from Reuters on feb 13, 2007:
BASRA - A Hercules C-130 aircraft on a re-supply mission to British troops in Maysan province was severely damaged during what the British military described as an "incident" on landing at a tactical airstrip 20 miles (30 km) from the provincial capital, Amara.
Two passengers were injured and the aircraft was later destroyed by the troops. A British spokesman said the incident was under investigation but no hostile ground fire was involved.
from: news link
more below the fold
An Iranian newslink says that the plane was "shot down" and then destroyed by the British due to
'the risk of mounting a recovery operation'
.
I'm not too sure who to believe, but if the C-130 was destroyed, I'm going to assume that there were insurgents in the area.
Plus something from an article on the recent US shot-downs.
17 Heliocopters hit by enemy fire a month
Because of roadside ambushes, U.S. helicopter usage in Iraq rose from 240,000 flying hours in 2005 to 334,000 in 2006, Simmons said. This year, pilots are expected to fly more than 400,000 hours.
Army pilots alone are involved in about 100 incidents per month of enemy fire, with about 17 resulting in direct hits on aircraft, Simmons said. Since the war began, he said, the Army has lost 29 helicopters, all to enemy fire. He did not have figures for the other branches of the military.
Something to think about ALL 29 helicopters that the US army has lost in Iraq has been from enemy fire. I wonder about how many of those helicopters, at the time of downing, were declared "maintenance error" or "pilot error."
thank you for reading
jeff