List of combat losses of United States military aircraft since the Vietnam War

1983 (Multinational Force in Lebanon)

• December 4 – An A-6 Intruder and an A-7 Corsair II were shot down while attacking Syrian army's SAM batteries in Lebanon in the mountains east of Beirut by Syrian 9K31 Strela-1 or Strela 2 infrared homing missiles. The pilot of the A-6, Lieutenant Mark Lange, was killed; his Bombardier/Navigator, Lieutenant Bobby Goodman, ejected and was captured by Syrian soldiers. Lt. Goodman was held for 30 days before his release was facilitated by Jesse Jackson. Lt. Lange's body was returned. From the USS Independence, the A-7, Commander Edward Andrews managed to guide his failing Corsair over coastal waters before ejecting; he was rescued by a Lebanese fishing boat and safely returned to the U.S. Marines.

  1986 (Operation El Dorado Canyon)

• April 15 – An F-111F Aardvark was shot down by anti-aircraft artillery over Libya. The pilot and weapon systems officer were killed. Major Ribas-Dominicci's body was returned to the US in 1989. Captain Lorence's body was never found. He is still listed as killed in action, body not recovered.

  1991 (Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm)

• January 17 – An F/A-18C Hornet was shot down by an Iraqi Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 in an air-to-air engagement. The pilot of VFA-81 was killed but his body was not found until July 2009.
• January 17 – An A-6E Intruder was shot down by a surface-to-air missile over western Iraq. The pilot and navigator/bombardier were captured. They were released on March 3.
• January 17 – An F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down by anti-aircraft artillery. The pilot and WSO were killed. Their bodies were recovered.
• January 18 – An A-6E Intruder was shot down by anti-aircraft artillery two miles from the Iraqi shore after dropping mines on a waterway linking the Iraqi naval base of Umm Qasr with the Persian Gulf. The USN package was engaged by ZU-23-2 ground anti-aircraft guns and Iraqi naval vessels. The pilot and navigator/bombardier were killed. Their bodies were recovered.
• January 18 – An OV-10 Bronco was shot down by surface-to-air missile. The pilot and observer were captured. They were released on March 6.
• January 18 – An F-4G Wild Weasel crashed in the Saudi Arabian desert after attacking Iraqi air defenses. An investigation found that a single enemy 23 mm anti-aircraft artillery round had punctured the fuel tank, causing fuel starvation. The pilot and EWO ejected over friendly territory and were rescued.
• January 19 – An F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down by a V-750AK surface-to-air missile. The pilot and WSO were captured. They were released on March 6 and March 3 respectively.
• January 19 – An F-16C Fighting Falcon was shot down by a 2K12 Kub surface-to-air missile. The pilot was captured. He was released on March 6.
• January 19 – An F-16C Fighting Falcon was shot down by a S-125 surface-to-air missile. The pilot was captured. He was released on March 6.
• January 21 – An F-14A+ Tomcat was shot down by a V-750AK surface-to-air missile while on an escort mission near Al Asad airbase in Iraq. The pilot was rescued by USAF Special Operations Forces but the RIO was captured. He remained a POW until his release on March 3.
• January 24 – An AV-8B Harrier II was shot down by MANPADS. The pilot was captured. He was released on March 6.
• January 31 – An AC-130H Spectre was shot down by a surface-to-air missile during the battle of Khafji. The entire crew of 14 were killed. Their bodies were recovered.
• February 2 – An A-6E Intruder was shot down by anti-aircraft artillery. The pilot and navigator/bombardier were killed. Connor's body was recovered and Cooke's body was never found.
• February 2 – An A-10A Thunderbolt II was shot down by an Igla-1 surface-to-air missile. The pilot was captured. He was released on March 6.
