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The FReeper Foxhole Remembers Desert Storm - The Ground War - Dec. 30th, 2002
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/desert_sabre.htm ^

Posted on 12/30/2002 12:02:14 AM PST by SAMWolf

U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues

Where Duty, Honor and Country
are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.

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The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans.

We hope to provide an ongoing source of information about issues and problems that are specific to Veterans and resources that are available to Veterans and their families.

In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support.

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Click on the pix

Operation Desert Sabre

The ground campaign, initially designated DESERT SWORD and subsequently designated DESERT SABRE, began on 24 February 1991. When ground operations started in earnest, coalition forces were poised along a line that stretched from the Persian Gulf westward 300 miles into the desert. Two corps covered about two-thirds of the line occupied by the huge multinational force.

The XVIII Airborne Corps, under Lt. Gen. Gary E. Luck, held the left, or western, flank and consisted of the 82d Airborne Division, the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized), the French 6th Light Armored Division, the 3d Armored Cavalry, and the 12th and 18th Aviation Brigades.



The Vll Corps, under Lt. Gen. Frederick M. Franks, Jr., was deployed to the right of the XVIII Airborne Corps and consisted of the 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized), the 1st Cavalry Division (Armored), the 1st and 3d Armored Divisions, the British 1st Armored Division, the 2d Armored Cavalry, and the 11th Aviation Brigade.

Three commands held the eastern one-third of the front.

Joint Forces Command North, made up of formations from Egypt, Syria, and Saudi Arabia and led by His Royal Highness Lt. Gen. Prince Khalid ibn Sultan, held the portion of the line east of Vll Corps.

To the right of these allied forces stood Lt. Gen. Walter E. Boomer's I Marine Expeditionary Force, which had the 1st (or Tiger) Brigade of the Army's 2d Armored Division as well as the 1st and 2d Marine Divisions.

Joint Forces Command East on the extreme right, or eastern, flank anchored the line at the Persian Gulf. This organization consisted of units from all six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Like Joint Forces Command North, it was under General Khalid's command.



General Schwarzkopf unleashed all-out attacks against Iraqi forces very early on 24 February at three points along the allied line. The main attack was designed to avoid most fixed defenses, drive deep into Iraq, envelop Iraqi forces from the west and attack and destroy Saddam Hussein's strategic reserve - Republican Guard armored and mechanized infantry divisions augmented by several other Iraqi Army heavy divisions. This wide left sweep was sometimes referred to as the " Hail Mary" plan.

XVIII Airborne Corps attacked in the west and deep into Iraq to control the east-west lines of communication along Highway 8 and cut off Iraqi forces in the Kuwait Theater of Operations. In the far west the French 6th Light Armored and the 101st Airborne Divisions started the massive western envelopment with a ground assault to secure the allied left flank and an air assault to establish forward support bases deep in Iraqi territory. In XVIII Corps' mission of envelopment, the 24th Infantry Division had the central role of blocking the Euphrates River valley to prevent the escape north of Iraqi forces in Kuwait and then attacking east in coordination with VII Corps to defeat the armor-heavy divisions of the Republican Guard Forces Command.

In the approximate center of the allied line, along the Wadi al Batin, Maj. Gen. John H. Tilelli, Jr.'s 1st Cavalry Division attacked north into a concentration of Iraqi divisions, whose commanders remained convinced that the coalition would use that and several other wadies as avenues of attack. VII Corps would conduct the main Coalition effort, attacking east of XVIII Airborne Corps and west of Wadi Al-Batin, driving to the north and then east to find, attack, and destroy the heart of President Saddam Hussein's ground forces, the armor-heavy Republican Guard divisions.



In the east two Marine divisions, with the Army's Tiger Brigade, and coalition forces under Saudi command attacked north into Kuwait. These forces held the enemy's tactical and operational forces in place by breaching Iraqi defenses in Kuwait and encircling Iraqi forces in the heel of Kuwait and Kuwait City. Once Kuwait City was encircled and Iraqi forces were ejected or defeated, Arab-Islamic forces would liberate Kuwait City.

