PDA

View Full Version : F-15E down in Afghanistan; 2 crew dead



bobdina
07-19-2009, 01:04 AM
F-15 down in Afghanistan; 2 crew dead

By Rahim Faiez - The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Jul 18, 2009 10:55:55 EDT

KABUL — A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet crashed early Saturday in central Afghanistan, killing the two crew members, the U.S. military said.

A statement by the Air Force Central Command said the crash was not due to hostile fire, and a board of officers would be convened to determine the cause. Names of the crew members were not released.

No fighter jets have crashed in Afghanistan in years. Militants are able to shoot down helicopters with rockets, but are not known to have the anti-aircraft weaponry necessary to bring down a high-flying jet.

The U.S. statement did not say where the crash happened. Afghan authorities said the plane went down in the Nawur district of Ghazni province — a peaceful area populated by the ethnic Hazara minority.

Mohammed Qasim Naziri, the deputy district chief, said the crash site was between two villages in a desert surrounded by mountains about 20 miles (30 kilometers) south of the town of Nawur.

He said local people notified police of the crash but by the time authorities reached the site U.S. troops had surrounded the area and barred Afghan authorities from approaching the wreckage.

mp5punk
07-19-2009, 01:10 AM
isnt this one of the first F-15s ever crashed or supposibly shot down? Sad story though

bobdina
07-19-2009, 01:37 AM
No the first F-15E was downed in the first gulf war. I think your thinking about the F-15C air superiority fighter which none have been lost to air to air combat. The E model is a strike fighter who's mission is ground support and this one was not downed by hostile fire. The E-model can fight it's way to the target drop ordinance and then fight it's way back out. Hope this helps