Jefferson's CIC was "off the air," her radio and primary communications networks shut down to avoid detection and tracking by radar-seeking missiles.

In the north, an F-16 fighter patrolling the area attacked the Iraqi antiaircraft battery with a radar-seeking missile this morning.

The fighters attacked with radar-seeking missiles and laser-guided 500-pound bombs, and the Pentagon said initial assessments suggested that a missile launcher and two vehicles had been damaged.

For defense, the Skylark has chaff and flare dispensers to counter radar-seeking and heat-seeking missiles, respectively.

At least one F-16 responded immediately with radar-seeking missiles, meant to force the missile battery to turn off its radar, sending the SAM's harmlessly off course.

Iraqis are firing blindly, military officials say, because every time they turn on a tracking system they lose it to an advanced radar-seeking missile from a coalition jet.

In recent weeks, the United States has moved additional aircraft into the region, including more F-16's and EA-6B's armed with radar-seeking missiles.

Separately, an EA-6B electronic warfare jet fired a high-speed radar-seeking missile at an Iraqi radar installation that was tracking the jet, the Pentagon said.

U.S. aircraft then fired radar-seeking missiles and laser-guided bombs at the battery, destroying it.

Air defense radars were quickly destroyed by radar-seeking missiles fired from wild weasel aircraft.