US Missile May Have Downed Own Jet
Apr 03, 2003
WASHINGTON, Wednesday - The U.S. military is investigating the possibility that an American Patriot missile might have shot down a U.S. Navy F/A-18C fighter jet over Iraq, U.S. defence officials said on Thursday.<br>
WASHINGTON, Wednesday - The U.S. military is investigating the possibility that an American Patriot missile might have shot down a U.S. Navy F/A-18C fighter jet over Iraq, U.S. defence officials said on Thursday.
“We’re investigating all possibilities,†said one U.S. official when asked about reports that a Patriot anti-aircraft missile may have struck the Navy jet on Wednesday while the Patriot was trying to intercept two Iraqi missiles.
U.S. forces are still searching for the F/A-18 and the pilot, who officials said ejected in the area near Kerbala.
The defence officials who asked not to be identified, cautioned that no conclusions had been reached in the incident, which could become the second “friendly-fire†downing of a Western jet in the two-week-old war.
A British Tornado jet was earlier downed by a Patriot, killing both crewmen aboard.
The single-seat Hornet jet was based aboard the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk in the Gulf, one of a half-dozen American carriers there.
One U.S. defence official told Reuters in the region that there was no indication that the jet might have been downed by ground fire from the Iraqis, but stressed that no conclusions had been drawn.
The military was also investigating the crash of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter early Thursday over Iraq. Officials originally said the helicopter, carrying at least six troops, was apparently downed by Iraqi small arms fire.
But Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks told reporters at a war briefing in Qatar that the officials did not believe the Black Hawk crashed as a result of hostile fire.
“The investigation into that is ongoing,†he said.
“We do have some casualties as a result of that — we don’t think as a result of hostile fire.â€
U.S. Central Command said at least six troops were aboard the helicopter when it went down near Kerbala, but some U.S. defence officials at the Pentagon said seven soldiers were killed and four others were injured and rescued.
The Black Hawk was the second U.S. helicopter lost in combat since U.S. and British forces invaded Iraq two weeks ago.
An Apache gunship went down last week and its two crew members were captured by Iraqi forces.
Two other U.S. planes, a U.S. Marine Corps. AV-8B Harrier jet and a Navy S-3B Viking aircraft, have been lost in non-combat accidents since the war began.
Officials in Washington said it was standard operating procedure to destroy any aircraft downed in enemy territory, but said they were uncertain if U.S. forces had bombed the Black Hawk to prevent it from falling into Iraqi hands.
One Pentagon official said search and rescue personnel responded to the crash of the Black Hawk, adding, “They were pulling people out. We’re still determining casualties,†said one official at Central Command’s forward headquarters in Qatar.
Armed with Global Position System equipment and advanced avionics, the Black Hawk is the Army’s primary assault and utility helicopter. It can carry a squad of 11 combat troops, or a 105-mm M102 howitzer and a six-person crew.
The twin-engine Hornet attack jet, is designed to battle enemy aircraft in all weather conditions. Ends
“We’re investigating all possibilities,†said one U.S. official when asked about reports that a Patriot anti-aircraft missile may have struck the Navy jet on Wednesday while the Patriot was trying to intercept two Iraqi missiles.
U.S. forces are still searching for the F/A-18 and the pilot, who officials said ejected in the area near Kerbala.
The defence officials who asked not to be identified, cautioned that no conclusions had been reached in the incident, which could become the second “friendly-fire†downing of a Western jet in the two-week-old war.
A British Tornado jet was earlier downed by a Patriot, killing both crewmen aboard.
The single-seat Hornet jet was based aboard the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk in the Gulf, one of a half-dozen American carriers there.
One U.S. defence official told Reuters in the region that there was no indication that the jet might have been downed by ground fire from the Iraqis, but stressed that no conclusions had been drawn.
The military was also investigating the crash of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter early Thursday over Iraq. Officials originally said the helicopter, carrying at least six troops, was apparently downed by Iraqi small arms fire.
But Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks told reporters at a war briefing in Qatar that the officials did not believe the Black Hawk crashed as a result of hostile fire.
“The investigation into that is ongoing,†he said.
“We do have some casualties as a result of that — we don’t think as a result of hostile fire.â€
U.S. Central Command said at least six troops were aboard the helicopter when it went down near Kerbala, but some U.S. defence officials at the Pentagon said seven soldiers were killed and four others were injured and rescued.
The Black Hawk was the second U.S. helicopter lost in combat since U.S. and British forces invaded Iraq two weeks ago.
An Apache gunship went down last week and its two crew members were captured by Iraqi forces.
Two other U.S. planes, a U.S. Marine Corps. AV-8B Harrier jet and a Navy S-3B Viking aircraft, have been lost in non-combat accidents since the war began.
Officials in Washington said it was standard operating procedure to destroy any aircraft downed in enemy territory, but said they were uncertain if U.S. forces had bombed the Black Hawk to prevent it from falling into Iraqi hands.
One Pentagon official said search and rescue personnel responded to the crash of the Black Hawk, adding, “They were pulling people out. We’re still determining casualties,†said one official at Central Command’s forward headquarters in Qatar.
Armed with Global Position System equipment and advanced avionics, the Black Hawk is the Army’s primary assault and utility helicopter. It can carry a squad of 11 combat troops, or a 105-mm M102 howitzer and a six-person crew.
The twin-engine Hornet attack jet, is designed to battle enemy aircraft in all weather conditions. Ends