Turkish jets ‘shoot down Russian military plane’

TURKISH F-16 fighter jets have shot down a Russian military plane on the border with Syria, according to Russian news agencies.

An Su-24 marked in the Russian Air Force livery. Picture: Wiki Commons

The Dogan news agency in Turkey, quoting military officials, reported that the plane was shot down and crashed into a village on Syrian territory near the border after it ‘violated national airspace’.

Russia’s defence ministry has reportedly said the plane was on a bombing mission in Syria and crashed after coming under fire from the ground.

Moscow insists that the Russian aircraft did not violate Turkish airspace, with Turkey saying it warned the aircraft ‘ten times over five minutes’ before shooting it down.

It is believed that the plane’s crew ejected by parachute.

The military plane is believed to be an Su-24.

Last month, Turkish jets shot down an unidentified drone that had also violated the country’s airspace.

The Su-24 is an attack aircraft made by the Russian-based Sukhoi aircraft manufacturer.

This graphic purports to show the Russian plane's route. Picture: Contributed

Used by primarily by the Russian and Ukrainian Air Forces, it is also used by Syria and Iran, and has been in service since 1974.

Since December 2008, Su-24 aircraft have been involved in six accidents, including an incident in July 2015 in which a Russian Air Force Su-24 crashed near Khabarovsk in eastern Russia, killing both crew members.