Greece denies reports that its S-300s locked on Turkish F-16s
Greece has rejected claims by Turkey that Greek surface-to-air missiles locked on to Turkish F-16 fighter jets carrying out a reconnaissance mission in international airspace.
Citing sources in the Turkish Defense Ministry, the country’s state-run Anadolu news agency on Sunday reported that the radar of a Greek S-300 missile system based on the island of Crete locked on to the Turkish jets on August 23.
According to the Anadolu report, the F-16s were at an altitude of 10,000 feet to the west of the island of Rhodes when the Russian-made S-300’s target tracking radar locked on.
Greek military sources dismissed the report later on Sunday. “Interceptions are carried out by our military aircraft in line with international rules of engagement,” the same sources added. [Kathimerini, AP]
