Army absolved in fatal friendly-fire shoot down
From CNN Pentagon Producer Mike Mount
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Navy pilot killed during the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq was shot down by U.S. Army soldiers who mistakenly believed an enemy missile was heading their way, according to a military investigation.
The Army battery violated proper firing procedures when it launch two missiles as two U.S. Navy F/A-18 fighter jets returning from a mission in central Iraq on April 2, 2003 approached their position, according to the report.
Lt. Nathan White, was killed when both missiles hit his jet. The other pilot returned safely to the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk, according to the report.
The missile system also failed to properly identify the two aircraft, according to an executive summary of the report released Friday evening.
No disciplinary action will be taken against the soldiers involved in the incident, Army officials said. The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Central Command, which oversees operations in Iraq and the Middle East.
Navy officials said that the pilots were not at fault, and radio systems identifying them as friendly forces were operating as they approached the missile batteries.
The Patriot missile system was first used during the Persian Gulf War, but most missiles missed their targets.
After several billion dollars worth of upgrades, Army Patriot missiles hit all nine incoming missiles during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, but also were involved in other friendly-fire incidents.
Two British pilots were killed in March 2003, when their fighter was shot down over Iraq. U.S. investigators found the the plane had not sent a signal that it was part of the coalition force and the Army crew was cleared of wrongdoing.
A British military investigation came to the same conclusion but found weaknesses in the operation and procedures of the Patriot anti-missile system.
Two days after the British jet was shot down, a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot fired a missile at a Patriot battery, believing the radar had targeted his plane. No troops were injured, but the battery was damaged.
More than 41,000 coalition air sorties were conducted during the invasion, the Army said in a news release.
With information gathered from Operation Iraqi Freedom, missile system procedures have been improved and hardware and software have been upgraded, the Army said.
