Pilots face increasing ground threats

  • Published
  • By Louis A. Arana-Barradas
  • Air Force Print News
SAN ANTONIO --  Coalition pilots have not yet had to face the intense air defenses over Iraq they had to deal with during the Gulf War.

Still, the Iraqis fire on coalition aircraft on every mission, an A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot with five combat missions in Operation Iraqi Freedom said. And as coalition forces tighten the noose around Baghdad, he said, air defenses will get much tougher.

"These missions aren't a walk in the park by any stretch of the imagination," Maj. Greg said in a telephone interview March 24. "I haven't watched a missile come at me, fortunately. But I did some triple-A dodging last night."

The major is an Idaho guardsman -- with the 190th Fighter Squadron -- flying with the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing from a base near the fight. He has not run into Iraqi jet fighters yet -- Iraq's air force has so far been a non-player in the conflict. But coalition airmen have faced and dealt with formidable ground threats.

"Iraq employs advanced tactics for its large number of surface-to-air missiles and antiaircraft artillery assets," he said. "You have to respect it."

Late March 23, wing A-10 and F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft provided close air support to Marines in an intense firefight with Iraqi troops. The Marines were in a tight spot and "needed to be dug out a bit," Greg said. The jets faced antiaircraft fire. But it was not enough to stop the jets from bailing out the Marines.

"It's professionally gratifying to know we saved American lives last night," he said. "There were fewer American widows for that."

The close-air-support work the A-10s did is what they do best. Flying in low and slow is the "Warthog's" specialty.

"We were where we were supposed to be, at low altitude in a high-threat environment," Greg said. "It wasn't comfortable. But that's what we do."

When the major returned from his mission, there were bugs splattered against his cockpit. Because it's easier to tell the good guys from the bad guys closer to the ground. But March 23, there were also wing F-16s overhead, diving in from higher altitudes to help the Marines.

For F-16 pilots, the close-air-support missions are different. They are almost painstakingly slow, said Capt. Tony, of the 524th Fighter Squadron at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M. And there is some frustration, he said, because what people see on the ground is slightly different than the view from 20,000 feet. But he said the F-16 pilots know their mission.

"You have to make sure you know where the friendly troops are," he said. "You must positively identify an enemy target before you drop (bombs) on it. Because the last thing you want to do is not be sure and drop -- and kill Marines or soldiers on the ground."

The captain, who has flown seven combat missions in the operation, has not faced many threats. But he has evaded triple-A fire and shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles. He expects air defenses to be much tougher as airmen roll in to provide support to troops closer to Baghdad. Still, he said, this is not even close to being a fair fight.

"You take the best Air Force in the world and put it up against a third-rate army, at best -- we totally outclass them," he said. "They've put up some pretty good fights, I'll give them that. But our squadron -- the whole wing -- has been doing some really good work."

Both men said the fast-paced action of each mission allows them little time to think about anything else but the task at hand. It is at the height of a mission that pilots lean back on their training, Greg said.

Once the training takes over, he said, there is only time to take in inputs and execute. There is no time for reflection. Just time to take in data and build situational awareness. If there is a ground threat, that is when pilots react.

"You don't really have time to think about it," he said. "Thinking about it comes later."

Later is after landing and debriefing. Before hitting the sack to get as much sleep as possible, and before the next mission comes up.

After Sunday's sortie, Greg said, he thought of the Marines on the ground he helped save. And he thought of the air supremacy the Air Force enjoys.

"We can't clean up the whole threat, but we can keep it pretty quiet," he said.

Tony thinks about a lot of things. He wonders what his wife is watching on television and thinking about. He believes the war is a lot tougher on the families back home.

"At least I know what I'm doing," he said. "I have my fate in my own hands. But she's just sitting there watching TV."

The captain received an e-mail from his wife, Alicia, the second after she saw a television report showing Iraqis firing along a riverbank at what was supposed to be American pilots shot down over Baghdad. There was no way for her to know it was not her husband.

"She doesn't know when I'm flying. I can't tell her, 'Hey I'm flying tomorrow morning,'" he said.

Tony said he and his squadron mates laughed at the same television report. Of course, they knew everyone in their wing had already landed safely after their missions.

"But our wives and families back home aren't privy to any of that," he said. "So I spend time thinking about what my wife's worried about and hoping that, somehow, I'll be able to relieve her fears."