The Russian Defense Ministry said a Mi-8 helicopter was shot down during a mission on Monday in Syria, killing all five on board. Video released online by Syrian rebels shows the flaming wreckage of the aircraft, reportedly near Aleppo. The defense ministry said the armed helicopter was on a humanitarian mission delivering supplies to Aleppo. The crew “died heroically because they tried to move the aircraft away so to minimize losses on the ground,” said Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to The Associated Press. Russia has lost multiple aircraft during its campaign in Syria, with another helicopter shot down last month.
An important U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS command and control plane was among the aircraft damaged in a March 27 Iranian missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine.