1981 Armenia mid-air collision [SEP] point in time
1981 Armenia mid-air collision
The 1981 Armenia mid-air collision occurred on 18 July 1981 when a Soviet Air Defense Forces Sukhoi Su-15 crashed into the tail of a Transporte Aéreo Rioplatense Canadair CL-44 commercial transport which had strayed into Soviet airspace over the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic. The three crew and one passenger on the Argentine aircraft died; the Soviet pilot was able to eject to safety.
Background.
As part of the Iran–Contra affair, Israel and Argentina collaborated with the United States to send arms to
tank and aircraft engines, 106 mm, 130 mm, 203 mm and 175 mm shells and TOW missiles. This material was transported first by air by Argentine airline Transporte Aéreo Rioplatense and then (after the 1981 Armenia mid-air collision) by ship.
According to Trita Parsi, President of the National Iranian-American Council, Israeli support for Iran consisted of several elements:
- Arms sales to Iran that totaled an estimated $500 million from 1981 to 1983 according to the Jafe Institute for