A fighter from the Islamic State, formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), mans an anti-aircraft gun mounted on the rear of a vehicle in Mosul, Iraq, July 16, 2014. VOA
ISIL Hit U.S. F-15 With Anti-Aircaft Batteries Captured From Iraq -- World Tribune
WASHINGTON — Islamic State of Iraq and Levant has been operating anti-aircraft batteries stolen from the Iraqi military.
Officials said the U.S. military has determined that ISIL deployed an unspecified number of anti-aircraft artillery to counter Western air strikes in northern Iraq.
Western diplomatic sources said ISIL struck at least one U.S. aircraft. They said an F-15 fighter-jet was hit by ISIL fire in late August that damaged the hydraulic system and forced the aircraft to land in neighboring Turkey.
Read more ....
Update: Forced landing of U.S. F-15 hit by ISIL fire spotlights Turkey’s neutrality in new war -- World Tribune
My Comment: This is a wake call on how dangerous the situation is becoming. Interestingly ... with the exception of a few blogs .... no one else in the media has covered this story.
2 comments:
The artillery in the picture of the linked article looks like ZSU-23-4.
The picture was of one in Syria. I don't see the radar that it should have. Without a radar I still think it could be used somewhat effectively if you knew likely avenues of approach
I don't know how many they have, but to some extent that is not the point. If a ZSU-23-4 could hit an F-15, Russian made 9K38 Igla could hit it. A number of them were looted from Libyan armories. Plus some Turkish (under license) made Stingers were govern to the FSA who had their armories raided by Al Qaeda.
What I would like to know is at what time day the F-15 was hit. I would assume at night. If ISIS could hit it at night, it should give Potomac politicians pause about going to war piece meal. There are significant odds that at some time, there will be boots on the ground and it will from a pilot. How antiseptic and surgical of a smart war will it be then?
Al Qaeda has a good record (in terms of success) in taking down helicopters with technicals (and with RPGSs over cities), which is what the spec ops guys will ride if they are not sung an Osprey.
If the USAF took out some tracked AA I feel much better about it. It will make it a more permissive environment except for those SAMs. I am surprised a plan has not been shot down yet.
"no one else in the media has covered this story."
Too many journalists are whores.
Thus their well earned appellation of presstitutes.
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