1988 British Army Lynx shootdown facts for kids

Quick facts for kids 1988 British Army Lynx shootdown
Part of the Troubles
A British Army Lynx helicopter
Location	Aughanduff, County Armagh, Northern Ireland
Coordinates	54°7′45.6″N 6°31′14.9″W / 54.129333°N 6.520806°W / 54.129333; -6.520806
Date	23 June 1988 12:55 (GMT)
Target	British Army helicopter
Attack type	Shooting
Deaths	0
Non-fatal injuries	1
Perpetrator	Provisional IRA

On June 23, 1988, a British Army helicopter, a Westland Lynx, was shot down. This happened near Aughanduff Mountain in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. A group called the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) attacked the helicopter. They used powerful automatic rifles and heavy machine guns. The helicopter was damaged and had to land quickly in a field. Luckily, the helicopter and its crew were later rescued by British forces.

Why Helicopters Were Used

Since 1976, the British Army faced many attacks in South Armagh. These attacks included roadside bombs and ambushes. Because of this, military vehicles were often not allowed on roads in the area.

This meant that most military supplies and movements in South Armagh had to be done by helicopter. This decision was criticized by some. It seemed to give the IRA a lot of control over the ground.

The British Army base at Bessbrook Mills became a very busy place for helicopters. About 600 flights took off and landed there every week. Because helicopters were so important, the IRA made shooting them down a top goal. Many attacks on British Army helicopters during The Troubles happened in South Armagh. In 1979, the Army started using the Lynx helicopter, which was more advanced.

The Attack on the Lynx

On June 23, 1988, a Lynx helicopter took off from a British base. It was flying towards its home base at Bessbrook Mill. The pilot was Lieutenant David Richardson.

Meanwhile, a group of 12 IRA members was waiting. They were hidden on the slopes of Aughanduff Mountain. They had powerful weapons, including heavy machine guns and assault rifles. They knew the usual path helicopters took from the base.

At 12:55 PM, the helicopter was flying near the mountain. It was hit by about 15 special bullets. These bullets could go through armor and cause fires. The helicopter's body and spinning blades were hit. It started to spin out of control. Some important cables were cut, and one engine stopped working.

The pilot managed to make a hard landing in an open field. This was near a lake called Cashel Lough Upper. One person on the helicopter crew was injured during the landing.

The IRA team tried to find the crash site. They wanted to destroy the helicopter and capture the crew. They also had an anti-tank rocket launcher. However, they could not find where the helicopter landed.

Soon, British Army patrols arrived and made the area safe. Another Lynx helicopter also arrived with a special quick-response team. A large Royal Air Force Chinook helicopter then lifted the damaged Lynx away. This attack was the first time the IRA used these powerful heavy machine guns against British forces. These guns had been brought in from Libya.

What Happened Next

The powerful heavy machine guns became a common weapon for the IRA in South Armagh. They used them in later attacks. For example, in October 1989, an IRA team put two heavy machine guns on a truck. They attacked a car carrying two police officers. The car was hit by over 70 bullets and caught fire. One officer was killed, but the other managed to escape. People believe these were the same machine guns used to shoot down the Lynx helicopter.

By June 1989, the British government took steps to deal with the threat. They added Kevlar armor panels to the bottom of helicopters. Helicopters were also told to fly in pairs over border areas. This was so they could help each other if attacked. Army pilots also started carrying small machine pistols after this incident.

Even with these new safety measures, more attacks on helicopters happened. In February 1990, another helicopter, a Gazelle, was shot down. In February 1991, a Lynx helicopter was badly damaged near Crossmaglen. The crew was rescued safely by another helicopter. In March 1992, an IRA unit fired over 1,000 machine gun rounds at two Lynx helicopters. In September 1993, there was a long gunfight between Lynx helicopters and IRA trucks. These trucks also had heavy machine guns. In December 1993, an IRA unit fired at a Lynx helicopter to escape after an ambush.

The Lynx helicopter (XZ664) that was shot down in 1988 was repaired. It returned to service. However, in February 2001, it had another accident. Its tail rotor failed while flying, and it rolled over. This time, the helicopter was too damaged to be repaired and was taken out of service.

See also

• Chronology of Provisional Irish Republican Army actions (1980–89)
• List of attacks on British aircraft during The Troubles