This list of aviation shootdowns and accidents during the Iraq War includes incidents with Coalition and civilian aircraft during the Iraq War.
According to media reports, 129 helicopters and 24 fixed-wing aircraft were lost in Iraq between the 2003 invasion and February 2009. Of these incidents, 46 have been attributed to hostile fire, such as anti-aircraft artillery and surface-to-air missiles. In March 2007, Brig. Gen. Stephen Mundt said that 130 helicopters had been lost in both Iraq and Afghanistan, about a third to hostile fire, and he was concerned that they were not being replaced fast enough. [1] A report published in Aircraft Survivability in Summer 2010 gave a total of 375 U.S. helicopters lost in Iraq and Afghanistan up to 2009. Of these, 70 were downed by hostile fire, while the other 305 losses have been classified as non-hostile or non-combat events. [2] [3]
No unmanned aircraft of any type are included in the list below.
At least 283 people have died in helicopter crashes since the invasion, and 19 in fixed-wing crashes.
Since the beginning of the invasion helicopters were the target of attacks with "aerial improvised explosive devices" or home-made bombs. [4] In early 2007, the U.S. Army announced that the Iraqi insurgent groups had developed a strategy for attacking American helicopters. [5] This was confirmed by documents captured from Iraqi insurgents. [6] [7] U.S. deputy commanding general Jim Simmons said that the average month in 2006 and 2007 saw about 17 attacks against helicopters. [8] Efforts to reduce losses included more training for helicopter pilots and improvements in tactics and aircraft defenses. In the fall of 2007, the U.S. military deployed the more advanced V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft. According to the U.S. military, this aircraft flies much higher and faster than helicopters and has six to seven times more survivability than the widely used CH-46. [9]
Several civilian and other aircraft have been shot down or crashed in Iraq as well:
Summing up the above list we have the following tables
Rotary-wing losses 138 (52 to hostile fire including 4 AH-64 Apaches destroyed on the ground by mortar fire)
| Fixed-wing losses 24 (3 to hostile fire, 2 to friendly fire)
|
Summing up the above list we have the following tables:[ citation needed ]
Year | Total | Hostile fire | Other reason | Human casualties |
---|---|---|---|---|
2010 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
2009 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
2008 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 18 |
2007 | 25 | 16 | 9 | 49 |
2006 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 52 |
2005 | 13 | 3 | 10 | 45 |
2004 | 29 | 11 | 18 | 30 |
2003 | 34 | 7 | 27 | 68 |
Total | 129 | 46 | 83 | 277 |
The Boeing AH-64 Apache is an American twin-turboshaft attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear and a tandem cockpit for a crew of two. Nose-mounted sensors help acquire targets and provide night vision. It carries a 30 mm (1.18 in) M230 chain gun under its forward fuselage and four hardpoints on stub-wing pylons for armament and stores, typically AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and Hydra 70 rocket pods. Redundant systems help it survive combat damage.
The Bell OH-58 Kiowa is a family of single-engine single-rotor military helicopters used for observation, utility, and direct fire support. It was produced by the American manufacturer Bell Helicopter and is closely related to the Model 206A JetRanger civilian helicopter.
The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), abbreviated as 160th SOAR (A), is a special operations force of the United States Army that provides helicopter aviation support for special operations forces. Its missions have included attack, assault, and reconnaissance, and these missions are usually conducted at night, at high speeds, low altitudes, and on short notice.
The Bell AH-1 SuperCobra is a twin-engined attack helicopter that was developed on behalf of, and primarily operated by, the United States Marine Corps (USMC). The twin Cobra family, itself part of the larger Huey family, includes the AH-1J SeaCobra, the AH-1T Improved SeaCobra, and the AH-1W SuperCobra.
USS Jarrett (FFG-33), was the twenty-fifth ship of the Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided missile frigates, was named for Vice Admiral Harry B. Jarrett (1898–1974).
The AgustaWestland Apache is a licence-built version of the Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter for the British Army Air Corps. The first eight helicopters were built by Boeing; the remaining 59 were assembled by Westland Helicopters at Yeovil, Somerset in England from Boeing-supplied kits. Changes from the AH-64D include Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322 engines, a new electronic defensive aids suite and a folding blade mechanism allowing the British version to operate from ships. The helicopter was initially designated WAH-64 by Westland Helicopters and was later given the designation Apache AH Mk 1 by the Ministry of Defence.
The Boeing MH-6M Little Bird and its attack variant, the AH-6, are light helicopters used for special operations in the United States Army. Originally based on a modified OH-6A, it was later based on the MD 500E, with a single five-bladed main rotor. The newest version, the MH-6M, is based on the MD 530F and has a single, six-bladed main rotor and four-bladed tail rotor.
