Posted on 07/18/2014 7:04:12 AM PDT by McGruff
NATO said Friday it was concerned by the "increasing sophistication" and number of weapons deployed by pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine, following the crash of a Malaysian Airlines jet there.
"We are concerned about the growing number of heavy weapons being operated ... as well as the increasing sophistication of these systems," a NATO official said.
"We have seen that Russia continues to allow mercenaries and heavy weapons to flow across its borders into Ukraine," the official added.
Asked about what the US-led military alliance knew of the circumstances of the crash of flight MH17 with the loss of nearly 300 lives, the official said he could not comment on intelligence matters.
However, the official said NATO did have two AWACS surveillance aircraft on patrol over Poland and Romania at the time of the incident.
"Their flights records are currently being reviewed," but given their distance from the crash site, "we do not expect that our aircraft recorded the incident," the official said.
The AWACs planes were sent to the region earlier this year as NATO sought to bolster its allies, and especially Poland, who were unnerved by a newly-assertive Russia.
NATO head Anders Fogh Rasmussen called Thursday for an international inquiry into the crash amid suspicions that the rebels shot down flight MH17 down using missiles.
Well then what good are they?
The mission of those AWACS flights was to monitor the specific area where the 777 was shot down. But, we are to believe NATO when they say they saw “nothing”, ....sure.
AWACS have an effective range of about 300 miles, so NATO flights over Poland & Rumania are not able to monitor eastern Ukraine.
That is the radar range, not the electronic intelligence gathering range, AWACS is much more than an airborne radar, thanks for playing, though.
You think this is a game?
Not a game, and not the place to be throwing bogus info around to confuse the events.
There’s nothing bogus about stating AWACS have an effective range of 300 miles.
If you have some evidence that AWACS in Poland can monitor activity in eastern Ukraine, present it.
“Sophisticated weapons” ?? When the BUK/ SA-11 Gadfly came out, it was 1971. This is **1960’s** tech. . .
NATO is useless.
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