The first setback for Operaiton Odyssey Dawn hit last night, as a $US30 million F-15 Strike Eagle fighter was destroyed after its pilots (safely, we’re happy to hear) ejected. The Pentagon is claiming “mechanical failure” as the crash’s cause.
It appears the downed plane was stumbled upon by a British journalist, who, with an air of surprise, tweeted that he “just found a crashed US warplane in a field” near the rebel stronghold of Benghazi. Whether the plane was shot down or indeed crashed due to a mechanical hiccup, it’s worth remember that our expensive and overwhelming technological edge above Gadaffi isn’t invincible. [Danger Room]