On Nov. 22, 2003 a DHL crew flying out of Baghdad airport was forced to land their Airbus A300 without any controllable flight surfaces after being hit with a surface to air missile.

Boeing has just released this promotional video for the YAL-1 Airborne Laser, a modified 747-400 that is being developed to shoot down ballistic missiles during the first few minutes of flight.

On 22 November 2003, shortly after takeoff from Baghdad, an Airbus A300 cargo plane, operating for DHL Aviation, was struck on the left wing tip by a surface-to-air missile. Severe wing damage resulted in fire and complete loss of hydraulic flight control systems. Because outboard left wing fuel tank 1A was full at takeoff, there was no fuel-air vapour explosion. Liquid jet fuel dropped away as 1A disintegrated. Inboard fuel tank 1 was pierced and leaking. Returning to Baghdad, the 3-person crew made an unprecedented injury-free landing of the crippled aircraft, using differential engine thrust as the only pilot input. Paris Match Reporter Claudine Vernier-Palliez accompanied a Fedayeen commando unit on their strike mission against the DHL aircraft. (Her report translated here.) Sara Daniel, a French weekly newsmagazine journalist claimed receipt, from an unknown source, of a video that showed insurgents, faces concealed, firing a missile at the A300. Daniel was researching a feature about Iraqi resistance groups but she disclaimed any specific knowledge of the people who carried out the attack.

On 22 November 2003, shortly after takeoff from Baghdad, an Airbus A300 cargo plane, operating for DHL Aviation, was struck on the left wing tip by a surface-to-air missile. Severe wing damage resulted in fire and complete loss of hydraulic flight control systems. Because outboard left wing fuel tank 1A was full at takeoff, there was no fuel-air vapour explosion. Liquid jet fuel dropped away as 1A disintegrated. Inboard fuel tank 1 was pierced and leaking. Returning to Baghdad, the 3-person crew made an unprecedented injury-free landing of the crippled aircraft, using differential engine thrust as the only pilot input. Paris Match Reporter Claudine Vernier-Palliez accompanied a Fedayeen commando unit on their strike mission against the DHL aircraft. (Her report translated here.) Sara Daniel, a French weekly newsmagazine journalist claimed receipt, from an unknown source, of a video that showed insurgents, faces concealed, firing a missile at the A300. Daniel was researching a feature about Iraqi resistance groups but she disclaimed any specific knowledge of the people who carried out the attack.

Video of the Predator UAV that got shot down by an Iraqi MiG-25 during the early stages of the war. The UAVs were being used a prey to lure out Iraqi MiGs, this one managed to fire a missile at the MiG, however the missile fell short, while the MiG-25's missile hit its target.