Iraqi forces, often isolated in static defenses for long periods, were steadily demoralized by air and psychological operations along with the harsh conditions Accordingly, many Iraqis lost the will to resist by the time the ground operation began.

In 100 hours of combat XVIII Airborne Corps moved its lead elements 190 miles north into Iraq and then 70 miles east. By the time offensive operations were halted, XVIII Airborne Corps had completed its advance into Iraq, cutting off Iraqi retreat and helping with the Republican Guard's final destruction. The 24th Infantry Division with the 3rd ACR continued its attack to the east to block enemy withdrawal and completed the elimination of the Republican Guard.



In ninety hours of continuous movement and combat, VII Corps achieved impressive results against the best units of the Iraqi military. Franks' troops destroyed more than a dozen Iraqi divisions, an estimated 1,300 tanks, 1,200 infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, 285 artillery pieces, and 100 air defense systems, and captured nearly 22,000 men. At the same time, the best Iraqi divisions destroyed only 7 MlA1 Abrams tanks, 15 Bradleys, 2 armored personnel carriers, and 1 Apache helicopter. And while killing unknown thousands of enemy troops, VII Corps lost 22 soldiers killed in action.

Due to the speed of the allied advance, the VII Corps began its attack ahead of schedule early in the afternoon on the twenty-fourth. Penetrating the minefields to their front, U.S. soldiers overran Iraqi positions within a few hours. The Iraqi troops—tired, hungry, and physically and psychologically battered—began surrendering in droves. The next day the 1st Armored Division quickly crushed the Iraqi 26th Infantry Division as VII Corps pivoted to the east. The 24th Infantry Division’s heavy armor moved rapidly to exploit the initial air assaults of the 101st and 82d Airborne Divisions. Linking up with the 101st battle positions, the 24th Division moved the 200 miles north to the Euphrates River by noon on the twenty-sixth, blocking the Iraqi retreat.

In the most decisive actions of the war, the VII Corps, moving directly east with three heavy divisions abreast, attacked the elite Iraqi Republican Guard units. Late in the afternoon on the twenty-sixth, the VII Corps hit elements of the Tawakalna Division in the battle of 73 Easting. In quick succession, the 2d ACR, 1st and 3d Armored Divisions, and the 1st Infantry Division smashed through the Tawakalna Division. Overwhelming the enemy with accurate tank fire and assisted by deadly Apache helicopter gunships, the VII Corps hit the Medina Division in the early afternoon of the twenty-seventh. At Medina Ridge, an attempted Iraqi ambush of the 1st Armored Division ended with the destruction of over 300 enemy tanks.



During four days of combat Tiger Brigade task forces destroyed or captured 181 tanks, 148 armored personnel carriers, 40 artillery pieces, and 27 antiaircraft systems while killing an estimated 263 enemy and capturing 4,051 prisoners of war, all at a cost of 2 killed and 5 wounded.

The battles of DESERT STORM soon wound down against crumbling resistance. With the VII Corps poised to crush the remainder of the Republican Guard units, only the declaration of a cease-fire saved the Iraqis. When offensive operations ended, the Coalition faced the beaten remnants of a once-formidable foe. Coalition ground forces, with tremendous support from air and naval forces, had defeated the Iraqi Army. Coalition armies stood on the banks of the Euphrates River, stretched across the Iraqi and Kuwaiti deserts and patrolled a liberated Kuwait City.





TOPICS: VetsCoR
KEYWORDS: desertstorm; freeperfoxhole; gulfwar
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To: SAMWolf
The Gulf War

One of the greatest ecological disasters in history happened when Saddam Hussein used oil as a weapon in the Gulf War. The environmental attack came in two parts: the release of oil into the Gulf, and the burning of Kuwait's oil wells.

The Water

This prong of the attack was the release of a huge amount of oil into the Gulf - estimates range from 0.5 million to 11 million barrels, and average at about 6 million barrels. Compare this with the tremendous consequnces of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, which was "only" 230,000 barrels. The oil formed a slick 30 miles long and 8 miles wide, which is about the same area as the Isle of Wight. The slick is thought to have killed between 15,000 and 30,000 birds.

