US military loses contact with two jets over Iraq

BAGHDAD - The US military said Tuesday it had lost contact with two F/A-18 fighter jets over Iraq.
"Contact was lost with two US Marine F/A-18 Hornet jets flying over Iraq," said Nick Minecci, a staff sergeant at the US military's press center in Baghdad.
There was "no initial indication of hostile fire" involved in the incident, he said.
The military lost contact with the aircraft Monday at 10:10 pm local time (1810 GMT), Minecci said.
In a separate statement, the US military said a search effort was under way to locate the aircraft, which were from the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson.
NBC News, citing US Navy officials, reported that the jets had been involved in a midair collision.
The F/A-18 Hornet jet has different versions, one of which is flown by a single pilot while another version of the aircraft carries two crew members.

05/02/2005 23:40 GMT