Airpower integral to Kajaki Dam turbine delivery

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Gregg Bottemiller
  • Air Forces Central Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) --  Coalition airpower focused on a critical part of southern Afghanistan from Aug. 28 to Sept. 2 to protect more than 4,000 ground forces and to support the delivery of an electric turbine for the 30-year-old hydroelectric Kajaki Dam in the Helmand Province. 

The new turbine, part of a U.S.-funded project, will provide up to 6 percent of the country's power once installed.

Coalition troops from England, Canada, Denmark, Australia, Afghanistan and the United States continuously aided the 100-vehicle convoy more than 100 miles from Kandahar to the dam site, north of Lashkar Gar. Throughout the entire convoy route, coalition aircraft provided safety and security against Taliban and insurgents. Coalition airpower, under the International Security Assistance Force mission, included close-air support, tanker and airlift/airdrop sorties, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

"This was an extremely tough, but rewarding mission-set," said Lt. Gen. Gary L. North, U.S. Air Forces Central commander and U.S. Central Command's Combined Force Air Component commander. "Our coalition Airmen had meticulously planned how to have the right airpower overhead at the right time to provide ground commanders 100 percent assurance for the safety and security for both the coalition ground forces and for the very valuable cargo.

"Throughout the transit of the equipment, the enemy threatened the moment. The combined coalition air forces provided airstrikes on identified enemy, while providing 24/7 'persistent stare' with numerous ISR assets, and delivered routine and emergency re-supply, through C-130 airdrops to coalition ground forces on the mission," General North said. 

Coalition airpower included F-16 Fighting Falcons, F-15E Strike Eagles, F-18 Hornets, A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, AV-8 Harriers, B-1B Lancers, Mirage 2000s, MQ-1 Predators, MQ-9 Reapers, C-130 Hercules aircraft, GR-7 Tornadoes, KC-10 Extenders, KC-135 Stratotankers and HH-60G Pave Hawks. 

With Afghanistan's Helmand Province being one of most dangerous areas in the country, coalition air forces responded to 55 calls for air support from ground forces during the five-day operation. For each of those events, airpower responded to provide air effects based on ground commanders requests, including shows of force, deterring and dispersing enemy troops, and dropping precision munitions on Taliban forces and insurgents actively engaging friendly forces. Media reports estimate more than 200 enemy forces were killed during operations protecting the turbine movement.
"Despite the disruptive effort from the insurgents, we achieved our goal and delivered the new turbine to Kajaki Dam," said Canadian Army Maj. Gen. J.G.M. Lessard, the commander of ISAF Regional Command South. "The insurgents' efforts have not been successful. They will not win and are not winning in the southern region."

Even before the complex operation departed Kandahar, airpower was at work providing ISR sorties to assess the best routes for the convoy, based on analysis of the terrain and expected insurgent operating areas. Coalition aircraft flew more than 160 hours before the move began to disorganize and clear insurgent fighters from the region.

During the convoy movement, airpower showed its agility. Coalition air planners planned more than 215 hours of support from fighters, bombers, ISR and electronic warfare aircraft to provide 24/7 coverage. In addition, coalition aircraft responded to numerous troops-in-contact situations, adding another 119 hours above what was planned to help ground troops engage and keep insurgents as far from the convoy as possible.

"In execution, these aircraft showed the incredible flexibility to maintain this focus, but also respond to other fighting across Afghanistan," said Lt. Col. Michael Kometer, the director of the Combined Air and Space Operations Center strategy division. "In all, coalition airpower responded to more than 130 situations across the country where coalition troops were in contact with insurgents and needed airpower's help.

"Airpower was extremely responsive to the very dynamic ground events," Colonel Kometer said. "More than 60 percent of the air plan changed from the original plan on the second day of the turbine convoy, providing time-critical synchronization with ground components. (Air tasking order) replanners tracked every mission change and updated air tasking orders appropriately."

Over the course of the convoy's movement, CAOC's Air Mobility Division's airlift assets played a crucial role. In total, the air mobility assets conducted six separate tactical airdrops consisting of 49 bundles, totaling 94,000 pounds with a 100 percent effectiveness rate. The drops consisted of primarily ammunition, food, water and fuel. Additionally, they dropped clothing, tools, personal demand items, medical materials and repair parts for the convoy.

To provide 24/7 airpower overhead, coalition tankers flew 86 sorties, off-loading almost 5.6 million pounds of fuels to 368 receivers.

"This is what coalition airpower provides every day," General North said. "When I discuss desired airpower effects in the theater with (Army) Gen. (David H.) Petraeus (the Multinational Force-Iraq commander) and (Army) Gen. (David D.) McKiernan (the ISAF commander), this is exactly what they what -- continual air effects over Iraq and Afghanistan, which provide for a more stable and secure environment for the people of Iraq and Afghanistan. With this integrated operation between air and ground forces to deliver the turbine, we have taken a big step in providing critical infrastructure needs to millions of Afghans in Southern Afghanistan. The result was not one successful attack against the convoy, because a synchronized team of coalition ground and air forces ensured it would be delivered safely to restore the government's ability to provide for the basic needs of its people."

Comment on this story (comments may be published on Air Force Link)

View the comments/letters page