Two U.S. aircraft down in Iraq
by Alfonso Lopez
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, June 12, 2003) - Two U.S. aircraft were downed this morning during a coalition raid of a terrorist training camp in western Iraq.
An AH-64 Apache helicopter was brought down after being fired upon by "irregular forces," according to a U.S. Central Command release.
Two other Apaches returned fire and neutralized the threat soon after, officials said. They said, Coalition forces in the area rescued the two uninjured crewmembers immediately.
All three helicopters were from the 101st Airborne.
The 101st Airborne has an inventory of aircraft including the UH- 60 Blackhawk, OH-58D Kiowa Warrior, OH-6A Cayuse, Hughes 500M Little Bird, CH-47 Chinook, and the aforementioned AH-64 Apache.
In addition, an Air Force F-16 crashed due to a suspected mechanical failure. The pilot was forced to eject, and was recovered safely. The exact cause of the crash is currently under investigation.
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