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.
Related Articles
- U.S. amphibious assault ship to be moved into position to support Noncombatant Evacuation Operation in Libya? (theaviationist.com)
Avenge the Avengers
The totality of the losses should not matter compared to The OUTRAGE of our media, and the ENDLESS REPORTING on this story by the NEWS outlets.
Foolish me, I just remembered, the last time we had issues addressed that way, we had some pathetic liberal pacifist & chief who was held accountable by the people and served only one term. Let us PRAY to GOD that history does repeat it self.
By the way, where is a RESPONSE from our President, perhaps they are taking a poll for political suggestions?
What is he supposed to do, dropping an A-bomb or what? You guys just never learn something at that. Just keep talking big, dude.
A B61 might do the trick.
Pray to god that history doesn’t repeat itself? Dude, where have you been for he last 20,000 years? Go have your prescription pink lenses changed fast!
It may well help the USMC Harrier Force to get some of the RAF Harrier GR9s out of storeage and get them back into the air
What on earth does that have to do with the major tragedy that is being overlooked here?
Anyone ever hear of a firewatch? Trip wires? Claymores?