Electronic warfare systems were among the components that were installed onboard the aircraft, although their condition is currently unclear
The Turkish Phantom aircraft, which was shot down by a Syrian missile battery, is an aircraft that was upgraded by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). It seems that the particular aircraft is one utilized for aerial photography, which incurred Syrian airspace on an intelligence mission.
A deal was signed in 1997, according to which IAI upgraded 54 Phantom aircraft belonging to the Turkish Air Force. The scope of this deal, whose implementation was concluded in 2003, was approximately $700 million. The upgrade included all of the components of a similar upgrade carried out on the Phantom aircraft belonging to the Israeli Air Force.
The Phantoms have been taken out of service in the IAF, and it seems that the Turkish Air Force is still using the upgraded aircraft equipped with aerial photography systems. The aircraft was hit by a missile launched from a Syrian surface-to-air missile battery, apparently of Russian production.
Israeli sources say that electronic warfare (EW) systems were also installed onboard the Turkish Phantoms in the framework of the upgrades. However, their present technical status is unclear
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