Airforces - Typhoon school

Abbreviations: D: Date N/U: Nationality/Units T: Type S: Serials

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Attrition

Repor t

RQ-170 Sentinel, one of which was
captured by Iran after coming down
in northeastern Iran on December
4, 2011. It was apparently the
first operational mission for the
Saeghe, 12 of which are reported
to have been delivered to the
IRGCASF since October 2016.

D: Feb 10
N/U: Israeli Air Force/201 ‘The
One’ Squadron
T: F-16I Sufa
S: 868
During attacks on Iranian positions
in Syria in response to the violation
of its airspace by the UAV referred
to above, at 0600hrs an F-16I, one
of the eight Israeli Air Force fighters
(F-15Is and F-16Is) involved, was
hit by one of multiple anti-aircraft
missiles fired, crashing in the
Jezreel valley in northern Israel.
Although the two pilots ejected
safely, one was seriously injured.
A 1960s-era Soviet-manufactured
S-200 (SA-5 Gammon) surface-
to-air missile (SAM) is thought to
have brought the aircraft down,
reportedly the first time the system
had successfully downed a fighter.
This was the first Israeli aircraft
lost to enemy fire in more than
35 years, the last being in
1983, again to Syrian action.
The Syrian air defence system is
believed to have launched between
15 and 23 SAMs at the F-16s,
which included at least three
S-125s (SA-3 Goa), six S-200s and
six 57E6s from Pantsir-S1 (SA-
22 Greyhound) systems. Missile
wreckage that came down in
Mount Hermon, Lebanon, also
revealed that at least one missile
from a mobile Kvadrat (SA-6
Gainful) SAM was launched.

D: Feb 10
N: Policía Federal de México
T: Mi-17
This helicopter was written off
when it crashed and rolled over
after the crew lost control when

the rotors struck electricity

power cables just after take-

off for a reconnaissance mission

in a mountainous area of the

Tequila region of Jalisco. There

were no fatalities, although

the crew members were

badly hurt. Six passengers

suffered only minor injuries.

D: Feb 10

N/U: Turkish Land Forces/

1st Attack Helicopter

Company

T: T129 ATAK

During an Operation Olive Branch

mission against Kurdish militants

over the village of Qadah in the

Rajou region, northwest of Afrin,

northern Aleppo – in Syria’s

southern Hatay province – the

helicopter was shot down by YPG

fighters at around 1300hrs. Both

crew members were killed.

D: Feb 12

N: Turkish Air Force

T: Bayraktar UAV

This UAV was shot down during

a mission over the Afrin area of

Syria by YPG-led SDF fighters. A

video released by the YPG shows

it to have been destroyed. It

came down near Quda, a small

town in the Rajo district of Afrin

near the Syria-Turkey border.

D: Feb 15

N/U: Indian Air Force/10 Wing

T: Pipistrelle Virus SW80

Garud

Both pilots of this ultralight were

killed while attempting to make

an emergency landing shortly

after 1200hrs at Darbar Chapori,

a sand bar in Brahmaputra in the

northern part of Majuli district. The

aircraft was destroyed by a post-

impact fire. It had taken off from

Air Force Station Jorhat (Rowriah)

for a routine bird reconnaissance

mission and came down minutes

later about 12.4 miles (20km) way.

D: Feb 16

N: Mexican Air Force

T: UH-60M Black Hawk

S: 1071

At least 14 people on the

ground were killed and another

21 injured when this helicopter

crashed while attempting to

land at Pinotepa de Don Luis,

near the town of Jamiltepec,

Oaxaca State, at around 2225hrs

during a VIP inspection flight of

damage near the epicentre of

an earthquake in Oaxaca State,

Mexico. Interior Minister Alfonso

Navarrete and Oaxaca state

Governor Alejandro Murat, who

were on board the helicopter,

were unharmed, but several other

occupants suffered injuries.

D: Feb 16

N/U: Turkish Air Force/123

Baslangiç Filosu

T: SF260D

Contact was lost with this aircraft

23 minutes after it took off from

Izmir-Kaklıç air base at 1026hrs

local time for a routine training

flight. Search and rescue teams

found the wreckage of the SF260D

less than 2 miles (3km) north of

the base and confirmed both

crew members had been killed.

D: Feb 20

N/U: Argentine Air Force/VI

Brigada Aérea

T: Aero Commander 500U

S: T-133

While landing at Mar del Plata/

Astor Piazzolla International

Airport, this aircraft’s undercarriage

collapsed. No one on board

was injured and damage to

the airframe appeared to

be minimal. This is the only

example of the type remaining

in Argentine Air Force service.

Additional material from:

Juan Carlos Cicalesi, Donny

Chan, Maurits Evan, Noam

Menashe, Scramble/Dutch

Aviation Society, Stephan

Widmer and Asagiri Yohko.

Above: Royal Saudi Air Force Pilatus PC-21 2201 being towed to Hangar 12 in the factory at Stans, Switzerland, for

repairs. The aircraft had an accident on an unknown date in 2017 and was shipped back to the manufacturer in

containers at the end of the year for rebuild. Stephan Widmer

Above: Argentine Air Force/VI Brigada Aérea Aero Commander 500U T-133 after its undercarriage collapse. FA A

AFM

92 // APRIL 2018 #361 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com