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How Much Ground Fire for Heavy Lifters
November
29, 2006: U.S. Air Force transports operating over Iraq and Afghanistan have been
fired on at least 215 times in the last year, most frequently by assault rifles
and machine-guns. C-130s got the most attention, taking fire 85 times. But even
the larger C-17s got shot at 25 times. Some 70 percent of those attacks occur
when the aircraft are below 5,000 feet, and that's usually when they are coming
in for a landing, or to parachute supplies to troops below. Air force
helicopters take most of the fire, and hits. The C-17s get hit about once a
year, usually by a few bullets. In 2003, a C-17 got hit by a shoulder fired
missile, and lost an engine before landing safely. The transports have probably
been fired at more often, but unless the enemy scores a hit, the enemy fire
often goes undetected by the crew, or friendly troops below. This is especially
true during the day, when you can't see gun flashes. Since the war on terror
began, air force transports have suffered more damage because of accidents or
equipment failure, than because of enemy ground fire. USAF transports encounter
enemy fire, on average, once every few hundred flights. But a lot depends on
where you are flying. In Iraq and Afghanistan, some areas are "hot
spots", and much more likely to be the scene of ground fire.
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