Taliban’s attack on Camp Bastion killed two U.S. Marines and destroyed or severely damaged eight U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harriers and a United States Air Force C-130.
On Friday Sept. 14, 2012, at around 10.15 p.m. local time, a force of Taliban gunmen attacked Camp Bastion, in Helmand Province, the main strategic base in southwestern Afghanistan.
About 15 insurgents (19 according to some reports), wearing U.S. Army uniforms, organized into three teams, breached the perimeter fence and launched an assault on the airfield, that includes the U.S. Camp Leatherneck and the UK’s Camp Bastion, where British royal Prince Harry, an AH-64 Apache pilot (initially believed to be the main target of the attack) is stationed.
The attackers fired machine guns, rocket propelled grenades and possibly mortars against aircraft parked next to the airport’s runway. Two U.S. Marines were killed in the subsequent fighting whereas eight of 10 AV-8B+ Harrier jets of the Yuma-based Marine Attack Squadron (VMA) 211 were destroyed (6) or heavily damaged (2): the worst U.S. air loss in one day since the Vietnam War.
The VMA-211 “Avengers” is part of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing headquartered in San Diego at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. It deployed to Afghanistan in April and relocated from Kandahar Airfield to Camp Bastion on Jul. 1.
According to Wikipedia, the VMA-211 last suffered this level of losses on Dec. 8, 1941.
Considered that the U.S. Marine Corps are believed to be equipped with slightly more than 120 AV-8B+, the attack on Camp Bastion has wiped out 1/15th of the entire U.S. Jump Jet fleet and a large slice of the Yuma-based squadron. A serious problem for the USMC, that was compelled to buy second hand RAF Harrier GR9s to keep the AV-8B+ in service beyond 2030, when it will be replaced by the F-35B.
Furthermore, the VMA-211 was the only Marine Harrier unit in Afghanistan: until the destroyed airframes will be replaced (most probably, by another Squadron), the coalition ground forces can’t count on the CAS (Close Air Support) provided by the Harrier.
Tom Meyer has contributed to this post.
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Your report takes no account of battle damage repair, until official sources declare what has been written off it is premature to assume each airframe attacked is beyond repair.
The fact that 6 were destroyed and 2 “heavily damaged” has been confirmed by both the USMC and ISAF. I don’t think destroyed planes can be repaired…
So we have an accounting issue here? The Taliban effected the books? Where is the American spirit? Where is the responce to the attackers? Nothing? Well, with your lead ship, Obummer and Clintoris there is a new thing: nothing from nothing give nothing.
that is just cheap, dude
They are done. I have seen them
Dave,
any chance to get an image to publish from the USMC?
Thanks
David
If they were somewhat salvageable, it would have to be by Boeing’s techs here in the states. I remember VMA-513 flew a harrier through some trees during a night training op where the pilot fired a hellfire rocket while wearing nvg’s and was temporarily blinded. I took the better part of a year just to fix some moderate airframe damage.
No such thing as a hellfire rocket… He was shooting Rocket. The AV8 is not authorized and not wired to carry and fire hellfire missles.
I worked at VMA-311 Tomcats. They had a rocket pod of 4 rockets, and a rocket pod of 32. The 4 pod was hellfires.
The Harrier is not capable of carriage/release of the AGM-114 Hellfire. A pod of 4 rockets would be a LAU-10 5″ rockets, and never heard of a 32 shot rocket pod. That would be impressive. In my 22 years in Aviation Ordnance I’ve never heard nor seen a 32 shot pod.
I think you may have your missiles confused, the AV-8B is not capable of carriage or release of the AGM-114 Hellfire missile.
My son was in a air wing support capacity at Leatherneck and assisted in the moving and support of 211. As a Mother who was reassured by her Marine son “Don’t worry Mom, nothing ever happens at Leatherneck, it’s too big, too remote, and too secure. I’m perfectly safe” this is very concerning.
During my son’s post deployment leave he showed me pictures of the hangers and his barracks that was right next to the wire. The problems are only increasing, where is the media outrage.
No need for media outrage. They are Marines. They are supposed to be close to the battle. Words of reassurance are for concerned mothers. War is war, no matter where you are in the AOR.
I guess what I was meant is that last week with the attacks on the consulates and embassies the middle east crisis is not easing up, it’s getting worse. We lost six aircraft, that’s significant. I don’t want words of assurance, let’s actually do something rather than train their people to attack us.
Another sad news for USMC and VMA-211: Commanding Officer was among the two Marines killed in the attack.
https://theaviationist.com/2012/09/17/vma-211-commander/
As a father and father-in-law of 3 active duty Marines, I know how you are feeling. Between them there are 3 tours at Leatherneck, 1 at Bastion, and 1 coming up next month at Bastion again. I’ve heard all the don’t worry dad I need to hear. Being a Vietnam Marine, I know better. Semper-Fi, my sons and brothers. God Speed, and do what you do best.
I wish American forces could get the same value for destroyed targets as the the Taliban seem to get.
Seriously
As an Israeli I m amazed. A military base with no peripherial guard, dogs just walking in and shoot destroy 8 fighter jets? Is this the America that suposed to watch the Iranian Nuclear bomb? Sorry, US is great technology but fucked managers and zero strategic thinking.
its the U.S army who are the invading dogs. the Taliban are most honourable men defending their country. ronald regan actually compared them to the founding fathers of america during the afghan jihad of the 80’s.
http://www.legitgov.org/Reagan-calls-Taliban-moral-equivalent-Americas-founding-fathers
check this out if you think i made it up.