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WarIsBoring.com
October 23, 2009

Axeghanistan '09: Chopper-Bombing Drone-Killer

By David Axe

Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle tail number 89-0487 is one lucky jet. Deployed to Bagram air base in eastern Afghanistan with the 336th Fighter Squadron, the jet has dropped lots of bombs on the Taliban. But that’s not what makes it stand out. It hasn’t been reported anywhere else, but 89-0487 is the fighter that shot down a “rogue” U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone in September, after the Reaper’s controllers lost contact with the robot and it hurtled towards the Afghan border.

Today 89-0487 sports a tiny Sidewinder missile, painted under the canopy, to commemorate the kill. The marking is next to a star marking, indicating that this storied jet was also the one that killed an airborne Iraqi Mi-8 helicopter during Operation Desert Storm, by dropping a laser-guided bomb on it.

Most jets are lucky to get one kill, of any type. F-15E 89-0487 has two of the weirdest kills possible.

The Afghan air war is deadly serious business. But that doesn’t mean airmen can’t have a little fun. One F-16 pilot invited me to write message to the Taliban on a laser-guided bomb. I’m sending them my Website address. Always interested in reaching out to new readers.

You know.......... We have ballistic recovery parachutes available on many GA aircraft models these days. With as expensive as the UAVs are getting, I think it's time they took a good look at BRS systems for these aircraft.

In cases like these, the chute could be set to deploy either with loss of signal or just about any other means you want. Instead of having to shoot down one of our own expensive drones, we just go pick it up with a chopper.

Those are my tax dollars being wasted!

I would assume the MQ-9 would have the BRS, as most of the smaller ones we use in the Army have them. Recovery is not an issue if a ground unit gets to the downed UAV. I do know of one Blackhawk crew that was sent to recover one, but slightly damaged UAV would not fit in the cabin, so the resourceful crew decided to dismantle the little flyer by ways of an axe!

We also use Aerostat balloons at some of the major FOB's. These are equipped with ISR-type equipment. I have seen a vid of an F-16 tasked to shoot down a balloon that had broke it's tether during high winds and drifted toward the Iranian border.

What is crazy is the story of this F-15E, and the related kill markings.

See, and I read this as "Yay!! One down xx more to go!!"

Lol.

I am currently deployed to Bagram and know the F-15E crew that shot the drone down. The drone had it coming It was heading to Russia all on it's own. I doubt a BRS would do you any good when you have a total comm failure. Also keep in mind that the terran here makes a helocopter recover very very hard. Odds at the Talaban would ahve gotten there first.

Cheers

Scott