US military aircraft crashes in west Iraq
A US military aircraft has crashed in western Iraq with American personnel aboard, the international coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) jihadist group said on 15 March.
The US-led coalition said in a statement: ‘Rescue teams are responding to the scene of the downed aircraft at this time.’
It did not specify the type of aircraft, whether or not there were casualties, or what caused the crash.
The US has operated both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft in Iraq during the war against ISIS, which overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014.
US forces began carrying out air strikes against ISIS in August 2014, a campaign that was later expanded to Syria, and has provided weapons, training and other support to forces fighting the jihadists in both countries.
Baghdad declared victory over the extremists in late 2017, but ISIS still has the ability to carry out deadly violence in Iraq, including a series of attacks in the country's north that left 25 dead earlier in March 2018.
More from Defence Notes
-
![Companies’ results boom as countries dig deep to buy missiles and air defence systems]()
Companies’ results boom as countries dig deep to buy missiles and air defence systems
Air defence systems are continuing to appear top of countries’ shopping lists but broadly across different capabilities it is a sellers’ market, as demonstrated by backlogs and double-digit percentage point growth.
-
![Details revealed on Germany’s big spending plans]()
Details revealed on Germany’s big spending plans
In May this year, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the government plans to position Germany as “Europe's strongest conventional army”. A new blueprint outlines how this is going to occur through massive investment.
-
![European Council to deliver at “pace and scale” on European defence readiness 2030 roadmap]()
European Council to deliver at “pace and scale” on European defence readiness 2030 roadmap
Two of the concrete projects outlined in the readiness report, the European Air Shield and Space Shield, will aim to be launched by Q2 2026.
-
![Malaysia’s defence budget sets out major procurement goals for 2026]()
Malaysia’s defence budget sets out major procurement goals for 2026
The country has allocated RM21.70 billion for defence spending next year, with some major procurements set to be initiated across the country’s army, navy and air force.
-
![GAO highlights the need for more commercial data and availability improvements]()
GAO highlights the need for more commercial data and availability improvements
The US Government Accountability Office recently released two reports; one into the availability of selected equipment and another looking at how the government gets data and intellectual property rights through contracting.
