Posted on 03/21/2003 8:37:40 PM PST by Land_of_Lincoln_John
By JANINE ZACHARIA, ABOARD THE USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT, EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN SEA
Dozens of planes took off from the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt early Saturday in their first combat mission over Iraq, joining a robust US-led air offensive that began Friday.
F-14 Tomcats and F/A-18 Hornets, loaded with satellite-guided bombs, or Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMS), barraged two targets assigned by US commanders at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia - a leadership structure in central-west Iraq and a communications facility in the south-central part of the country.
US Air Force and British jets joined in the raids.
The pilots were also prepared to divert within minutes should US intelligence suddenly produce new targets mid-flight, a skill they have worked on for months.
"I don't know how long we will be flying these sorties but know we can continue for as long as we need to, supporting the President's objectives," Rear Admiral John Harvey said in a statement issued shortly after the planes began taking off at 1:45 a.m local time.
The squadrons' commanders elected to dispatch their most veteran pilots on the first mission - those who had already seen combat over Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kosovo.
The fighter jets were accompanied by S-3 Viking tankers - which primarily serve to refuel the gas-guzzling F-18s and F-14s mid-flight, EA-6B Prowlers, which jam enemy radar and protect the fighter jets, and E-2 Hawkeyes, which extend the ship's radar capacity.
The S-3s returned at least once during the mission to replenish their tanks and ensure the fighter jets had enough fuel to return to the carrier.
Pilots, many of whom carried photos of the targets in the cockpit to help identify them, had the ability to practice flying their routes on flight simulators on the ship before departing.
Turkey's authorization of US over-flight rights seemed to come too late for this particular mission. Pilots were dressed in brown-camouflage flight suits - as opposed to green ones they would wear to blend into leafy terrain - which suggested they had taken a southern route over desert
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