List of attacks on British aircraft during The Troubles facts for kids

This page lists attacks on British aircraft, both civilian and military, during a conflict in Northern Ireland called The Troubles. This conflict happened in the late 20th century. The list also includes attacks on airfields and helicopter landing spots. Most of these incidents were carried out by the Provisional IRA against British Army Air Corps helicopters.

The IRA wanted to make it hard for British soldiers to stay in areas like South Armagh and other border regions. Since the mid-1970s, all supplies for these bases had to be brought in by helicopters. This was because bombs and ambushes on roads made it too dangerous for the British army to move troops and supplies by land. The South Armagh Brigade made the southern part of County Armagh a very risky place for British helicopters.

Helicopter and Aircraft Attacks (1970-1979)

• 3 July 1970 – A Sioux helicopter carrying Brigadier Peter Hudson had to land quickly. People thought it was hit by bullets during riots in Belfast, known as the "Falls curfew".
• 9 October 1970 – A Sioux helicopter was looking for people who blew up a customs building in County Fermanagh. It was shot at from across the border in Cloghoge, County Cavan. One bullet hit the aircraft's radio.
• 10 August 1971 – A British Army helicopter was hit by a sniper's bullet over Belfast. The pilot and helicopter were reportedly saved by strong armor.
• 13 August 1971 – A British Army helicopter was shot at over the Bogside area of Derry. No hits were reported.
• 19 September 1971 – A helicopter helping a Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) police patrol under attack in Forhill, County Armagh, was shot at by IRA members. They fired many shots before leaving across the border.
• 19 September 1971 – An RAF helicopter flying over Belfast was shot at.
• 13 October 1971 – A helicopter helping British Army engineers prepare to block a road at Dungooley, on the Louth-Armagh border, had to leave. It came under fire from a large IRA group during a long fight.
• 13 October 1971 – A Sioux helicopter from the 16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers was helping engineers block a road in County Tyrone. It was shot at by three gunmen at Castlederg and hit twice. The pilot had to land carefully six miles away. The hits damaged the oil tank.
• 23 October 1971 – A British Army helicopter was helping soldiers stop people from fixing roads that had been damaged. It came under automatic gunfire, as did the soldiers, near Clonoony and Clones, County Monaghan.
• 29 October 1971 – A British military helicopter was shot at while patrolling the Derry area. Three shots were fired but "no damage was caused".
• 30 October 1971 – A British Army helicopter was shot at near a road that had been bombed by the British Army at Teemore, County Fermanagh. Soldiers in the area were also shot at.
• 7 November 1971 – A British military helicopter was shot at while flying over the Brandywell area of Derry. Many shots were fired but none hit.
• 8 November 1971 – A British Army helicopter was shot at during an attack on British soldiers. The soldiers were using a bulldozer to block the road to Kiltyclogher on the Fermanagh side of the border.
• 11 November 1971 – A helicopter was shot at from across the border while landing near Belleek RUC station, County Fermanagh. Soldiers returned fire and reportedly injured a man.
• 11 November 1971 – A British Army helicopter was shot at from the Flagtsaff-Omeath area. It was flying along the border near Newry, County Armagh. Many shots were fired but none hit.
• 17 November 1971 – A British Army helicopter was shot at in Derry. Three shots were fired but the aircraft was not hit.
• 23 November 1971 – A British Army helicopter was shot at in Derry. Many shots were fired but no injuries were reported.
• 29 November 1971 – A British Army helicopter was shot at in the Long Tower area of Derry. Three shots were fired but no injuries were reported.
• 6 December 1971 – A British Army helicopter was shot at from the Kildrum Gardens area of the Creggan, Derry. This happened during heavy fights when British forces tried to enter the Creggan and Bogside areas.
• 7 December 1971 – A British Army helicopter was shot at in Derry. A single gunman fired four shots but none hit.
• 10 December 1971 – A helicopter and an armored car were shot at. They were at a cattle inspection post that had just been bombed near Killeen customs post outside Newry, County Armagh. One soldier was injured.
• 13 December 1971 – A British Army helicopter came under fire near the Creggan area of Derry. Reportedly, eleven shots were fired but no hits were reported.
