Families Sue Hughes Over Gulf War Deaths
Relatives of six Camp Pendleton Marines killed by “friendly fire” when a U.S.-fired missile struck their armored vehicle during the Persian Gulf war have sued the missile’s manufacturer.
The suit alleges that Hughes Aircraft Co. “negligently and carelessly” manufactured the Maverick missile that was fired from a U.S. Air Force A-10 attack plane Jan. 29, 1991.
The six men from the 1st Marine Division, based at Camp Pendleton, were killed when the missile hit their vehicle during a battle near the border of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
“Instead of striking the targeted Iraqi vehicle, this Maverick missile struck and blew up (the U.S. vehicle), thereby killing these six brave Marines instantly,” the lawsuit states.
A Hughes Aircraft spokesman Monday denied the allegations in the suit, which does not seek specific damages.
Attorney Joel Kleinberg, who filed the suit for the families, said the allegations are based in large part on a Marine Corps report on the incident.
An interview with the A-10 attack plane pilot shows that the missile did not perform properly and that the pilot did not unwittingly target the armored vehicle, Kleinberg contended.
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