automatic mode.
defence-ua.com
The media notes that a similar automatic mode is available in the Tor missile system. It was this system, evidently operating in automatic mode, that shot down a Ukrainian International Airlines Boeing 737, Flight PS752, near Tehran on January 8, 2020.
Plane crash in Kazakhstan
On Wednesday, December 25, a passenger plane, an Embraer 190 of AZAL Airlines, crashed in Kazakhstan. It was en route from Baku to Grozny, Chechnya, and went down near the city of Aktau.
There were 67 people onboard, including the crew. The crash claimed the lives of 38 people.
Online reports claimed the plane had been shot down near Grozny, with evidence of likely anti-aircraft activity visible on the fuselage. The official version of the crash cited a collision with birds.
