What exactly is "air space"? Meaning If say Iran were to send spy plane into U.S. air space? does?

Question

...U.S. have right to shoot it down? On same page, if U.S. sends spy planes, (or whatever they are called) into Iranian air space, does Iran have right to shoot them down?

Answer 1

The air space, is an extension of the land on the air.

It means that permission must be given in order to travel trough it, just like you need a passport to enter another country.

U-2 spy planes were shoot down in the Soviet Union in the 60s. If any kind of aircraft trespasses, without permission, other nations air space, they can shoot it down, because it might be an enemy, or hostile plane.

North Korea, has shoot down civilian aircraft, because they trespassed their airspace.

Answer 2

Yes, a nation has the right to protect itself.

A country is considered sovereign territory from the edge of space to the middle of the Earth and sending a military or intelligence operation into that sovereign territory is considered a violation of International Law.

During the Cold War the US proposed the idea of mutual inspection called Open Skies, which would allow intelligence operations to be carried out over each side. The Soviets refused and the US sent intelligence operations over the Soviet anyway. These flights were illegal and when US pilot Gary Powers was shot down, in his U-2, spy plane by a Russian Surface to Air Missile (SAM). It was a big incident. The US refused to stop there operations, because operations like this discovered the nuclear missiles that were to be based in Cuba. Instead the US was driven to invent the Lockheed SR71 Blackbird. The plane was originally supposed to be a high speed fighter, but it had its weapons removed to make space for the cameras and made an excellent spy plane. The SR71 was (and still is) the fastest production plane that has ever flown. It flew high enough and fast enough that it could outrun any SAMs fired at it.

The US finally took the pilot and the airplane out of harm’s way by posting satellites. International law prevented the weaponization of space and allowed space to be used by any nation capable of utilizing it. By international treaty the edge of space is 100 km high (62.13712 miles).

So it is illegal to fly a spy plane in a nation’s air space, but legal to send a satellite over it.

Answer 3

Air space is the term to describe the space directly above the boarders of a country.
Sure anything violating a countries air space can be shot down.
However, it is lets say a stand off going along the boarders and outside 12 miles than you get into a gray area.

Normally to shoot a plane down it has to pose a threat.

When it comes to a country that is funding terrorist, wanting to wipe countries off the map, and denying historical facts that country should be watch.

Or how many have to die from a nuke before you would support action against that country.

Answer 4

Yes and Yes. But anyone shooting at US planes would face retaliation, no matter what. The Gulf of Tonkin incident escalated the Vietnam war. North Vietnam said the US was in their waters. The US said they weren't, the ship was just very near. Waters or air space is similar, rules-wise. So even though the US ship was at the least baiting the North Vietnamese and was certainly in their water at least part of the time, that started the Vietnam war. There was 2 incidents, the latter intelligence being completely false.

One more thing, one problem with the Vietnam war was China-they weren't happy with the US and the US had to be careful not to get them too angry. So it also matters who a country's neighbors are.

Answer 5

if Iran sent a spy plane it wouldnt make it to the US airspace without being shot down. The US has already sent spy planes near Iran our planes dont have to fly over the target to get a picture but yes they would have the right to shoot it down if they could.

Answer 6

The air space the US controls and yes if we went into their air space of course they could shoot us down. They would have to deal with the repercussions of such action, but vice versa on that one.
But getting back to your original question it would mean if they send a plane over and say at 500 miles off the coast of California it enters US air space and at that point the US would have to decide how to proceed. (I don't know the exact point at which our air space is reached, so that is just an example) :)

Answer 7

Air Space is the area above the physical land of a country that is still considered "theirs" and falls under their rules, laws, and protection. And yes, any country has the right to shoot down aircraft that violate their airspace if reason exists. Usually, the offending craft is given an opportunity to identify itself and give reason for its presence before it is fired upon.

Answer 8

The word air space relates to the area in the atmosphere above a stretch of land or water controlled or in possession by a particular nation state.

As an example, Hawaii in the 1940's was a U.S. territory, Japan had to cross into Hawaii to bomb Pearl Harbor, consequently they violated U.S. air space.

Answer 9

A correction to Johnathan's post

China did not shoot down an US aircraft. There was a collision in international airspace and (as stipulated in international law) the damaged US airplane had the right to make an emergency landing at the nearest airfield.

Aircraft in distress are allowed to violate another nations airspace if they are seeking to land at the nearest airfield.

China violated international law here.

Answer 10

air space is the area over your country...or an area you control like Iraq

you are allowed by the rules to shoot down invaders of your air space

and Iran can shoot down a US spy plan

China shoot down a US air force plan who mistakenly went into Chinese air space in 2001

the most famous one is the U2 incident of a US spy plan over the Soviet Union.....why we use satellites now except where counties hide things and we are targeting them or monitoring