USAF E-11A down in Afghanistan

twitter.com...

Originally reported as a Afghani passenger plane down, the airline company quickly denied it lost a plane. Now it appears it was USAF Communications plane.

www.google.com...

a reply to: Agit8dChop

Just heard about this on my way into work.
Let's hope there is no foul play here.

Thought it was strange that they originally "thought" it was a passenger plane.

Not how one is supposed to fry BACN.

A U.S. Air Force’s E-11A BACN (Battlefield Airborne Communications Node) crashed during the morning on Jan. 27, 2020 in Afghanistan. The mishap happened in the Taliban-controlled area in Dih Yak, Ghazni. Early reports identified the jet as a passenger aircraft from Ariana Afghan Airlines, but the company immediately denied the reports.

In the meantime, however, photos and videos emerged on social media showed the remains of what clearly seems to be E-11A BACN, serial 11-9358. The tail section and the engines seem to be pretty intact in the video, with recognizable USAF roundels on the engine and the serial code on the vertical stabilizer. The rest of the fuselage and the cockpit burned up following the crash.

theaviationist.com...

The aircraft appears to have been intact at impact.

a reply to: Agit8dChop

RIP to service members/families.

Discreet special ops would now be appropriate, to deliver a, ah, "diplomatic" message.....

a reply to: M5xaz

They may be going in for another reason actually.

a reply to: Zaphod58

are you saying this was a take off problem?

a reply to: penroc3

No, I'm saying that whatever happened was most likely mechanical and not a shootdown. It was under control until impact.

As a former AWACS/JSTARS aircrew, let's hope spec ops is actively on the ground on this one. Taliban recovered only 2 bodies.

a reply to: Zaphod58

What to believe, what to believe..

Was it taken down or just mechanical problems....

a reply to: odzeandennz

Considering it was intact and under control at impact, I'd say mechanical.

a reply to: Sthrndream

ABM?

a reply to: Masisoar

Yes, 13B!

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: M5xaz

They may be going in for another reason actually.

to destroy the secret stuff right?

a reply to: yuppa

It all burned in the post crash fire.

a reply to: Zaphod58

so there are clearly hardware 'finalizers' but i have always wondered what it would take for an air strike to take out a downed aircraft

Afghan forces trying to get to the crash site were ambushed by Taliban forces and kept away from the aircraft. There are conflicting reports on the crew. At least two bodies were reported, while some reports said four, with two survivors on the run while others said six bodies were in the wreckage.

www.reuters.com...

Russia and Iran are reporting the USA head of intelligence for Iran, Iraq and Afghan was killed on the plane

www.jpost.com...

#BREAKING Russian intelligence sources have confirmed that Michael D’ Andrea, the head of US intelligence operations against Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, has been killed in Taliban's shoot-down of a US military plane in Ghazni.

Sure seems like this may have been a retaliation hit

Didn't it get reported not all bodies were recovered? could some have been taken hostage?

a reply to: Agit8dChop

I thought this plane was essentially an Airborne communications node. Why would someone high up be on board?