This is a list of aircraft shootdowns, dogfights and other incidents during wars since World War II. An aircraft shootdown occurs when an aircraft is struck by a projectile launched or fired from another aircraft or from the ground (anti-aircraft warfare) which causes the targeted aircraft to lose its ability to continue flying normally, and then subsequently crashing into land or sea, often resulting in severe injury or death of the occupants on board. This list does not cover aircraft destroyed during the Korean War, the Vietnam War, or Operation Desert Storm.
On February 4, 2023, at 2:39 p.m. EST an F-22 Raptor, with Pilot Frank 01, fired an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile at a military spy balloon belonging to China that had traversed North America over the previous several days. The balloon was brought down six nautical miles off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. [287] US officials called the craft an "intelligence gathering" balloon, while Chinese authorities claimed it was a weather research device. [288] (This is the first confirmed time since WWII that the United States has taken down a foreign military asset over US territory[ citation needed ]).
List of airliner shootdown incidents – dealing with civilian airliners
On August 26, an Indian Air Force Dakota airplane bearing Number DC-3, HJ233 was shot down by the Naga Army and its crew members led by Capt. Anand Singha and 8 others members (sic), who were captured at Zathsü.
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: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)International Herald Tribune, 26 May 2008. Retrieved 10 March 2009.p.297 Summary of HAF Bayraktar TB2 UCAV destroyed (14 May 2019 to date) 14 May 2019 Confirmed by Imagery
p.32 The Panel is aware that two Bayraktar TB2 UCAVs were destroyed by HAF air strikes against the Misrata air academy on 6 and 7 June 2019, with a third shot down by HAF on 30 June 2019, but combat losses have reportedly been much higher
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(help)p.32 The Panel is aware that two Bayraktar TB2 UCAVs were destroyed by HAF air strikes against the Misrata air academy on 6 and 7 June 2019, with a third shot down by HAF on 30 June 2019, but combat losses have reportedly been much higher
On July 25, several Bayraktars were used to attack and subsequently destroy two Ilyushin Il-76 military transport aircraft operated by Ukraine's Air Europe airfreight company, at Al Jufra Air Base. A hangar was also destroyed at the base, which was being used as a key staging post for supporters of General Haftar's LNA.
p.297 Summary of HAF Bayraktar TB2 UCAV destroyed (14 May 2019 to date) 25 July 2019 Confirmed by Imagery
...on August 6, when at least one Wing Loong II fired at and destroyed another Ukraine registered Il-76, operated by Cargo Alfa Air. The aircraft had landed at Misrata Air Base from Ankara, at around 10.30pm, with ammunition and UAVs, when it was hit
p.145 Infographic for TAI Anka UCAV Abu Grein 19 April 2020
Additionally, there remains questions about what happened to an Israeli Air Force CH-53D Sea Stallion helicopter seen burning near the border with Gaza. Reporting suggests the heavy lift helicopter, known locally as the "Yas'ur", was hit by enemy fire and made an emergency landing before coming under anti-tank guided missile fire on the ground. Exact details of the downing remain unconfirmed, however.
Al-Quds Brigades published footage of what it says is the wreckage of an Israeli Skylark drone that was reportedly shot down in the skies of central Gaza
An unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), also known as a combat drone, fighter drone or battlefield UAV, is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is used for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance and carries aircraft ordnance such as missiles, anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), and/or bombs in hardpoints for drone strikes. These drones are usually under real-time human control, with varying levels of autonomy. UCAVs are used for reconnaissance, attacking targets and returning to base; unlike kamikaze drones which are only made to explode on impact, or surveillance drones which are only for gathering intelligence.
The Azerbaijani Air Forces and Air Defense Troops, composed of the Azerbaijani Air Forces and the Azerbaijani Air Defense Troops, are the air and air defense service branch of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.
The Libyan Air Force is the branch of the Libyan Armed Forces responsible for aerial warfare. In 2010, before the Libyan Civil War, the Libyan Air Force personnel strength was estimated at 18,000, with an inventory of 374 combat-capable aircraft operating from 13 military airbases in Libya. Since the 2011 civil war and the ongoing conflict, multiple factions fighting in Libya are in possession of military aircraft. As of 2019 the Libyan Air Force is nominally under the control of the internationally recognised Government of National Accord in Tripoli, though the rival Libyan National Army of Marshal Khalifa Haftar also has a significant air force. In 2021, the air force is under command of the new President of Libya, Mohamed al-Menfi that replaced Fayez al-Sarraj.
The Romanian Air Force 93rd Air Base, also known as Giarmata Air Base, was an air base located in the commune Giarmata, near Timișoara, at the Traian Vuia International Airport. The base was disbanded in August 2004 due to the Romanian Armed Forces reorganisation program and the retirement of the MiG-23s which were based here.
