Downed Russian jet black box unreadable, Moscow saysDecember 22, 2015 - 11:26 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Data on the flight recorder of the Russian war plane downed by Turkey last month has so far proved to be unreadable, Russia's military has said, according to BBC News. It said the memory chips from the Su-24 bomber downed on the Syrian border were destroyed or badly damaged. The Russians had hoped to prove the plane never entered Turkish airspace, as claimed by Ankara. Work will continue to try to retrieve the data, BBC says. The incident sparked a major bilateral crisis, with Russia imposing sanctions. The Russian military representatives presented their preliminary findings in Moscow on Monday, December 21, after opening the "black box" on Friday in the presence of international experts. Some 13 of the 16 chips had been destroyed, while x-ray tests on the others showed extracting information would be impossible using normal methods. However, the BBC's Sarah Rainsford in Moscow says further work will be done to see if other methods of retrieving the data are possible. The Su-24 was shot down by F-16 fighters on 24 November. Turkey insists that the jet, from the Russian air contingent deployed in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad, ignored warnings to leave its airspace. Both crew members ejected but the pilot was killed, apparently by militants on the ground while the navigator was rescued. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. Armenia, Russia discuss life extension of Metsamor nuclear plant Issues regarding the extension of life of the 2nd power unit of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant were discussed in Yerevan. Armenians stage more campaigns against territorial concessions to Azerbaijan Protesters blocked more roads across Armenia on Friday, April 26 in continuing attempts to scuttle territorial concessions to Azerbaijan. |