| Ja'Din shootdown incident | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theAmerican-led intervention in the Syrian Civil War (Operation Inherent Resolve) | |||||||
 Image taken from video footage of the incident recorded by an F/A-18[1][2][3] | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States Syrian Democratic Forces |  Ba'athist Syria Russia (present during incident, did not participate) | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Captain Ali Fahd[5] | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
|  Russian Air Force | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
| ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown injured[6] | 1 Su-22 Fitter shot down | ||||||
  Ja’Din Location of Ja'Din in Syria | |||||||
On 18 June 2017, aUnited States NavyF/A-18E shot down aSyrian Air ForceSu-22 Fitter with anAIM-120 AMRAAM missile after it reportedly attackedKurdishSyrian Democratic Forces positions in the town of Ja'Din. It was the first time the U.S. shot down a crewed aircraft since 1999 and the first with the F/A-18E/F variant.[7][8][9][10]
The downing triggered quick condemnation fromRussia andSyria with both nations claiming it to be a violation ofinternational law and Syrian sovereignty. The Syrian pilot, Captain Ali Fahd, successfully ejected from his aircraft and was found alive by Syrian troops one day later in the village of Shuwaihat. The F/A-18E pilot,Lieutenant Commander Michael Tremel, was awarded theDistinguished Flying Cross in September 2018 for his actions during the incident.[11][12][13]
TheUnited States and otherCoalition partners began combatoperations inSyria on 23 September 2014 against theIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant andal-Nusra Front. Before operations began theSyrian Government stated that "any action of any kind without the consent of the Syrian Government would be an attack on Syria". However, when the first airstrikes began the Syrian military did not respond and set radar to passive. Syria's foreign minister later suggested thatSyria and the US-led Coalition were on the same side.[14] The Coalition wouldn't attackSyrian military positions until September 2016 when warplanes from theUnited States,Australia,Denmark, and theUnited Kingdom launched 37airstrikes onSyrian forces inDeir ez-Zor Airport killing 106 soldiers.[15] In responseSyria canceled a ceasefire forged by diplomats from theUnited States andRussia. The Coalition claimed it had misidentified the Syrian soldiers as ISIL militants while Syria claimed it as a deliberate attack.
In April 2017, the first deliberate military action against the Syrian Arab Republic occurred when the United Statesbombed theShayrat Airbase in response to theShaykun chemical attack. Two months later on 6 June, the United States conducted airstrikes on pro-government forces, killing an unknown number of fighters. Two days later, an AmericanF-15E shot down an Iranian operated drone.[16] Due to the fluid nature of events therules of engagement were constantly changing. Sometime before June the aircraft carrierUSS George H.W. Bush deployed to the EasternMediterranean Sea south ofCrete. During the carrier's operations the fighter crews were warned to be ready to defend from a third party aerial attack as a consequence of the recent events.
Earlier in the day on 18 June, Syrian Government forces attacked SDF positions in Ja'Din, wounding several fighters and prompting Coalition aircraft to respond with a "show of force", stopping the attack.[17] Several airstrikes also had been conducted by pilots on board theGeorge H.W. Bush on ISIL targets inSyria. After their pre-mission briefing,F/A-18Epilots Lieutenant Commander Michael "Mob" Tremel (call sign Freedom 33) and wingman Jeff Krueger (call sign Freedom 34) were sent from the carrier intoSyria as the second wave of aircraft that day. Along with Tremel and his wingman were twoF/A-18Cs, call signs Freedom 43 and 44, piloted by William Vuillet and Stephen Gasecki. The four fighters took the northern route along Syria's coastline through Russian and Turkish air defense range and headed toward the city ofRaqqa. Over the city, they established communication with the joint terminal air controller who was on the ground just south ofAl-Tabqa. In the vicinity of the controller, they were available to provide close air support to friendlySDF forces fighting on the ground. During this time, aRussian Air ForceSu-27 appeared and began flying overhead.