• 30 December 1971 – A British Army helicopter was shot at in Derry. The Provisional IRA claimed to have hit and damaged it, but the British Army said this was not true.
• 30 December 1971 – A British Army helicopter was shot at while responding to a bus being taken and burned at Aghalane Bridge on the Fermanagh-Cavan border.
• 13 January 1972 – A Royal Marines Sioux helicopter was shot at and hit in Derry. It was on a scouting mission. The aircraft flew back to its base and landed safely.
• 9 February 1972 – A helicopter was shot at shortly after a bomb destroyed a telephone station at a border post at Killean, County Armagh.
• 27 February 1972 – A helicopter was shot at while hovering over the Creggan Estate in Derry, the British Army reported.
• 19 April 1972 – A helicopter was shot at while flying near Ballygawley, County Tyrone. No injuries were reported, and the helicopter returned to base safely.
• 15 June 1972 – A helicopter was shot at while flying between Belleek and Garrison, County Fermanagh. The attackers also set off a mine, but the helicopter was not damaged. The crew fired back but did not hit anyone.
• 24 June 1972 – An RAF Sioux helicopter was damaged after an accidental crash-landing. It then received gunfire near Dungiven town, County Londonderry. This happened during an IRA bomb and gunfire ambush on the convoy moving it to RAF Aldegrove. The helicopter pilot was injured.
• 12 July 1972 – A British Army helicopter came under automatic gunfire while flying over the Lower Falls area of Belfast but was not hit.
• 18 July 1972 – A helicopter came under fire from armed men while flying over the Andersonstown area of Belfast.
• 18 July 1972 – A British Army helicopter came under fire while flying over Bangor, County Down. Four shots were fired. The crew was not injured, and the helicopter was not damaged.
• 19 July 1972 – A British Army helicopter came under "heavy sniper fire" north of Strabane, County Tyrone, according to the Provisional IRA.
• 31 July 1972 – A Westland Scout helicopter carrying a battalion commander was shot at while flying above the Creggan, Derry, during Operation Motorman. It was acting as a flying command center to help coordinate ground operations.
• 10 August 1972 – A Sioux helicopter was shot at and forced to leave while responding to an IRA attack on a British Army checkpoint in Crossmaglen.
• 18 October 1971 – A British Army helicopter from the 16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers was shot at in two separate incidents within an hour. This happened while flying along the border at Laghtfoggy, near Castlederg, County Tyrone.
• 25 October 1972 – A British Army helicopter carrying injured soldiers to Musgrave Park Hospital, Belfast, was shot at. Other helicopters nearby were also shot at and then moved away from the area.
• 25 October 1972 – A British Army helicopter helping an Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders patrol under fire was shot at along the border with County Louth.
• 2 November 1972 – A Scout helicopter was shot at by seven IRA members at Moybane near Crossmaglen. Soldiers on board fired back. Neither side hit anyone.
• 14 December 1972 – A Sioux helicopter on a scouting mission was shot at by several IRA members near Crossmaglen. Six bullets hit the helicopter, slightly injuring an observer and damaging the aircraft. The pilot had to make an emergency landing at Crossmaglen base. The pilot also reported that a rocket exploded in front of the aircraft, likely from an RPG-7 rocket launcher.
• 15 December 1972 – A Sioux helicopter came under fire from attackers in the Drumarg Estate in Armagh town. Six shots were fired but none hit.
• 12 January 1973 – A British Army helicopter was shot at in the Millbrook Bridge area along the Donegal-Derry border. A British Army patrol investigating the shooting was also shot at, and a gun battle followed.
• 4 February 1973 – A British Army helicopter was shot at but not hit while on a routine patrol at Newtownbutler, County Fermanagh.
• 8 March 1973 – A British Army helicopter came under fire while hovering over Strabane, County Tyrone.
• 20 March 1973 – A British Army helicopter was hit by several shots near Aughnacloy and Clogher in County Tyrone.
• 21 July 1973 – A British Army helicopter investigating an explosion that destroyed an old house near Clady, County Tyrone, came under fire from County Donegal.
• 25 October 1973 – A British Army helicopter was shot at but reported no hits at Newtownhamilton, County Armagh.
• 15 November 1973 – A helicopter avoided being hit by an RPG-7 rocket. It was searching for an IRA group that had attacked a British Army/RUC base in Keady, County Armagh.
• 17 February 1974 – An Army Air Corps helicopter came under fire at Gortoral Bridge, County Fermanagh. No injuries were reported.
• 7 March 1974 – A British Army helicopter was shot at by a lone gunman with a rifle while flying near Pomeroy, County Tyrone.
