Eighth Downing Since January 20

Insurgent forces shot down a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter north of Baghdad Wednesday, but US military officials report all nine persons onboard were recovered safely.

A military spokeswoman said the helicopter was brought down by small arms fire, and rocket-propelled grenades, according to Reuters. It was the eighth downing of a helicopter in Iraq in the past month.

"I saw a ball of fire hitting the aircraft and smoke coming out of the helicopter as it came down," Iraqi police captain Mahmoud al-Mashhadani told Reuters. The helicopter impacted in a rural area known as "the Line," located 18 miles north of Baghdad.

As Aero-News reported, US officials directed new tactics for flight operations in Iraq earlier this month, to better respond to new tactics employed by insurgent forces in that country.

In recent weeks, officials have noted enemy forces are more closely studying flight patterns... and may be employing more advanced weaponry, such as newer versions of the Russian-made SA-7 "Grail" shoulder-fired missile.

Twenty-eight persons, many US soldiers, have been killed in seven previous downings since January 20. Five of those aircraft were military helos, and two belonged to a private American security firm.

FMI: www.defenselink.mil