The sophisticated, high-flying missile launcher that took down a Malaysia Airlines flight carrying 298 people Thursday was developed during the Cold War era to hit targets up to 72,000 feet in the air.
A launcher that had similarities to the Buk missile system was spotted by an Associated Press reporter near the rebel-held town of Snizhne in eastern Ukraine.
The advanced detonator often has at least four missiles that are rigged with a radar system that can track more than a dozen targets. The ground-to-air explosive can also take out multiple targets in one launch and was created by the Soviet Union in 1979.
Russian and Ukrainian officials are pointing fingers at who was responsible for Thursday’s tragic plane accident. The Boeing 777 was headed to Kuala Lumpar from Amsterdam when it exploded in the air at 33,000 feet near the Russian border.