The problem was not just the vast amount of oil in the Gulf, but also the nature of the Gulf itself. This inland sea is at most only 35m deep, and only has a narrow connection to the Indian Ocean through the Straits of Hormuz, which means that it takes between three and five and a half years for all the water in the Gulf to be changed, so there was no hope of the oil simply dispersing, as it did in the Braer spill.

The Air

Although the burning of Kuwait's oil wells may have been intended as an economic weapon, the environmental conseqences were no less severe than those of the oil slick. It is estimated that about 67 million tonnes of oil were burned in total, which produced about 2.1 million tonnes of soot and 2 million tonnes of sulphur, one of the main causes of acid rain. Fortunately, the soot particles did not go any higher than 5,000 metres, which meant that they were washed down with the rain over the next two weeks. If the soot had got above the rainclouds, it would have remained up there, with severe consequences to the world's climate. As it was, the consequences for Kuwait were still harsh. The soot cloud made the daytime almost as dark as the night, and the World Health Organisation esimated that death rates in Kuwait rose by 10% over the following year because of associated breathing difficulties and skin problems


21 posted on 12/30/2002 7:35:15 AM PST by MistyCA
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To: All
U.S. Soldier Wounded in E. Afghanistan

BAGRAM, Afghanistan - An American soldier was wounded in eastern Afghanistan in a gunbattle with enemy fighters near the border with Pakistan, the U.S. military said Monday.

The soldier, who was grazed in the head by a gunshot from an AK-47 Sunday afternoon, was evacuated to Bagram Air Base and later flown "to Landsthul regional medical center in Germany for further examination and neurological testing," the military said in a statement at Bagram, the headquarters of U.S. forces in Afghanistan

The soldier's name was not released and no other details of his condition were immediately available.

22 posted on 12/30/2002 7:36:11 AM PST by SAMWolf
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To: SAMWolf
You are welcome. :)
23 posted on 12/30/2002 7:36:24 AM PST by MistyCA
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To: bentfeather
Good morning, Bentfeather. It was an awesome site, wasn't it?
24 posted on 12/30/2002 7:37:21 AM PST by MistyCA
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To: SAMWolf
I am so sorry to hear about the soldier being injured. I will pray for his speedy recovery and for his family.
25 posted on 12/30/2002 7:39:13 AM PST by MistyCA
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To: MistyCA
Yes, indeed it is!

26 posted on 12/30/2002 7:45:57 AM PST by Soaring Feather
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To: MistyCA
I watched it when it first came out because it was a show my mom always watched, she said it was a good lesson in greed.
27 posted on 12/30/2002 7:47:32 AM PST by SAMWolf
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To: SAMWolf
LOL! Omg! :)))
28 posted on 12/30/2002 7:49:49 AM PST by MistyCA
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To: SAMWolf
A-10 Thunderbolt (Warthog)

Wingspan: 57 feet, 6 inches

Length: 53 feet, 4 inches

Height: 14 feet, 8 inches

Weight: 22,141 lbs maximum

Speed: 439 mph

Ceiling: 33,500 feet

Range: 2,455 miles (transit) 250 miles (combat)

Power: Two General Electric TF-34-GE-100 Turbofan engines, 9,000 pounds thrust each.

Armament: One 30mm GE GAU-8/A Gatling Gun, 16,000 lbs of a mix of bombs and missiles, depending on the mission

Crew: 1

Service: Air Force

* The slow-moving, high-survivability A-10 is designed as a tank killer and for close air support of troops on the ground. It is designed to take multiple hits from enemy fire and still continue flying. The A-10 is also used to support rescue operations of downed pilots. The A-10 entered service in the mid-1970's and is scheduled to be replaced in the future.

Iraqi Counterpart--

Iraq has the SU-25 Frogfoot in its arsenal for close air support. A Soviet designed aircraft, the SU-25 is slightly faster than the A-10 and carries a similar mix of weapons. In addition, French built Mirage Fighters will also play a close air support role.

