http://www.boston.com/news/daily/27/iraq_plane.htm

Iraq claims to shoot down US reconnaissance plan

By Associated Press, 08/27/01

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraq claimed it shot down a U.S. reconnaissance plane Monday that was flying over southern Iraq. There was no immediate American response to the claim.

Iraq's desire to shoot down an American plane is well-known, but the United States has always denied any of its planes have been hit and no evidence has been produced to counter that.

"Iraqi air defenses have shot an American reconnaissance plane coming from Kuwaiti territory," the official Iraqi News Agency quoted an unidentified military spokesman as saying.

The plane, according to INA, contained "high-tech equipment" and was shot down near the southern city of Basra, 340 miles south of Baghdad.

The agency did not further specify the type of plane or say anything about any pilots aboard. Images did not immediately appear on Iraqi television.

The United States and Britain set up the "no-fly" zones in 1991-92 to protect Shiite Muslim rebels in the south and Kurdish insurgents in the north from government forces. Iraq has never recognized the zones and, in recent months, has stepped up its efforts to shoot down the planes.

From the zones, the United States and Britain regularly have fired on Iraqi targets. Iraq maintains they often injure civilians; the Western allies say they responding to Iraqi radar and anti-aircraft fire by striking back only at the Iraqi air defense units.

-- Anonymous, August 27, 2001

Answers

[OG Note: Sounds as if it was an unmanned aircraft.]

BBC Monday, 27 August, 2001, 13:38 GMT 14:38 UK Iraq 'shoots down US spy plane'

Iraq says it has recently beefed up its defences

Iraq says it has shot down an American reconnaissance aircraft flying over the south of the country.

The Iraqi News Agency (INA) said the plane was equipped with "high-tech equipment", and was brought down near the southern city of Basra, 550km (340 miles) south of Baghdad.

The Pentagon has yet to officially confirm the loss.

"All of our manned aircraft are accounted for," said Army Major Timothy Blair.

However Reuters news agency quoted US sources as saying that contact had been lost with an unmanned Predator surveillance aircraft while it was on a mission over southern Iraq.

A BBC correspondent in Washington, Martin Turner, says the Predator drone can fly up to 25,000 feet above sea level, but has a top speed of about 220 kilometres per hour - making it a relatively easy target.

Iraqi Information Ministry officials said they were expecting a video tape from the defence ministry showing the wreckage of the downed plane, which would then be shown on Iraqi television.

A military spokesman told INA: "The air defences in the area shot down the plane when it was flying a spy mission inside Iraqi airspace."

The Iraqi army spokesman described the plane as "an advanced plane which the Americans used during their aggression on Yugoslavia."

Western planes patrol two "no fly-zones" in northern and southern Iraq and regularly come under fire from Iraqi defences.

Iraq, which does not recognise the zones, says 353 people have been killed and more than 1,000 injured in raids by the US and Britain since 1998.

Baghdad has made repeated allegations that it has hit or brought down British and US planes, but previous claims have been rejected by London or Washington.

No pilots have been lost since the zones were established 10 years ago to protect the areas' Kurdish and Shia populations from what Washington described as a threat of attack from the Iraqi army.

However in late July, US defence officials said Iraq had narrowly missed hitting a high-altitude U-2 spy plane with a modified Russian-built anti-aircraft missile.

In response, US and British planes launched two attacks this month against what Washington said was Iraq's upgraded air defence network.

Baghdad said the attacks were on non-military targets and caused civilian deaths and injuries.

"Our air defences have been modernised to confront the planes of aggression, which was admitted by US officials," and Iraqi military spokesman said.

-- Anonymous, August 27, 2001