Wed, Jan 18, 2006
Are Insurgents Using New Methods To Target US Aircraft?
In the wake of three recent fatal downings of US helicopters in
Iraq, the Pentagon is investigating the possibility insurgents are
utilizing new methods to target the helicopters, a senior Defense
Department official said Tuesday.
"Is there a pattern? Certainly, in recent weeks three
helicopters have gone down. Nothing has been ruled in or out in any
of those three cases yet," DoD spokesman Lawrence Di Rita told
Pentagon reporters in a news conference
Twelve US servicemembers and four civilians were killed as the
result of three separate helicopter crashes that occurred in Iraq
this month.
As was reported in Aero-News,
two US soldiers died Monday when their AH-64 Apache
helicopter (file photo, above) went down north of Taji.
Two US soldiers were killed January 13 when their OH-58D Kiowa
recon helicopter (file photo, center) crashed in Mosul. Both
incidents are believed to have been caused by ground fire.
Eight soldiers and four civilians were
killed January 7, when their UH-60 Black Hawk
helicopter (file photo, below) crashed near Tal Afar. Officials
previously believed poor weather was the reason for that
accident... although no official determination has been
reached.
Di Rita told reporters military aviation experts are examining
whether the terrorists are targeting US helicopters by some new
means.
"Is there a new threat out there that we need to be more aware
of?" Di Rita asked, while also cautioning the media not to jump to
any conclusions.
"The first reports are very often wrong," Di Rita said.
(Aero-News thanks Gerry J. Gilmore, American Forces Press
Service)
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