Armenian Su-25 Shot Down by Turkish F-16 Fighter Jet, Pilot Killed
An Armenian Air Force Su-25 attack jet was shot down by a Turkish F-16 fighter jet, the Armenian Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
The ministry added that the pilot of the Soviet-made Su-25 aircraft died in the incident.
The Turkish Air Force jet took off from Ganja Airbase Azerbaijan at about 10:30 am on Tuesday to provide support for Azderbaijani forces’ strikes against the city of Vardenis and the villages of Mets Masrik and Sotk. According to the ministry statement, the Turkish jet was 60 kilometers inside Azerbaijan’s airspace at an altitude of 8,200 meters.
#Armenian Su-25 was shot down by a #Turkish F-16 that took off from the Ganja airbase in Azerbaijan. @ArmeniaMODTeam
— Government of Armenia (@armgov) September 29, 2020
The incident marked a major escalation of a conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Turkey, which is backing Azerbaijan in the conflict, has denied the claim.
Nearly 100 people, including civilians, have died in three days of fighting over the disputed mountainous region.
The mountainous enclave is officially part of Azerbaijan, but has been run by ethnic Armenians since 1994.