http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/24/world/meast/syria-isis-shoots-down-warplane/index.html?hpt=hp_t1that seems crazy to me..... Isis shoots down and captures a Jordanian pilot. He is screwed and about to be beheaded. Just seems crazy they have that capability to shoot down a warplane. I wonder if it was pilot or mechanical error since its not clear.

A lot of details are missing but they absolutely have the capability

Wouldn't surprise me if they captured SAMs from Syrian forces. It could have also been the pilot not expecting them to have SAMs and took unnecessary risk flying lower and slower than he should have.

I've also heard that when we sell fighters to arab militaries we "downgrade" them by removing systems or flashing incomplete software to keep them a step below Israeli planes. Not sure how true that is, or if that played into the downing of this F16 or not.

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"Evidence clearly indicates" that the terrorist group "did not down the aircraft," U.S. Central Command said in a statement.

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Who knows. But if you're not careful over the shoulder SAMs that have been floating around since post-cold war can be damned dangerous if you don't know you're being shot at.

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Wouldn't surprise me if they captured SAMs from Syrian forces. It could have also been the pilot not expecting them to have SAMs and took unnecessary risk flying lower and slower than he should have.

I've also heard that when we sell fighters to arab militaries we "downgrade" them by removing systems or flashing incomplete software to keep them a step below Israeli planes. Not sure how true that is, or if that played into the downing of this F16 or not.

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It's absolutely true, not only for fighters but for most weapon systems. The degree of "downgrade" depends on what country we are selling to. One of the duties I had in my Air Staff tour was to evaluate and recommend approval/disapproval of the sale of various electronic systems to foreign countries. Software, firmware, and even physical configuration were always a major consideration.

Some of Jordan's F-16's are from us, but a lot are from Belgium and the Netherlands

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It's absolutely true, not only for fighters but for most weapon systems.

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Good to hear that. I hope there are also secret back doors that would allow us to shut down these systems completely in case they are used against us.

You know, like the old Star Trek self-destruct sequence.