• 8 March 1974 – A helicopter was shot at during a long fight between British soldiers and gunmen across the border near Middletown, County Armagh.
• 6 April 1974 – A Sioux helicopter was hit by over one hundred bullets while flying low on border patrol near Crossmaglen.
• 19 June 1974 – A British Army helicopter taking off from a base in the Creggan area of Derry was likely the target of five shots fired nearby.
• 23 July 1974 – A 2-pound (0.9 kg) bomb was found on a British Airways flight from Aldergrove Airport, near Belfast, to London. This happened after a warning call. The flight made an emergency landing at Manchester Airport. The IRA said they planted the bomb to show they could get past airport security, and it was not set to explode.
• 3 September 1974 – An Army Air Corps Scout helicopter, carrying a four-man Royal Marines team, landed in Ballsmill, near Silverbridge. Four IRA members had set up an ambush and fired 79 shots at the aircraft. The marines fired back, but the attackers escaped. The Scout was hit eight times, but the pilot managed to fly it back to Forkhill.
• 8 September 1974 – A British Army helicopter came under fire while flying above the Creggan area of Derry after many arrests in the city. None of the shots hit.
• 22 September 1974 – A British Army helicopter came under "heavy" rifle and machine gun fire while on a scouting flight along the Tyrone-Monaghan border near Clogher. It was forced to land in a field. The British Army denied reports that two soldiers were injured.
• 6 December 1974 – A British Army helicopter came under "heavy" machine gun fire near the Louth-Armagh border. No injuries were reported.
• 18 January 1975 – A British Army helicopter was shot at near Strabane.
• 14 December 1975 – A Scout helicopter was shot at and hit twice while flying south-west of Crossmaglen. This forced the pilot to land carefully.
• 31 January 1976 – A Scout helicopter came under fire near Kilnasaggart Bridge, near Jonesborough, County Armagh. The aircraft was hit three times, but no one was injured.
• 8 March 1976 – The IRA fired 14 mortar bombs at Aldergrove Airport (now Belfast International Airport) in County Antrim. Four bombs exploded in the car park, damaging several vehicles, and one hit the arrivals hut. The airport had been emptied after an IRA warning.
• 15 April 1976 – an RAF Wessex helicopter was bringing paratroopers from Bessbrook to Crossmaglen. It was hit and badly damaged by automatic fire and an anti-tank RPG-7 rocket as it landed. The pilot, Mike Johnston, made an emergency landing on a football pitch next to the barracks. Another RAF pilot, David Morgan, flew the damaged helicopter back to Bessbrook on one engine. It needed weeks of repairs.
• 4 October 1977 – An RAF Wessex helicopter was hit by an IRA sniper in Jonesborough, South Armagh. A single shot hit and broke the helicopter's windscreen, forcing the pilot to land in a field.
• 17 February 1978 – An Army Air Corps Gazelle helicopter carrying Lieutenant Colonel Ian Corden-Lloyd crashed. It was near a fight between a British army patrol and an IRA group. The pilot tried to avoid fire from a machine gun but lost control and hit the ground. The Lieutenant Colonel was killed, and a captain and the pilot were seriously injured.
• 21 September 1978 – An IRA bomb attack on Eglinton airfield, County Londonderry, destroyed four civilian planes, two hangars, and the terminal building.
• 3 March 1979 – An Army Air Corps Gazelle was tricked into an ambush near Glassdrumman, South Armagh. An IRA group set up a fake mortar attack to get the helicopter into a "killing zone". The IRA team used M60 machine guns and hit the helicopter nine times. The Gazelle was badly damaged, and both the pilot and a Grenadier Guards Major were injured. Despite his injuries, the pilot flew the damaged helicopter back to Crossmaglen base.
• 11 July 1979 – An RAF helicopter was hit by rifle fire after landing a joint police and army patrol at Lough Ross on the Armagh, Monaghan border. Fire was returned, and they believed they hit an armed IRA man who escaped across the border.
• 27 August 1979 – An RAF Wessex helicopter was damaged by an IRA bomb explosion while helping to evacuate injured people during the Warrenpoint ambush.
• 10 September 1979 – An Army Air Corps Gazelle helicopter was hit by rifle fire as it flew along the border near Cullaville, County Armagh. The radio was damaged, and a small electrical fire started, but the pilot and passengers reached Crossmaglen barracks safely.
• 13 November 1979 – An Army Air Corps Beaver reconnaissance plane was hit five times by small arms fire. It was collecting photos from an IRA checkpoint near Crossmaglen. A Wessex helicopter flying above could not help.

