Surface-to-air missile Archives

U.S. and Azerbaijani officials have said weapons fire may have brought down an Azerbaijani airliner that crashed on Wednesday, killing 38 people. The statements from Rashad Nabiyev and White House national security spokesman John Kirby on Friday raised pressure on Russia. Officials in Moscow have said a drone attack was underway in the region that the Azerbaijan Airlines flight was destined for but have not addressed statements from aviation experts who blamed the crash on Russian air defenses responding to a Ukrainian attack. The plane was flying from Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku to Chechnya on Wednesday when it crashed, killing 38 people and leaving all 29 survivors injured.… Continue Reading

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — The United States has approved $2 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, including the delivery for the first time to the island of an advanced surface-to-air missile defense system. The sale has angered China. Taiwan’s presidential office on Saturday thanked Washington for greenlighting the potential arms sales. Under the island’s new president, Lai Ching-te, Taiwan has been stepping up defense measures as China increased its military threats against the island. Beijing last week held war games encircling Taiwan for the second time since Lai took office in May. Beijing claims the self-ruled island as its own territory, to be annexed by force if necessary.… Continue Reading

Azerbaijani and U.S. officials suggest plane that crashed may have been hit by weapons fire

US approves $2 billion in arms sales to Taiwan including advanced missile defense system