Originally Posted by
Capi_Cafre'
Not a bad read at all, but I'm surprised that the "caused by human error" trope is still alive and well in discussions of this sort. The launch crew almost certainly made a reasoned decision to fire within the context of its training and the information available at the time.
There are many assumptions being made in this thread. Knowing how much training is required to form an effective air defence team there is a lot that can go wrong.
We assume that the SA-15 platform was fully serviceable. The IFF might have been broken or the command system itself may have had defects. Remember that the country is under significant sanctions and whilst this is a Russian built system, did the regime have enough money to pay for spare parts or regular maintenance?
What training did the operators have? If you spoke to the average UK or US grunt, he would have little idea of airways, squawks and SIDs. He would be trained for an all out war environment on the whole, where there would NOT be Non combatants.
We are guilty of applying NATO levels of training expectation against a largely conscripted force. Even the US Navy got it wrong in similar circumstances, probably reliant too much on automation rather than human interrogation, formed from significant amounts of training.
Add to all this the threat of attack and such reactions are unsurprising.
Out of all this I hope that all parties wake up and realise this cannot continue. That dialogue needs to occur and normal relations resume. Maybe the Ukraine is in a good place now to be the broker, as they seem to have negotiated this political minefield very well, having known the truth early on.
The Persians are a proud and ancient race and something has to be offered to enable them to step back without losing face. I know some will criticise me for such a pacifist view but how would we feel if Iranian ships sailed up and down the Eastern seaboard everyday. How did the US nation feel when the redcoats were blockading Philli and other cities. Its gonna make you lash out!