Helicopter and Aircraft Attacks (1980-1989)

• 7 May 1981 – An Army Air Corps Gazelle was hit by machine gun fire near Crossmaglen. It was flying across the main Derry-Dublin road where IRA members were taking and burning vehicles after the death of IRA prisoner Bobby Sands. The pilot managed to return to base at Crossmaglen barracks.
• 20 July 1982 – An RAF Wessex was hit nine times over Croslieve mountain, west of Forkhill. The shots came from six different places with automatic rifles and machine guns.
• 9 August 1982 – An RAF Wessex was hit by small arms fire near Jonesborough, County Armagh. A crew member received a minor injury from flying debris.
• 12 May 1983 – The same RAF Wessex from 20 July 1982 was attacked again by an IRA group. It was carrying seven Royal Marines over Aughanduff Mountain, near Silverbridge. The helicopter was hit 23 times, damaging its body, main rotor blades, engine, hydraulics, and fuel tanks. Two soldiers were injured, one seriously.
• 22 June 1983 – An RAF Wessex came under mortar fire as it approached Crossmaglen barracks. The helicopter dropped its cargo during the evasive move. The helicopter flew away safely, but a watchtower was damaged, and a soldier was injured.
• 30 December 1983 – A British Army helicopter came under fire after stopping armed robbers trying to hold up a security van at Creggan Bridge near Crossmaglen. The gunmen had to flee in their vehicle across the border.
• 21 April 1985 – A British Army helicopter came under fire from the IRA at Glasdrummond in south Armagh. No injuries were reported.
• 24 May 1985 – An RAF Wessex was hit by continuous machine gun fire as it flew over Crossmaglen. The machine guns were hidden in the back of a lorry. The Wessex changed course to Bessbrook. Bullets hit the helicopter, but no injuries were reported.
• 23 June 1985 – An RAF Wessex came under mortar fire as it landed at Crossmaglen base. Three of four bombs exploded near the helicopter, breaking its windows. However, no injuries were reported, and the aircraft flew to Bessbrook.
• 23 June 1988 – An Army Air Corps Lynx helicopter was shot down over Aughanduff Mountain by an IRA group. The pilot crash-landed the aircraft in a field. One British serviceman was injured.
• 3 July 1989 – Two civilian aircraft and the control tower of Belfast Harbour Airport were damaged by three IRA bombs.
• 27 November 1989 – A Short 360 civilian aircraft was destroyed by the IRA in another bomb attack on Belfast Harbour Airport.
• 13 December 1989 – An RAF Wessex was helping soldiers launch a counter-attack. It had to take quick action to avoid hostile fire from an IRA group that had attacked Derryard checkpoint, County Fermanagh.

Helicopter and Aircraft Attacks (1990-1998)