Actions in Desert Storm--

The A-10 was the ugly duckling of Operation Desert Storm. Eventhough pilots of A-10's were kidded for flying a "slow" aircraft and the plane's physical appearance is best described by its nickname "Warthog," the A-10 did an excellent job in attacking and destroying Iraqi armor positions, including dug-in and fortified units. In one attack on fleeing Iraqi units, two A-10's teamed up to destroy some 23 tanks using a variety of missiles and the cannon in the nose of this aircraft. A-10's also provided cover to downed pilots while rescue crews worked to save them. Although it is going to be phased out in some units, there are many ground soldiers who would like to see the A-10 kept in the service for several more years.

A total of 136 A-10's and 12 OA-10's were deployed to Southwest Asia. The aircraft flew 8,077 sorties, often for anti-air defense missions and hunting SCUD missiles. Ten of the 15 aircraft damaged returned to action. Six others were shot down and lost.

29 posted on 12/30/2002 7:59:02 AM PST by MistyCA
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To: SAMWolf

The first M-1 tanks were delivered to the U.S.Army on February 28, 1980. The new tank was named for the late General Creighton W. Abrams, former Army Chief of Staff and commander of the 37th Armored Battalion.

Back View

The M-1 mounts an M68E1 105 millimeter main gun. Two 7.62mm NATO M240 machine guns are also mounted, one coaxially with the main gun, and one on top of the turret at the loader's station. A .50 caliber Browning M2 HB machine gun is mounted at the commander's station for anti-aircraft defense. The M-1A1, first delivered in August 1985, mounts an M256 smoothbore Rheinmetall main gun developed in West Germany. M-1A1 upgrades also involved enhanced armor protection and a new nuclear-biological-chemical warfare protection system.

Side View

The Abrams hull and turret are built of a material similar to the ceramic-and-steel-plate Chobham armor developed in Britain. The driver is seated in a reclining position in the front of the hull; the commander and gunner are in the turret on the right, and the loader is on the left. Armor plate separates the crew compartment from the fuel tanks and ammunition storage area.

Anti-Mine Operation

Despite its 63-ton weight, the M-1A1 can attain a top speed of 45 miles per hour. The tank is 26 feet long, 12 feet wide, and eight feet high. Range is limited to 290 miles.

In March 1988, a program to develop and mount depleted uranium armor plate on the M-1A1 was begun. A non-radioactive substance, depleted uranium has a density at least two-and-a-half times greater than steel. The depleted uranium armor will raise the total weight of the Abrams tank to 65 tons, but offers vastly improved protection in the bargain.

Immediately following President Bush's decision to commit U.S. forces to Saudi Arabia, American armored units began the difficult process of relocating to the threatened area. The M-1A1's arrival was much welcomed by Allied forces, as it is capable of defeating any tank in the Iraqi inventory.

From: "Gulf War - A Comprehensive Guide to People, Places & Weapons" by Col. Walter J. Boyne, U.S. A.F. (RET) Signet, 1991

"It was the principal U.S. heavy tank used in the Gulf War. The heavy U.S.-based divisions arriving in the Gulf during the fall of 1990 were equipped with the earlier M1 because the division in Europe which had to face the best Soviet tanks, enjoyed priority for the better-armed M1A1. It is not altogether clear whether all M1s in Saudi Arabia were replaced by M1A1s before war began. The U.S. Army in Saudi Arabia probably had about 1,900 M1A1 tanks.

Its ability to fire reliably when moving at speed over rough ground (because of the stabilized gun mount) gave it a capability that proved valuable in the Gulf. The Abrams tank also has FLIR, an infrared vision device that proved effective not only at night, but also in the dust and smoke of Kuwaiti daytime.

On average, an Abrams outranged an Iraqi tank by about 1,000 meters."


