This post has been updated with a statement from Syrian forces.
A U.S. Navy Super Hornet has shot down a regime Syrian fighter near the contested ISIS stronghold of Raqqah, U.S. Central Command said in a Sunday evening statement.
The single-seat F/A-18E destroyed the Syrian Sukhoi Su-22 Fitter in defense of Syrian Democratic Forces that had come under assault from Pro-Syrian regime forces in the town of Ja’Din about 11:43 AM EST on Sunday, according to a statement.
SDF forces are part of the U.S.-led coalition force that is pledged to defeat ISIS and that the U.S. has pledged to defend if they come under attack.
According to CENTCOM, the SDF forces had come under attack by Bashar al-Assad loyalist forces at about 4:30 PM local time, “wounding a number of SDF fighters and driving the SDF from the town.”
“Following the Pro-Syrian forces attack, the Coalition contacted its Russian counterparts by telephone via an established ‘de-confliction line’ to de-escalate the situation and stop the firing,” read the statement.
“At 6:43 p.m., a Syrian regime SU-22 dropped bombs near SDF fighters south of Tabqah and, in accordance with rules of engagement and in collective self-defense of Coalition partnered forces, was immediately shot down by a U.S. F/A-18E Super Hornet.”
A Navy official told USNI News on Sunday the Super Hornet was from the carrier air wing embarked on the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) operating in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.
Pro-al Assad Syrian forces claim the Su-22 was on an anti-ISIS operation when it was shot down by the Super Hornet.
“Our aircraft was downed at lunch time today near the [Syrian] city of Raqqa, when it was fulfilling its mission against Daesh (ISIS),” the ministry said in a statement reported by Russian state-controlled media on Sunday.
The U.S.-led coalition’s “actions are aimed at halting the Syrian army and its allies in the fight against terrorism, whereas our army and allies make great progress.”
In its statement, Central Command said they would continue to protect forces pledged to the coalition as they continue anti-ISIS operations.
“The demonstrated hostile intent and actions of pro-regime forces toward Coalition and partner forces in Syria conducting legitimate counter-ISIS operations will not be tolerated,” read the statement.
“The Coalition calls on all parties to focus their efforts on the defeat of ISIS, which is our common enemy and the greatest threat to regional and worldwide peace and security.”
As to the shoot-down of the Syrian Su-22 Fitter, “My first reaction that I’m surprised it has not happened already,” former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Adm. James G. Stavridis told USNI News On Sunday.
“We’re headed toward a Russian aircraft shot down by coalition forces if we’re not careful.”
He said the incident is an “extreme warning” to — that the through deconfliction efforts with the Russians — the Syrians need to stay away from where U.S. and coalition forces are operating.
“We need to tell the Russians to tell the Syrians they need to get out of any airspace we’re operating in or they’re going to get shot down,” Stavridis said.
The air-to-air kill is the first for the U.S. since Air Force F-16CJ Fighting Falcon pilot Lt. Col. Michael H. Geczy shot down a Serbian Mikoyan MiG-29 Fulcrum with an AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile in 1999 near Bosnia, according to a 2015 piece in Air Force Magazine.
Earlier this month, a U.S. fighter downed a Syrian armed unmanned aerial vehicle that had fired on U.S. forces.
The following is the complete June 18, 2017 release from U.S. Central Command.
Coalition Defends Partner Forces from Syrian Fighter Jet Attack
SOUTHWEST ASIA – At approximately 4:30 p.m. Syria time, June 18, Pro-Syrian regime forces attacked the Syrian Democratic Forces-held town of Ja’Din, South of Tabqah, wounding a number of SDF fighters and driving the SDF from the town.
Coalition aircraft conducted a show of force and stopped the initial pro-regime advance toward the SDF-controlled town.
Following the Pro-Syrian forces attack, the Coalition contacted its Russian counterparts by telephone via an established ‘de-confliction line’ to de-escalate the situation and stop the firing.
At 6:43 p.m., a Syrian regime SU-22 dropped bombs near SDF fighters south of Tabqah and, in accordance with rules of engagement and in collective self-defense of Coalition partnered forces, was immediately shot down by a U.S. F/A-18E Super Hornet.
Ja’Din sits approximately two kilometers north of an established East-West SDF-Syrian Regime de-confliction area.
The Coalition’s mission is to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The Coalition does not seek to fight Syrian regime, Russian, or pro-regime forces partnered with them, but will not hesitate to defend Coalition or partner forces from any threat.
The Coalition presence in Syria addresses the imminent threat ISIS in Syria poses globally. The demonstrated hostile intent and actions of pro-regime forces toward Coalition and partner forces in Syria conducting legitimate counter-ISIS operations will not be tolerated.
The Coalition calls on all parties to focus their efforts on the defeat of ISIS, which is our common enemy and the greatest threat to regional and worldwide peace and security.