• 11 January 1990 – An Army Air Corps Gazelle was shot down over a border area between Augher and Derrygorry, County Tyrone, by an IRA group. The helicopter was hit by heavy machine guns and automatic rifles. Three soldiers on board were injured.
• 20 February 1990 – A Wessex helicopter saw several masked IRA members with heavy weapons in a van and a car near Newtownhamilton, South Armagh. During a long chase, the IRA group split up, threw away weapons, and changed vehicles many times. Three IRA members were initially arrested but escaped when civilians attacked the security forces.
• 25 September 1990 – An Army Air Corps Lynx was shot at with a heavy machine gun and two light machine guns. This happened as it approached Crossmaglen base to drop off supplies. One soldier on the ground was slightly injured.
• 27 October 1990 – Two helicopters came under heavy machine gun fire near Corragunt along the Fermanagh-Monaghan border, according to an IRA statement. The police denied any attack occurred or any helicopters were hit.
• 31 January 1991 – An RAF Wessex, taking off from the British Army base at Forkhill, South Armagh, and carrying soldiers, was hit by up to 89 bullets from a heavy machine gun. The helicopter successfully got away after being hit by one bullet.
• 13 February 1991 – An Army Air Corps Lynx was shot down near Silverbridge after being fired at by the IRA. This happened as it approached Crossmaglen base. The helicopter, hit by several bullets, dropped its supplies before crash-landing. The crew set up a defense around the downed aircraft while waiting for rescue.
• 15 February 1991 – An Army Air Corps Lynx helicopter was taking soldiers from the Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment after a border patrol. It was shot at twice by automatic weapons near Clogher, County Tyrone. More than 360 shots were fired from across the border. The helicopter had to stop its landing and return to base.
• 3 June 1991 – The British Army helicopter base at St Angelo in Enniskillen was the target of a failed IRA mortar attack. Most of the bombs exploded inside their tubes, and a nearby sawmill was heavily damaged.
• 19 July 1991 – An RAF Wessex was targeted by an IRA SA-7 surface-to-air missile near Kinawley in County Fermanagh. The missile did not hit the helicopter and exploded on the ground.
• 2 August 1991 – An RAF Puma helicopter landing troops at Newtownhamilton barracks, South Armagh, was targeted by three "radio controlled warheads." Their explosions around the landing area forced the pilot to take off. The next day, bomb disposal teams found that the missiles were mortars fired from a garage.
• 16 March 1992 – Two Army Air Corps Lynx helicopters were shot at by an IRA group with heavy machine guns near Rosslea, County Fermanagh. More than 1,000 shots were fired.
• 29 May 1992 – An RAF Wessex dropped off soldiers near Cappagh, County Tyrone. They saw three people handling a machine gun that was stolen during unrest in Coalisland. This reportedly stopped an IRA plan to attack a helicopter.
• 12 August 1992 – An RAF Wessex was hit by an AK-47 assault rifle at Strabane, County Tyrone. This happened during a chase after a patrol was attacked by a sniper. The IRA group was tracked by the helicopter, leading to the capture of an injured man.
• 8 January 1993 – An Army Air Corps Lynx was shot at with machine-gun fire at Mullan Bridge, Kinawley, County Fermanagh. It was responding to an IRA mortar attack on a British army outpost. The Lynx's door-gunner fired back and hit a farm building on the Republic's side of the border.
• 11 June 1993 – An RAF Puma narrowly escaped when a large mortar bomb was fired at the helipad of the Army/RUC base at Crossmaglen shortly after it took off.
• 23 September 1993 – Four Army Air Corps Lynx helicopters were involved in a gun battle with five IRA armed trucks. This happened after assault rifles and heavy machine guns were fired from the vehicles at an RAF Puma helicopter taking off from Crossmaglen barracks. The Puma and a Lynx were hit and damaged. This event became known as the "Battle of Newry Road".
• 12 December 1993 – An Army Air Corps Lynx was hit by automatic rifle fire from IRA members near Fivemiletown, County Tyrone. It was searching for those who ambushed a police patrol in the town, where two police officers were killed. No hits were scored, but the IRA group escaped.
• 8-13 March 1994: The IRA launched three mortar attacks in five days on Heathrow airport. None of the 12 mortar rounds exploded, but the third attack forced the closure of Heathrow and Gatwick airports for two hours.
• 19 March 1994 – An Army Air Corps Lynx was shot down by an IRA mortar bomb while landing at Crossmaglen helipad. Three soldiers and a police officer were injured.
• 12 July 1994 – An RAF Puma was shot down over Newtownhamilton, County Armagh, by an IRA mortar bomb. It was carrying 11 soldiers and one police officer. The helicopter crashed on a football pitch. Only minor injuries were reported.
• 12 July 1997 – A large mortar bomb exploded on waste ground next to the Newtownhamilton base helipad. This is believed to be the last action by the South Armagh Brigade during The Troubles.

Images for kids

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  A RAF Puma HC1 in flight, 2012

See also

• List of chronologies of Provisional Irish Republican Army actions
• List of weapons used by the Provisional Irish Republican Army
• Improvised tactical vehicles of the Provisional IRA