A U.S. Patriot missile defense system most likely shot down a U.S. Navy jet flying a combat mission over Iraq Wednesday, the Washington Post reported (see GSN, April 3).

The Navy F/A-18C Hornet was based on the USS Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier and was shot down over Karbala in central Iraq, according to military officials.

“The wingman saw what happened,” said a Navy officer.  “They both saw the missile coming right at them and both took evasive action,” the officer added.

A Patriot missile shot down a British Tornado aircraft March 22.

Military investigators will look into Wednesday’s incident to “see if it was a breakdown in our techniques or our procedures or if there was a technical breakdown that we have to shore up,” said U.S. Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The Patriot is a U.S. Army system, and Navy officials were reportedly upset that the Patriot had been fired at an aircraft.

“Iraq hasn’t even been flying its planes,” the Navy officer said (Bradley Graham, Washington Post, April 4).

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