The Bell ARH-70 Arapaho was an American four-bladed, single-engine, light military helicopter designed for the United States Army's Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) program. With a crew of two and optimized for urban combat, the ARH-70 was slated to replace the Army's aging OH-58D Kiowa Warrior.
The Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division is a divisional aviation brigade of the United States Army. It was activated on 16 September 1984.
The United States Army Aviation Branch is the aviation branch of the United States Army and the administrative organization that is responsible for doctrine, manning and configuration for all army aviation units. This branch was formerly considered to be one of the combat arms branches, but is today included within the "Maneuver, Fires and Effects" (MFE) classification, in accordance with current U.S. Army organizational doctrine.
In aviation, a brownout is an in-flight visibility restriction due to dust or sand in the air. In a brownout, the pilot cannot see nearby objects which provide the outside visual references necessary to control the aircraft near the ground. This can cause spatial disorientation and loss of situational awareness leading to an accident. Pilots have compared landing during brownouts to parallel parking an automobile with one's eyes closed.
Operation Marne Torch refers to two operations launched by U.S.-led Coalition forces in 2007 against Islamic State of Iraq in the Arab Jabour area of Babil province. This campaign is named after Operation Torch, the joint US/British invasion of French North Africa in 1942, presumably because of the two operations' similar thrust into the enemies' southern underbellies.
The Battle of Najaf was a major battle in the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. The first stage of the battle was fought when the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division fought to surround the town. The second stage was fought when soldiers from the U.S. 101st Airborne Division fought to clear and secure the city.
The 185th Aviation Brigade is an aviation brigade of the United States Army. It is a unit of the Mississippi Army National Guard with units throughout the state of Mississippi.
Simmons Army Airfield is a military use airport located in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is located on the southeast portion of Fort Liberty and supports the aviation needs of the XVIII Airborne Corps, the 82nd Airborne Division, Special Operations, U.S. Army Reserve and U.S. National Guard aviation units.
The 2003 attack on Karbala was an unsuccessful strike on the Iraqi Republican Guard's Medina Division by the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The Medina Division was mostly deployed along the Karbala gap, west of the city of Karbala itself. The Iraqi Division was targeted as it was the best equipped Iraqi unit, and its destruction would negatively affect Iraqi military morale. The Medina Division sustained only limited damage during the engagement.
The Armed Aerial Scout (AAS) was the planned replacement for the OH-58 Kiowa in United States Army service. This program resulted after the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter resulted in selection of the Bell ARH-70 Arapaho, but was ultimately not procured due to financial and other reasons, and the AAS program itself did result in a new design procurement. The next program lead to the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft, which was also halted before procurement. Meanwhile the OH-58 was retired by the 2020s, leaving the Army to fill the gap with other types of aircraft and systems.
On 6 August 2011, a U.S. CH-47D Chinook military helicopter operating with the call sign Extortion 17 was shot down while transporting a Quick Reaction Force attempting to reinforce a Joint Special Operations Command unit of the 75th Ranger Regiment in the Tangi Valley in Maidan Wardak province, southwest of Kabul, Afghanistan.
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(help)According to data compiled by a congressionally mandated study (see article pg. 9) on helicopter survivability, a total of 70 U.S. helicopters have been downed by hostile fire in Iraq and Afghanistan from 2001 through 2009. The report found that 375 helicopters in total have been lost; 305 of those classified as non-hostile and non-combat events. The study found that insurgents most often visually acquired their targets as 75 percent of helicopters were downed during daylight hours; the report does not say whether infra-red tracking missiles accounted for any night-time losses.
Documents captured from Iraqi insurgents indicate that some of the recent fatal attacks against U.S. helicopters are the result of a carefully planned strategy to focus on downing coalition aircraft, one that U.S. officials say has been carried out by mounting coordinated assaults with machine guns, rockets and surface-to-air missiles. The documents, which are said to have been drafted by al-Qaida in Mesopotamia, show that the militants were preparing to "concentrate on the air force." The contents of the documents are described in a U.S. intelligence report that was reviewed by The New York Times. Seized near Baghdad, the documents reflected the insurgents' military preparations from late last year, including plans for attacking aircraft using a variety of weapons.
The V-22 can carry troops three times as far, twice as fast and has six to seven times more survivability than the CH-46 widely used now in Iraq, the military says.
A sandstorm has downed an Iraqi military helicopter, killing its five-member crew, while a Baghdad blast has killed five Iraqis, officials say. The helicopter was providing aerial protection to Shia pilgrims travelling to the city of Karbala when it crashed in the sandstorm early in the morning.
Knoxville Army pilot was one of two killed Sunday in Iraq in an accidental helicopter crash, according to military officials.
