190th Fighter Squadron, Blues and Royals friendly fire incident

Part of the 2003 invasion of Iraq

Date	28 March 2003
Location	Iraq
Result	Two United Kingdom FV107 Scimitars destroyed, 1 British soldier killed, 5 British soldiers wounded

Belligerents

United States

United Kingdom

Strength

2 A-10 attack aircraft

two FV107 Scimitars
two FV103 Spartans
Infantry

Casualties and losses

None

2 armoured reconnaissance vehicles destroyed,
1 soldier killed,
5 wounded

The 190th Fighter Squadron, Blues and Royals friendly fire incident was a friendly fire incident involving two United States Air Force (USAF) Air National Guard 190th Fighter Squadron attack aircraft, and vehicles from the United Kingdom's D Squadron, The Blues and Royals of the Household Cavalry, and took place on 28 March 2003 during the invasion of Iraq by armed forces of the United States and United Kingdom. In the incident, the two USAF A-10s fired on and destroyed two Blues and Royals armored vehicles, killing one British soldier, and wounding five others.

Although not the only fratricide incident during the invasion, the circumstances of the inquest into the death of British Lance-Corporal of Horse Matty Hull – and the subsequent verdict of unlawful killing – led to much media scrutiny in the UK. This was related to the release of video evidence from the attacking aircraft, and perceived levels of cooperation by government agencies of both the United States and United Kingdom with the British inquest.

The Blues and Royals were serving as an armoured reconnaissance element for 16th Air Assault Brigade. Four vehicles from D Squadron, two FV107 Scimitars and two FV103 Spartans, were moving north of the main force, patrolling the Forward Edge of Battle Area. The area of the patrol had been declared as a no engagement zone to the allied forces and the vehicles were marked with the agreed coalition Combat Identification markings including orange overhead canvas panels, thermal reflectors and Union Flags.

Two A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft of the Idaho Air National Guard, 190th Fighter Squadron were completing a two-hour mission; engaging artillery and rocket launchers of Iraq's 6th Armoured Division, dug in 25 miles (40 km) north of Basra. The aircraft were guided to their targets by US Marine Corps forward air controllers, embedded with British ground units, and flown by a major and lieutenant colonel on their first operational flight of the invasion. According to media reporting of the subsequent investigation, the flight was commanded by the major.

...
Wikipedia