30 posted on 12/30/2002 8:25:59 AM PST by MistyCA
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To: MistyCA
Thanks for taking the time to look up and post the info on the A-10 and the Abrahms in the Gulf War.
31 posted on 12/30/2002 8:56:12 AM PST by SAMWolf
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To: SAMWolf; MistyCA; AntiJen; All
Good read, Sam. I really don't think that the up coming war with Iraq is going to be any harder. One difference will be that saddam will not live through it. Good morning.
32 posted on 12/30/2002 8:57:15 AM PST by The Real Deal
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To: The Real Deal
Good morning Real Deal.

I sure hope we finish it this time. I don't want our young people having to do this again in 10 years.
33 posted on 12/30/2002 9:00:23 AM PST by SAMWolf
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To: The Real Deal
Good morning! I like your optimism! :)
34 posted on 12/30/2002 9:02:38 AM PST by MistyCA
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To: MistyCA
Navy Lt. Commander Michael Scott Speicher, 33 of Jacksonville.

Many believe that Michael is still alive and being held as a POW.

35 posted on 12/30/2002 9:05:19 AM PST by The Real Deal
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To: SAMWolf
I think we will finish. If we had finished the first time, I don't think that Clintoon would ever have been POUS.
36 posted on 12/30/2002 9:20:09 AM PST by The Real Deal
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To: SAMWolf
PATRIOT AIR DEFENSE SYSTEM, USA

Patriot is a long-range, all-altitude, all-weather air defence system to counter tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and advanced aircraft. Patriot (MIM-104) is produced by Raytheon in Massachusetts and Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in Florida.

Patriot Missile Launcher

As well as the USA, Patriot is in service with Germany, Greece, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia and Taiwan. It has been cleared for sale to Egypt.

Truck Launcher

MISSILE

The Patriot missile is equipped with a track-via-missile (TVM) guidance system. Midcourse correction commands are transmitted to the guidance system from the mobile Engagement Control Centre. The target acquisition system in the missile acquires the target in the terminal phase of flight and transmits the data using the TVM downlink via the ground radar to the Engagement Control Station for final course correction calculations. The course correction commands are transmitted to the missile via the Missile Track Command Uplink. The high explosive 90kg warhead is situated behind the terminal guidance section.

The range of the missile is 70km and maximum altitude is greater than 24km. The minimum flight time is the time to arm the missile, which is less than 9s, and the maximum flight time is less than 3½mins.

PAC-2 GEM+ UPGRADE

Raytheon has developed the Patriot Guidance Enhanced Missile Plus (GEM+), an upgrade to the PAC-2 missile. The upgrade involves a new fuze and the insertion of a new low noise front end which increases the seeker's sensitivity to low radar cross-section targets. The first upgrade forebodies were delivered to the US Army in November 2002. 148 missiles are to be upgraded under the first production contract.

PATRIOT ADVANCED CAPABILITY (PAC-3)

A new Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC-3) missile has increased effectiveness against tactical ballistic and cruise missiles, through the use of advanced hit-to-kill technology. Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor with Raytheon the systems integrator. The PAC-3 has a Ka-band millimetre wave seeker developed by Boeing. The missile guidance system enables target destruction through the kinetic energy released by hitting the target head-on. 16 PAC-3 missiles can be loaded on a launcher, compared to four PAC-2 missiles.

PAC-3 entered low rate initial production in late 1999 and first LRIP production missiles of a total of 92 were delivered in September 2002. The missile has concluded operational testing and a decision on full rate production is expected in 2003. The Netherlands and South Korea have requested sales of PAC-3 missiles and Lockheed Martin and EADS (formerly DaimlerChrysler Aerospace) have established a joint venture company for the production of the system for the German Air Force.

M901 LAUNCHING STATION

The M901 Launching Station transports, points and launches the Patriot missile. Each launcher has four missiles. The launcher is remotely operated via a VHF or fibre optic data link from the Engagement Control Station, which provides both the missile prelaunch data and the fire command signal.

ENGAGEMENT CONTROL STATION

The AN/MSQ-104 Engagement Control Station is the only manned station in a Patriot Fire Unit. The Control Station communicates with the M901 Launching Stations, with other Patriot batteries and the higher command headquarters.

The Control Station is manned by three operators, who have two consoles and a communications station with three radio relay terminals. The digital Weapon Control Computer is located next to the VHF Data Link Terminals.

