List of Aviation Shootdowns and Accidents During The Iraq War

This list of aviation shootdowns and accidents during the Iraq War includes incidents with Coalition and civilian aircraft during the Iraq War.

129 helicopters and 24 fixed-wing aircraft have been reported by media to be lost in Iraq since the 2003 invasion till February 2009. 46 of these incidents have been attributed to hostile fire such as anti-aircraft artillery and surface-to-air missiles. In March 2007, Brig. Gen. Stephen Mundt said that 130 helicopters had been lost in both Iraq and Afghanistan, about a third to hostile fire, and he was concerned that they were not being replaced fast enough. Unmanned aircraft of any type are not included in the list.

At least 283 personnel have been killed in helicopter crashes since the invasion, and 19 have died in fixed-wing crashes.

Since the beginning of the invasion helicopters were the target of attacks with "aerial improvised explosive devices", home-made bombs. In early 2007 the US Army announced that the Iraqi resistance has a strategy for attacking US helicopters. This was confirmed by documents captured from Iraqi insurgents. A deputy commanding general in Iraq of the U.S. military said that the average month in 2006 and 2007 saw about 17 attacks against helicopters. Efforts to prevent more deaths included more training for helicopter pilots. They continue to improve tactics and aircraft defenses to reduce losses. In fall 2007, the military deployed the more advanced V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft. According to the military, this aircraft flies much higher and faster than helicopters and has six to seven times more survivability than the CH-46.