The Syrian Air Defence Force, officially the Syrian Arab Air Defence Force is an independent command within the Syrian Armed Forces. It is responsible for protecting the Syrian airspace against any hostile air attacks. The SyADF is one of the most powerful and combat-tested Air Defence forces in the region.
Air-to-air combat is the engagement of combat aircraft in warfare in which primarily fixed-wing aircraft attempt to destroy enemy aircraft using guns, rockets and missiles. The Korean War saw the greatest amount of air-to-air combat since World War II. During the war the United States claimed to have shot down around 700 fighters. After the war the U.S. Air Force reviewed its figures in an investigation code-named Sabre Measure Charlie and downgraded the kill ratio of the North American F-86 Sabre against the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 by half from 14:1 to 7:1. One of the factors inflating US numbers was that most dogfights took place over enemy-controlled area. The only way to confirm kills was through gun camera photography. USAF pilots were credited with a kill if the gun camera showed their guns striking the enemy aircraft even if no one actually saw it go down. However, Soviet Air Force kill claims were also highly exaggerated, based upon inherent flaws in their film grading procedures. For instance, the S-13 gun camera was not aligned with either the gunsight or either cannons' ballistics. It ran only while the firing buttons were depressed. Film graders commonly included unit commanders and political commisars who would confirm a "kill"—sometimes even if one had not been claimed by a pilot—when the camera's crosshairs touched the target for two movie frames. During the first 16 months of combat Soviet V-VS units claimed 218 F-86s destroyed when only 36 had been lost. This results in a 600 per cent inflation rate in victory credits over actual Sabres destroyed. However, these figures are complicated by the fact that the Americans routinely attributed combat losses to landing accidents and other causes.
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon has served the United States and the air arms of 25 other nations. Over 4,400 F-16s have been sold.
The Chengdu GJ-1, also known as Wing Loong 1, is a Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group in the People's Republic of China. Intended for use as a surveillance and aerial reconnaissance platform, the Pterodactyl I is capable of being fitted with air-to-surface weapons for use in an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) role.
The Bayraktar UAV or Bayraktar UCAV is a family of unmanned aerial vehicles designed and manufactured by Turkish company Baykar. The UAVs were developed for the Turkish Armed Forces from 2004 until the present. Some models are designed for surveillance and reconnaissance only, others are capable of tactical ground-strike missions. Baykar is also developing drones to counter other aerial systems. The word bayraktar means flag-bearer in Turkish.
The Krasukha is a Russian mobile, ground-based, electronic warfare (EW) system. This system is produced by the KRET corporation on different wheeled platforms. The Krasukha's primary targets are airborne radio-electronics and airborne systems guided by radar. The Krasukha has multiple applications in the Russian Armed Forces.
al-Watiya Air Base also known as Okba Ibn Nafa Air Base is a military airport in the Nuqat al Khams district of western Libya. It was named after Uqba ibn Nafi, the Islamic general who conquered North Africa. It is 27 kilometres (17 mi) east of the Tunisian border and 125 kilometres (78 mi) from Tripoli.
Baykar is a private Turkish defence company specialising in UAVs, C4I and artificial intelligence.
The Western Libya campaign was a military campaign initiated on 4 April 2019 by the Operation Flood of Dignity of the Libyan National Army, which represents the Libyan House of Representatives, to capture the western region of Libya and eventually the capital Tripoli held by the United Nations Security Council-recognised Government of National Accord. The Government of National Accord regained control over all of Tripoli in June 2020 and the LNA forces withdrew from the capital, after fourteen months of fighting.
The Bayraktar TB2 is a medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations. It is manufactured by the Turkish company Baykar Makina Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş., primarily for the Turkish Armed Forces. The aircraft are monitored and controlled by an aircrew in a ground control station, including weapons employment. The development of the UAV has been largely credited to Selçuk Bayraktar, a former MIT graduate student.
The Chengdu GJ-2, also known as Wing Loong 2, is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group in the People's Republic of China. Intended for use as a surveillance and aerial reconnaissance and precision strike platform, Chengdu unveiled the concept of Wing Loong II at the Aviation Expo China in Beijing in September 2015. Wing Loong II has long range strike capability with a satellite link.
The Central Libya offensive, officially known as Operation Paths to Victory, was a military offensive in Libya launched by the forces of the Government of National Accord, to take the city of Sirte and Al Jufra Airbase from the House of Representatives backed by the Libyan National Army. The city of Sirte is considered strategically important because of its close position to oil facilities, which give it control over Libya's oil and gas shipping ports. The Al Jufra Airbase is strategically important for the GNA, due to its central position to Fezzan and denying the Libyan National Army air superiority over Central Libya.
The Wagner Group, also known as PMC Wagner, a Russian paramilitary organization also described as a private military company (PMC), a network of mercenaries, and a de facto unit of the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) or Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU, has conducted operations in Libya since late 2018.