RADAR

The AN//MPQ-53 phased array radar carries out search, target detection, track and identification, missile tracking and guidance and electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM) functions. The radar is mounted on a trailer and is automatically controlled by the digital weapons control computer in the Engagement Control Station, via a cable link. The radar system has a range of up to 100km, capacity to track up to 100 targets and can provide missile guidance data for up to nine missiles.

The US Army Patriot radars are being upgraded by Raytheon. The upgrade kits provide greater power for the radar and the addition of a wideband capability for improved target discrimination.

TARGET ENGAGEMENT

A target engagement can be carried out in manual, semi-automatic or automatic mode. When the decision has been made to engage the target, the Engagement Control Station selects the Launch Station or Stations and pre-launch data is transmitted to the selected missile. After launch, the Patriot missile is acquired by the radar. The command uplink and the TVM downlink allow the missile's flight to be monitored and provide missile guidance commands from the weapon control computer. As the missile approaches the target, the TVM guidance system is activated and the missile is steered towards the target. A proximity fuse detonates the high explosive warhead.


37 posted on 12/30/2002 9:27:24 AM PST by MistyCA
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To: The Real Deal
NEW REVELATIONS ABOUT MISSING PILOT
First Casualty of Gulf War May Have Survived Crash Aug. 2, 1999

By Tami Sheheri


AP F-18 jet fighter WASHINGTON (APBNews.com) -- The U.S. Navy pilot whose mysterious 1991 disappearance as the first casualty of the Persian Gulf War sparked a controversy in Congress and the Pentagon may have survived his plane crash in Iraq, according to a Pentagon document obtained by APBNews.com.


The new revelation comes in a memo about Lt. Cmdr. Michael S. Speicher authored by an assistant secretary of defense. The memo provides previously unpublished information about Speicher's condition immediately after the crash, as well as about actions that may have been taken by the Iraqis to alter evidence at the crash site.

Speicher, whose F-18 crashed in western Iraq during the opening phase of the war, became a cause for MIA/POW advocates after secret documents obtained from the Pentagon by The New York Times in 1998 revealed that a U.S. spy satellite had detected a man-made symbol near the crash site. Speicher is the only U.S. casualty of that conflict whose remains have not been found.

The Times reported that shortly after the plane disappeared, some military officials believed Speicher may have survived the crash and that the government had a moral obligation to locate him. U.S. military authorities prepared to launch a secret mission to the site but abruptly canceled those plans. The full details of the affair have never been made public.


Cut out of his flight suit


The July 19, 1999, briefing memo by a deputy assistant secretary of defense reports for the first time that after the wreckage of Speicher's plane was located, the Pentagon determined that the 33-year-old pilot had been cut out of his flight suit. The memo said that the condition of the flight suit and related equipment indicated that Speicher "was probably severely injured or dead when these items were removed." At the same time, the memo notes that "the flight suit was lying on the surface with minimal evidence of weathering and minimal adherent soil" -- conditions that suggest that the suit was placed there after having been stored somewhere else in Iraq.

"This is a breakthrough," said Dolores Alfond, national chairwoman of the National Alliance of Families for the Return of America's Missing Servicemen (NAFRAMS), an advocacy group for the return of missing servicemen. "Saddam Hussein could be holding a live POW. If they have the flight suit, he's got to have been in it." The Defense Department memo noted that the flight suit and life-support equipment may have been moved after the crash -- suggesting that Iraqis may have tampered with the physical evidence at the crash site.


Change in official status?


U.S. Navy F-18s launch off Navy carrier. Until this spring, Defense Department officials still insisted they did not know if there was enough evidence to change Speicher's official status from "killed in action" to "missing in action."

In March, Sens. Bob Smith, R-N.H., and Rod Grams, R-Minn., requested that Speicher's official status of killed in action, body not recovered (KIA-BNA) be changed to missing in action, which would reflect doubt as to whether he survived the crash.

