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On September 15th a Russian MIG Su-27 fighter illegally entered NATO airspace and crashed in the countryside of Lithuania. In addition to losing the pilot to Lithuania, the Russians also lost its critical 'Friend or Foe' ID system. The encoder technology is used to identify other aircraft. If compromised, Russia will have to replace the technology at great expense. Such an event occurred when a MIG pilot defected in 1975, forcing Russia to refit their entire fleet. “We found key components of the plane on the very first day, including the friend-or-foe system, and we handed it over to the prosecutor,� said Gen. Vytalijus Vaiksnoras of Lithuania. Russia claims the technology self-destructed before being seized. Source: mosnews.com
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