Seven U.S. soldiers were killed September 18 when a CH-47 Chinook, a transport helicopter, crashed in southern Iraq. Officials have cited mechanical failure in that incident
An Iraqi military helicopter crashed in a sandstorm, killing the seven Iraqis and one American service member on board, U.S. and Iraqi officials said Tuesday. [...] The Iraqi Defense Ministry said two Russian-built Mi-17 Hip transport helicopters were ferrying troops from the northern city of Tal Afar to Baghdad on Monday when they encountered bad weather south of Beiji. One aircraft was able to avoid the storm, but the other crashed, said Muhammad Askari, a ministry spokesman. Askari said the helicopter crew was made up of an Iraqi and a foreigner, but did not specify the latter's nationality. The U.S. military later confirmed the foreigner was an American. All six passengers were Iraqis, Askari said. It was the deadliest helicopter crash in Iraq since a U.S. Black Hawk went down during night maneuvers in northern Iraq on August 22, killing all 14 troops on board.
Warren cited a real-world example from 2007. When a new fleet of helicopters arrived with an aviation unit at a base in Iraq, some Soldiers took pictures on the flightline, he said. From the photos that were uploaded to the Internet, the enemy was able to determine the exact location of the helicopters inside the compound and conduct a mortar attack, destroying four of the AH-64 Apaches.
The brigade's third Silver Star honoree, Master Sgt. Thomas Ballard, helped lead a team that protected an Apache helicopter shot down in the Najaf attack while under fierce fire themselves.
A memorial service for two fallen Marines of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 169, Marine Aircraft Group 16 (Reinforced), 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward), was held at the chapel here, June 3 [2006]. The service was held for Capt. Nathanael J. Doring, a pilot from Apple Valley, Minn., and Cpl. Richard A. Bennett, a mechanic and native of Girard, Kan., who died during a maintenance test flight. They were killed when the AH-1W Super Cobra they were flying crashed May 27.
Two aviators from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) died 14 May 2006, when their AH-6M Little Bird helicopter was shot down by enemy fire during combat operations in Yousifiyah, south of Baghdad, Iraq.[...]
A/C struck top of embankment and cartwheeled into ground after receiving hostile fire while conducting a combat air patrol with another OH-58D just outside FOB Courage.
No. 1333-05, IMMEDIATE RELEASE, The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers, who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died in Baghdad, Iraq on December 26, when their Apache helicopter collided with another military aircraft in mid-air and then crashed. Both soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. Killed were: Chief Warrant Officer Richard M. Salter, 44, of Cypress, Texas. Chief Warrant Officer Isaias E. Santos, 28, of Ancon, Panama.
The Department of Defense announced today the death of two Marines who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Maj. Gerald M. Bloomfield II, 38, of Ypsilanti, Mich. Capt. Michael D. Martino, 32, of Fairfax, Va. Both Marines died November 2 when their AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter crashed while flying in support of security and stabilization operations near Ar Ramadi, Iraq. Both Marines were with Marine Light-Attack Helicopter Squadron 369, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, their unit was attached to 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, II MEF (Forward).
4/3 CAV #90-00377. TF Freedom pilot killed by SA fire near Tal Afar. The A/C took rounds and the PI was able to recover but had to make an emergency landing north of the city, he was unable to fly back to base. Medevac had to come in to get the aircrew out, later that night an SP and MTP had to fly out to recover the aircraft.
On 2 July 2005, 85-24335 was lost near Ramadi, Iraq, due to an accident. While conducting a cargo transport mission at night under night vision goggles, 85-24335 sat down in a landing zone near Ramadi. A sister ship came in with a sling load and hovered nearby. The rotor wash from the second Chinook loosened the stakes securing the pad to the ground and one or more pads lifted into the rotor system causing the subsequent destruction of 85-24335. Of the crew of five and two passengers, there were some minor injuries, but no personnel were killed. When lost, 85-24335 was 38.74 years old.
A U.S. Apache attack helicopter crashed Monday north of Baghdad, killing both pilots, after a witness said he saw the aircraft hit by a rocket that "destroyed it completely in the air." [...] The AH-64 crashed in Mishahda, 20 miles north of the capital, and witness Mohammed Naji told Associated Press Television News he saw two helicopters flying toward Mishahda when "a rocket hit one of them and destroyed it completely in the air." The two pilots were killed in the crash, which is under investigation, said Lt. Col. Clifford Kent, spokesman for the 3rd Infantry Division.
Two helicopters were conducting operations near Baquba, 60 km (37 mi) northeast of Baghdad. Both were hit; one crashed and the other managed to land safely at a nearby airbase. Two soldiers died in the crash, the US military said.
U.S. Marine helicopter transporting troops crashed Wednesday 26 January 2005, in the desert of the restive Anbar province of western Iraq not far from the Jordanian border, killing 31 people, American military officials said. A senior administration official said there was bad weather at the time.
