Turkey rebuffs air-defense criticism after drone shot down near Ankara
The incident near the capital has sparked debate over response and raised questions over Turkey’s defense capabilities.
ANKARA — Turkish officials defended the country's air-defense posture on Thursday after fighter jets shot down a presumably foreign drone near the capital earlier this week amid criticism that the incident exposed Turkey's vulnerabilities to unmanned threats.
What happened: The Turkish Defense Ministry said on Monday that F-16 fighter jets had shot down what it described as an out-of-control drone approaching from the Black Sea. The drone was later reported to have been downed near Ankara, the capital, sparking debate over Turkey’s air-defense readiness and response time.
“Claims that our air-defense systems are vulnerable do not reflect the facts,” a Turkish Defense Ministry official told reporters at a briefing in Ankara, in response to the criticism.
The drone’s detection, tracking and interception “were managed and concluded successfully,” the official added.
