America’s first air-to-air kill of a manned fighter since ‘Allied Force’ in 1999 has drawn the world’s attention to what is a confused situation on the ground in Syria.
COMBAT REPORT | ‘FITTER’ SHOOTDOWN
AT APPROXIMATELY 18.43HRS local time on June 18, a US Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet operating over Syria shot down a Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) Su-22M4 ‘Fitter’ fighter-bomber near Tabqah. The aircraft was, according to a US Central Command (CENTCOM) news release, attacking the Syrian Democratic Forcesheld town of Ja’Din.
The report said that US coalition aircraft ‘conducted a show of force and stopped the initial pro-regime advance toward the SDF-controlled town’. It added: ‘Following the pro-Syrian forces’ attack, the Coalition contacted its Russian counterparts by telephone via an established ‘deconfliction line’ to de-escalate the situation and stop the firing.’
The Su-22 subsequently began attacking SDF fighters south of Tabqah and was shot down by the single-seat F/A-18E, which was operating from the USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77) in the Sixth Fleet Area of Operations in the Mediterranean Sea.
The shootdown
The F/A-18E (reported as BuNo 168914/ AJ304) was assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 87…