Tremel, who was having problems with his targeting pod, began tracking the Russian jet and checking his radar for other aircraft while the three other Hornets remained available to provide close air support. At this point, another aircraft appeared on his radar moving at high speed. Tremel, believing it to be Syrian, moved to intercept and identified it as aSyrian Air ForceSu-22 Fitter. After identifying it, Tremel radioed an airborne command and control post and began sending warnings to the Syrian aircraft to divert its course. When that failed, Tremel flew over the Fitter's canopy and released flares. When that also failed to elicit a response, the Su-22 was in range of friendly forces on the ground, and at 6:43 p.m. local time, dived down and dropped ordnance on SDF fighters in the town ofJa'Din, causing injuries.[18] Following the rules of engagement, Tremel locked onto the aircraft with anAIM-9 Sidewinder and fired.[19] The Su-22 released flares and was able to successfully avoid the missile.[20][21] Tremel then quickly locked on with anAIM-120 AMRAAM missile and fired at the Syrian aircraft, hitting it and blowing up on the jet's rear section.[22][23][24][25][26]
TheSyrian Army claimed that the Su-22 was on a mission to strike Daesh (ISIL) when the downing occurred.
TheSu-22 shook violently as it fell to the ground. The Syrian pilot, Captain Ali Fahd, ejected before the plane exploded and turned on his emergency transponder. Tremel and his wingman were now deep inside enemy air defense range with the RussianSu-27 still overhead. With clearance from the joint terminal air controller, they departed the area. A nearbyKC-10 Extender refueled the fighters. Tremel and his wingman were cleared to return to the carrier, taking the route throughIraq. The twoF/A-18Cs were ordered to provide close air support for Iraqi forcesfighting the Islamic State inMosul. The two F/A-18Cs conducted airstrikes before finally returning to theBush.
Immediately after the shootdown, clashes broke out between Government forces and Coalition-backedSyrian Democratic Forces nearAl-Resafa, according to theSyrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).[27]
Following the downing, the SDF withdrew fromJa'Din after being attacked by pro-Government militiamen, according toThe Pentagon.[28]
Captain Ali Fahd, the pilot of theSu-22, was found alive in the village ofShuwaihat by Government forces the next day.[29]
Two days after the shootdown, a USF-15 fighter jet shot down another Iranian-operatedShahed 129 armed drone in the same area where the Su-22 was brought down, making it the third aircraft shootdown of a pro-Government aircraft that month.[30][31][32]
In September 2017, at aTailhook Association panel, the Hornet and Super Hornet pilots involved in the incident gave a moment-by-moment eyewitness account of the incident and surrounding events.[22]
The US-led coalition stated,"The coalition does not seek to fight Syrian government, Russian or pro-government forces partnered with them but will not hesitate to defend coalition or partner forces from any threat. The demonstrated hostile intent and actions of pro-government forces toward coalition and partner forces in Syria conducting legitimate counter-ISIS operations will not be tolerated."[33]
A statement released by the Syrian Army stated,"Flagrant attack was an attempt to undermine the efforts of the army as the only effective force capable with its allies ... in fighting terrorism across its territory. This comes at a time when the Syrian army and its allies were making clear advances in fighting Daesh (Islamic State) terrorist group."[34] On state-run media, theSyrian Army also said that the Su-22 was on a mission to strike IS forces when it came under fire. The Russian Government quickly condemned the downing and took immediate action by temporarily suspending its hotline with the US Coalition. The RussianMoD viewed it as blatant aggression towards Syria, stating, "Syrian air force aircraft destroying American aviation in Syrian airspace, cynical violation of the sovereignty of the Syrian Arab Republic. Repeated [h]ostilities [by] [a]viation [elements of the] USA under the guise of 'fighting terrorism' against the legitimate armed forces [of] United Nations Member States, are a flagrant violation of international law and in fact military aggression towards the Syrian Arab Republic."[35] Russia also threatened that Coalition aircraft west of theEuphrates River were now considered potential targets.[36][37][38][39]
Australia suspended its airstrikes in Syria in response to rising tensions between the US and Russia over the downing and as a precaution in response to the Russian threat.[40][41][42][43][44][45]
