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Posted on 04/11/2003 9:47:40 AM PDT by Stand Watch Listen
CAMP DOHA, KUWAIT -- Two A-10 "Warthog" aircraft that sustained heavy fire on Tuesday (April 8) were performing an unusual mission: road reconnaissance in advance of friendly forces making their way through the streets of Baghdad, according to air officers here. One of the planes was downed by an Iraqi surface-to-air missile, while the other was able to limp back to a friendly airfield at Tallil, Iraq.The Air Force's slow and low-flying A-10s had performed the "road recce" mission earlier in Operation Iraqi Freedom, searching for Iraqi ground forces that might threaten coalition troops on the move northward through the southern Iraq desert, allied officers say. There the lead A-10 was often a forward air controller, trained to find and identify targets, as well as attack them.
But this was the first time the aircraft were called upon to undertake the dangerous low-altitude mission over the congested city, which offers myriad hiding places for Iraqi air defenders.
In a close air support role over Baghdad, A-10s have been employed with ground or air "controllers" who identify targets and call in planes for bombing or strafing runs from an aircraft "stack" orbiting overhead. In one such support mission on the morning of April 7, one A-10 was heavily damaged and lost both hydraulic systems. But the pilot -- a woman -- was able to fly the plane back to Al Jaber air base using physically strenuous manual controls, air officers said.
In this April 8 mission, though, Army officers asked the pilots themselves to find Iraqi troops and kill them before they could pose a threat to friendly forces.
The two A-10s came under heavy fire as they flew low under an overcast sky, making their silhouettes more distinct as seen from the ground and thus more vulnerable to enemy fire. They made multiple passes over the reconnaissance areas, again increasing risk, according to military officials.
One pilot -- downed by a missile -- ejected from the plane and was rescued by Army combat engineers who sped to the crash site in a Bradley Fighting Vehicle.
Before losing control of the aircraft, the pilot had located hostile forces, but they were not in contact with coalition troops. The Iraqi troops were hiding under a bridge, making them particularly difficult to engage from the air, even with the A-10's 30 mm nose-mounted gun, air officers say. The pilot was exiting the target area -- using evasive maneuvers and sending out flares to confuse enemy missile tracking -- when he was shot down. The pilot made it to a coalition-held area south of Baghdad before his jet went out of control.
The other A-10 pilot lost an engine to Iraqi anti-aircraft artillery. Army officers had asked this pilot to look at the far side of a bridge they were about to cross, to ensure there was no enemy presence. No Iraqis were found at the bridge, but a man-portable air defense system took out the aircraft as it left the area over a stadium. This A-10 made it back to Tallil but is believed incapable of returning to the battlefield for the rest of the war, military sources said.
Air commanders say they are committed to continuing A-10 operations in support of ground troops in the war, but have also decided to slightly modify how the Warthog is used. Pre-emptive use of defensive flares is an option when faced with an active threat, but pilots will not always spot a lone Iraqi fighter, armed with a man-portable missile launcher, amid a complex cityscape, officials say.
When flying over urban areas, commanders may also ensure that one A-10 in a two-ship formation provides protective eyes and cover for the other Warthog as it performs reconnaissance, these officials say. The A-10s also may carry a lighter load of heavy bombs so they can power their way out of threat situations faster, according to air officers.
But air commanders are also questioning whether urban road reconnaissance is the best mission to assign to the A-10. The aircraft is highly survivable; a titanium "bathtub" protects the pilot in the cockpit and the planes have returned safely from combat missions with more than 100 bullet holes in them.
Yet the A-10 was built to fly close air support for fielded troops, where they swoop in to shoot or bomb hostile targets that have already been identified by aircraft or ground forces more adept at evading enemy fire, air officials say. Air commanders will continue to use A-10s when other forces or platforms have identified targets for them to kill, according to military sources.
Alternatives to using the A-10 for road reconnaissance include unmanned aerial vehicles like Predator or Hunter, or employing ground recon teams, these officers say.
Urban air-ground combat "presents an even more complex environment than the battlefield up to Baghdad, but we're adapting to it very well," said Air Force Maj. Gen. Dan Leaf, the air component representative at the ground combat headquarters here. "The key to adapting to that environment has been open communications and dedicated teamwork between the air and land components."
He added that "cooperation between ground and air forces in this conflict has been extraordinary, and our operations in urban Baghdad are an extension of that."
-- Elaine M. Grossman
If it was only grounded due to the extent of damage, do the pilots recieve another aircraft, or are they more or less done for the duration of the conflict?
I think they go to Akbar's pre-owned jets lot and buy another one.
-Eric
Here is an image of the A-10 pilot that ejected and was rescued.
Shiver to think about being on the receiving end of it's rotary canon.
Many of us would love to see those pics.
Mind sharing?
I heard an interview with the lady pilot of the A-10 that was able to return to its home base in Kuwait. She was immediatley debriefed and had recieved a new mission and jet to fly..she was scheduled to fly that night.
Anyone got pictures?
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