Couple things;

That's assuming that's the REAL/OFFICIAL radar track. Not just what's posted on the interwebz...

Also, who knows how many, and far the Russians have transgressed in the past? Maybe they've been doing it since they arrived in the Syria operation. Maybe the Turks have issued repeated warnings to stop and Mad Vlad just keeps flipping them the bird. Just because it may NOT have made the news cycle in the U.S. doesnt mean that it wasn't happening previous.

As mentioned, whatever the ROE was,
maybe the Turks simply said "enough is enough, next time just shoot them down. Doesn't matter if it's 10 miles or a 1/10 of a mile inside".

I don't have any info, don't pretend to. But basing it off of what the interwebz is posting, NEITHER DOES ANYONE ELSE.

Until the FACTS come out, NO ONE knows EXACTLY what happened.

If so, it's about as smart as chickens supporting Col. Sanders.

I can't answer for the Russians, but I can answer what I would have done, having spent a ton of time in No-Fly Zones.

We had bad guys (Iraqis), and others (Syrians; Iranians). If an Iraqi jet crossed the line, we were going to engage....no warning.

If it was a third-party, we would have used radio, interception and escort, and gun warning-shots across the nose.

The Fencer here was in an obvious CAS orbit. Even with no ordnance, F-16s could have joined to close formation and pointed to the South to say "get out." If the Su-24 was bold enough to try something, there is no way he could ever point at a Viper. They would reposition, and now with hostile intent demonstrated, shoot.

I saw multiple occasions in the No-Fly where the Turks would enter the Zone and attack the very people we were there to protect....from Iraq. We would be ordered out of the Zone.....

Turkey has not been playing ball since Kobane. They are highly suspected of buying the stolen oil. They hate the Kurds, and the Kurds are the only effective ground force against ISIS.

Wake up, Turkey. Russia should not be your enemy.

Wake up, world. Turkey is not acting like a friend.

I certainly wasn't picking sides. But we do not know all of the facts. If I had to bet on which brutish thug regime was wrong I would flip a coin. Russia seems to not care whom they bomb as long as it is not an Assad ally. Russia also seems to be relishing the notion of challenging soverign airspace all over the world. Maybe they found someone who takes their airspace a little more serious than say, Obama.

Saw this on another forum. It is a pretty good video on who is who in the mess.

http://youtu.be/NKb9GVU8bHE

This is a good summary, my unit intel folks actually circulated it. A little light on the shia vs. sunni aspect, which is a fundamental undercurrent of everything that goes on in the region.

What??!!

So the Russians have violated U.S. airspace?

Erdogan to his peeps in Germany: "Assimilation is a crime against humanity".
The World From Berlin : Erdogan's Visit Leaves German Conservatives Fuming - SPIEGEL ONLINE

I guess Merkel has a short memory and forgot that incident.

Erdogan and Putin are both thugs, but I wish Mr. Putin the upper hand in this particular row.

Beats me, if so it might have been part of the tell Vlad I'll be more flexible after the election deal.