Iraq: Disturbing Trend In Chopper Crashes

When a U.S. CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter crashed about 20 miles northwest of Baghdad on Wednesday, killing all seven crew members and passengers on board, it was the fifth such incident in less than three weeks. Reports indicated that the large transport chopper was brought down with a surface-to-air missile, which begs the question of whether insurgents have adapted their tactics and are becoming much more effective against American aircraft.

Military and intelligence sources tell military blogger Bill Roggio that is indeed the case and say that Al Qaeda was behind four of the five shootdowns, including the Sea Knight incident.

Roggio, whose The Fourth Rail, is a must read for people who want large helpings of what the military is up to with their Iraq war news, writes that the sources say Al Qaeda has organized groupings of cells to disrupt the heavy U.S.-Coalition helicopter activity, which includes conducting assaults, ferrying troops and resupplying outlying areas.

Says Roggio:

"Al Qaeda wants to force Coalition forces to use ground transportation, where it believes heavier casualties can be inflicted on U.S. forces via roadside bombing and mine attacks (IEDs). Helicopter shoot-downs also 'make for compelling television,' according to a military source, which 'helps project the image of a deadly, unbeatable enemy.' Al Qaeda is believed to have deployed multiple anti-aircraft cells along the known overflight routes in and around Baghdad.

"The cells are thought to be armed with Russian made Strela SA-7 anti-aircraft missiles, a first generation shoulder fired anti-aircraft missile which is widely distributed throughout the world. These weapons are not as sophisticated as U.S. made Stingers, which were used with deadly consequences by mujahideen in Afghanistan against Soviet fixed and rotary wing aircraft. U.S. aircraft have systems to deter missile threats (jammers, flairs, chaff), but there are no reports these systems were deployed during any of the engagements."

The New York Times says that the number of choppers brought down recently is six, not five, and includes a previously unreported January 31 incident.

Reports The Times:

"American officials emphasize that a new sense of coordinated aggressiveness on the part of insurgents toward attacking aircraft, or even luck, may be playing as large a role in the high pace of crashes as improved skill and tactics among insurgents.

" 'I do not know whether or not it is the law of averages that caught up with us,' said Marine Gen. Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during Senate testimony on Tuesday. Another possibility, he said, was that there had 'been a change in tactics, techniques and procedures on the part of the enemy.' "

More on this disturbing development here and here.

Meanwhile, IraqSlogger notes that Saddam Hussein’s Army was equipped with Strela SA-7s and speculates as to whether an improved version that is much more effective against aircraft is now in insurgent hands.

More here.