Fratricide, also known as friendly fire, is an ever-present risk during combat and live fire exercises. This film examines the tragic fratricide incident of February 17, 1991, involving AH-64 Apache helicopters from 1-1 Aviation Battalion and ground forces from 1-41(MECH) Infantry Battalion during Operation Desert Storm. The incident involved three U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopters and two U.S. ground vehicles from the 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized).

This film is designed for use by the US Army Aviation Center of Excellence and other military schools as a primer for discussions on mitigating the risk of fratricide during combat operations. This in-depth analysis covers the friendly fire event using gun camera footage and the actual cockpit communications from that night. Additionally, this film examines the incident’s impact on future military aviation and tactics. Learn how rules of engagement, IFF failures, and battlefield confusion contributed to the incident and the death of two US Army soldiers, CPL Jeffery T. Middleton and PVT Robert D. Talley.

Chapters:
0:12 Introduction
1:38 Task Force Iron
2:14 ATP 3-90.4 (Counter-Reconnaissance)
3:25 Breach
4:19 17 February 1991
5:16 Chance and Uncertainty
5:43 ATP 3-20.96
6:24 The Friendly Fire Incident
11:14 Lessons Learned
13:26 Conclusion

** Cockpit transcriptions were taken from the GAO (General Accounting Office) report, 30 June 1993, Report to the Chairman, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives: "OPERATION DESERT - STORM: Apache Helicopter
Fratricide Incident"

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