• February 5 – An F/A-18A Hornet crashed in the Persian Gulf. The pilot was lost over the North Persian Gulf after a successful mission to Iraq. Dwyer served in Carrier Air Wing 8. His body was never recovered.
• February 9 – An AV-8B Harrier II was shot down by a surface-to-air missile. The pilot was captured. He was released on March 6.
• February 13 – An EF-111A, callsign Ratchet 75, crashed into terrain while maneuvering to evade a missile fired by an enemy Mirage F1 fighter killing the pilot, Captain Douglas L. Bradt, and the EWO, Captain Paul R. Eichenlaub.
• February 15 – An A-10A Thunderbolt II AAA ground fire 60 miles northwest of Kuwait city while attacking Republican Guard targets. Thought to have been engaged by SA-13 Gopher SAM. Pilot Lieutenant Robert Sweet ejected and made POW; released on March 6.
• February 15 – An A-10A Thunderbolt II Hit by ground fire approx 60 miles northwest of Kuwait city while attacking Republican Guard targets. Thought to have been engaged by SA-13 Gopher SAM. Pilot Captain Steven Phyllis killed in action. Phyllis died while protecting his downed wingman. Phyllis' body was later recovered.
• February 19 – An OA-10A Thunderbolt II was shot down by a Strela-1 surface-to-air missile 62 nm North West of Kuwait city. The pilot, Lieutenant Colonel Jeffery Fox , was injured as he ejected, captured and held as a POW, until his release on March 6.
• February 22 – An A-10A Thunderbolt II Wheels up, hard stick landing after being hit by a SAM. Captain Rich Biley brought 79-0181 in at King Khalid Military City, Forward Operating Location 1 where the CLSS team stripped it of parts, some sent to King Fahd International Airport, Main Operating Base for use on other birds, and then buried it in the desert. Biley was unhurt during the crash-landing.
• February 23 – An AV-8B Harrier II crashed when it failed to recover from a high angle dive during a night attack on a tank park in Ali Al Salem, Kuwait, possibly hit by AAA or a MANPAD. The pilot was killed and his body was later recovered.
• February 25 – An AV-8B Harrier II hit by MANPADS, crashed while trying to land at Al Jaber airfield, Kuwait. The pilot ejected safely.
• February 25 – An OV-10 Bronco was shot down by surface-to-air missile. The pilot was captured and observer was killed. Major Small was released on March 6 and Captain Spellacy's body was recovered.
• February 27 – An AV-8B Harrier II was shot down by MANPADS. The pilot was killed and his body was later recovered.
• February 27 – An OA-10A Thunderbolt II crashed killing pilot Lieutenant Patrick Olson after a reconnaissance mission over Kuwait on 27 Feb 1991, call sign Nail 51. Aircraft had been hit by surface-to-air missile and was attempting a landing at KKMC FOL in Manual Reversion after losing all its hydraulics, in extreme weather conditions and with only one engine.
• February 27 – An F-16C Fighting Falcon was shot down by an Igla-1 MANPADS. The pilot was captured. He was released on March 6.

  1995 (Operation Deny Flight)

• June 2 – An F-16C Fighting Falcon was shot down by a Serb 2K12 Kub SAM near Mrkonjić Grad, while on patrol over Bosnia. Its pilot ejected and later rescued by a USMC CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter on 8 June.

  1999 (Operation Allied Force)

• March 27 – An F-117 Nighthawk stealth ground-attack jet was shot down by a Yugoslav SA-3 surface-to-air missile during the Kosovo War; the pilot survived and was subsequently rescued.
• May 2 – An F-16C Fighting Falcon was shot down by a Yugoslav SA-3 SAM. The aircraft crashed near Šabac, in a rural area of Serbia; the pilot survived and was subsequently rescued.

  2003–2011 (Operation Iraqi Freedom)

• April 7, 2003 - An F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down over Tikrit. The pilot and WSO were killed. Their bodies were recovered.
• April 8, 2003 – An A-10A Thunderbolt II was shot down over downtown Baghdad by an Iraqi Roland surface-to-air missile. The pilot survived.