Originally Posted by vapilot2004
No time - the non-responsive Airbus was shot down literally within seconds of reaching the airspace above the warship.
Side scan radar was not availabe which would have given more accurate height data.
Oh,and WX radar is not something an enemy attacker radiates - another way to differientiate civ from military - had the Iran Air flight had the unit on (SOP ?), surely would have had a different outcome.
I think that they had time, the radar officer started tracking the aircraft as soon as it took off from the airport, there was at least several minutes before the aircraft was shoot down. The warship made a formal request to shoot the aircraft down if it came within a 20 mile radious of the ship. The range of the weapons were 12 miles.
The weather radar would have been picked up, you've got that right...
but the fact is that you don't shoot at something which you don't know what it is... The main rule of combat, don't shoot unless you know what you're shooting at...