A "routine mission" in Iraq on 4 September 2004, turned into a raging firefight for Stryker troops with the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Scout Platoon, and B Company of the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, as they fought off heavy fire (including 60-mm mortars and RPGs) in a rescue mission launched after Iraqi insurgents shot down a Kiowa helicopter and swarmed to capture it and the two pilots.
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – A U.S. Apache helicopter that crashed west of Baghdad on Tuesday may have been shot down by Iraqi guerrillas, a U.S. military spokesman said. "Our initial information tells us that it's possible that the helicopter was downed by or at least was struck by enemy fire," the spokesman said after the helicopter crashed near the town of Habbaniya, about 50 miles west of the capital.
On January 13th, 2004 an Apache was shot down near the western Iraqi town of Habbaniyah. This was the second of the heavily armed gun-ships downed by guerrilla fire since President Bush declared an end to major combat May 1st, 2003.
Guerrillas hit an OH-58 Kiowa helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade near Fallujah, forcing it to make an emergency landing. The two crewmen on board are uninjured.
Seventeen coalition soldiers have been killed and five wounded in a mid-air collision between two US helicopters.
The US army in Iraq is examining the wreckage of two Black Hawk helicopters which crashed in the northern city of Mosul, killing at least 17 soldiers.
The helicopter was shot down by a shoulder-type missile, about 60 kilometers west of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, at 8 am Sunday, witnesses told CNN.
The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of eight soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. The soldiers were on board a CH-47 Chinook Helicopter when it went down on November 2 in Al Fallujah, Iraq.
A rocket-propelled grenade forces down a Black Hawk north of Baghdad, and five soldiers are injured.
During a crash landing somewhere in "CENTCOM theatre of operations" (exciting word for Iraq) a Kiowa of the U.S. Army received A Class damage. The accident happened in so-called "brown-out conditions". Other information states that this accident took place on 13 October
On 28 August 2003, 88-00098 was lost due to an accident. The aircraft encountered dust conditions during landing at refuel point and impacted the ground, coming to rest on its right side. Aircraft status: Crashed.
A Sea Knight crashes in Kuwait, about nine miles from the Iraq border, killing eight British troops and four U.S. Marines. The cause of the crash is under investigation, but no hostile fire was reported in the area.
At approx. 8:46 pm, November 26, a Coalition force C-23 Sherpa, twin-engine aircraft safely made a gear up landing at al-Kut, Iraq. The aircraft departed Balad and was en route to al-Kut when the incident occurred. There were 7 passengers and 4 crew members on board and there were no injuries. [...] The aircraft is part of 2nd Battalion, 641st Aviation Regiment, an element of Task Force 34, headquartered at Balad, Iraq[ dead link ]
A USAF F-16 (believed to be #93-0554) assigned to the 332nd AEW, based at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, caught fire after the pilot aborted the takeoff, at about 5.40h Baghdad time.
The Ministry of Defence covered up the full truth about the destruction of an RAF Hercules aircraft by Iraqi insurgents to stop the enemy claiming a high-profile propaganda victory, a new report discloses. The C-130J transport aircraft was struck by two bombs planted by militants as it landed on a temporary runway in Maysan Province in south-eastern Iraq on February 12 last year. All 64 people on board escaped to safety but the Hercules was so badly damaged it had to be destroyed by coalition explosives experts.
USAF F-15C/D's from Al Jaber AB, Kuwait and F-15C/D from Prince Sultan AB, Saudi Arabia flew together with F-15E Strike Eagles combat-missions in Iraq. One F-15E (88-1694/SJ) of 333rd FS, 4th FW from Seymour Johnson AFB, NC was shot-down near Tikrit in Iraq on 6 April 2003, the pilots were Killed in Action.
Air Force Maj. William Watkins and Capt. Eric Das, were aboard an F-15E Strike Eagle jet fighter that went down in Iraq around 7:30 pm EDT Sunday, April 6
The Department of Defense announced today that Major William R. Watkins III, 37, of Danville, Virginia, was killed in action 7 April 2003, while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Watkins was assigned to the 333rd Fighter Squadron, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina. Watkins was the weapons system officer of an F-15E that went down 7 April 2003, during a combat mission in Iraq. The incident remains under investigation. The pilot of the F-15E, Captain Eric B. Das, was also killed when the aircraft went down.
The Department of State is deeply saddened by the deaths of two employees of Xe Consulting during a helicopter crash in Iraq on July 17 and extends our heartfelt sympathies to their families. Our thoughts are also with the two men who were injured in this incident and their families. These men played an important role in assisting the Department in protecting American diplomats and missions in Iraq. The Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security is coordinating with appropriate U.S. and Iraqi officials regarding an investigation into the cause of the crash.