According to published reports, the senators were informed March 12 by the Defense Department's POW-Missing Personnel Office that "we don't know" if Speicher may have survived the crash, based on evidence available.

Not Speicher's body


After the war ended and in an act that further complicated the case, the Iraqis handed over remains they claimed belonged to Speicher, but DNA tests and blood typing proved that they were not his.

At the time, Army Gen. John Shalikashvili rejected a plan for a covert operation into Iraq to search for information concerning the crash and Speicher. Reports say he decided the special operation was too dangerous to put other soldiers at risk for a 3-year-old crash. Instead, a Pentagon/Red Cross team arranged a search effort with Hussein's permission, but by the time they arrived, the site had been excavated. Tami Sheheri is an APBNews.com staff writer (tami.sheheri@apbnews.com).


38 posted on 12/30/2002 9:30:34 AM PST by MistyCA
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To: MistyCA
Thanks for the additional info on Lt. Cmdr. Michael S. Speicher.
39 posted on 12/30/2002 9:41:56 AM PST by SAMWolf
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To: SAMWolf
AH-64A/D APACHE ATTACK HELICOPTER, USA

The Apache is a twin-engined army attack helicopter developed by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing). It entered service with the US Army in 1984 and has been exported to Egypt, Greece, Israel, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. The US Army has more than 800 Apaches in service and more than 1,000 have been exported. The Apache was first used in combat in 1989 in the US military action in Panama. It was used in the Gulf War and has supported low intensity and peacekeeping operations world wide including Turkey, Bosnia and Kosovo.

The AH-64D Longbow is fitted with the Longbow millimetre wave fire control radar and the Longbow Hellfire missile. 232 AH-64Ds are in service with the US Army and Boeing is upgrading 269 US Army AH-64A Apaches to AH-64D standard by 2006. The Longbow has also been ordered by the Netherlands (30, deliveries complete), Singapore (20, first delivered in May 2002), Israel (8) and Egypt. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has requested the upgrade of 30 Apaches to AH-64D longbow standard.

In August 2001, the AH-64D was selected by the Japanese Ground Self-Defence Force, with a requirement for 60 helicopters, and in September 2002, Kuwait ordered 16 AH-64D helicopters for delivery from 2005. The Kuwaiti Apaches will be equipped with BAE Systems HIDAS defensive aids system.

WAH 64

A consortium of GKN Westland (now AgustaWestland), Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Shorts bid a version of the Longbow Apache for the UK Army attack helicopter requirement which was selected in July 1995. Assembly of the WAH-64 Longbow Apache is being carried out in the UK by AgustaWestland. The first 24 have been delivered and the helicopter entered service in January 2001 designated as the AH Mk 1.67 are on order for the British Army.

WEAPONS

A 30mm automatic Boeing M230 Chain Gun is located under the fuselage. It provides a rate of fire of 625 rounds per minute. The helicopter has capacity for up to 1,200 rounds of ammunition.

The AH-64D is armed with the Lockheed Martin/Boeing AGM-114D Longbow Hellfire air-to-surface missile which has a millimetre wave seeker which allows the missile to perform in full fire and forget mode. Range is 8km to 12km. The Apache has been equipped with air-to-air missiles (Stinger, AIM-9 Sidewinder, Mistral and Sidearm) and 2.75in rockets. Thales Air Defence (formerly Shorts Missile Systems) of Belfast, Northern Ireland has trialled the Starstreak missile on the Longbow Apache helicopter, integrated with the Target Acquisition Designation Sight (TADS).

The Longbow Apache carries the combination of armaments chosen for the particular mission. In the close support role the helicopter carries 16 Hellfire missiles on four 4-rail launchers and four air-to-air missiles.

SENSORS

The AH-64D Longbow Apache is equipped with the Northrop Grumman millimetre-wave Longbow radar. The Longbow fire control radar incorporates an integrated radar frequency interferometer for passive location and identification of radar emitting threats. An advantage of millimetre wave is that it performs under poor visibility conditions and is less sensitive to ground clutter. The short wavelength allows a very narrow beamwidth which is resistant to countermeasures.

The Longbow Apache can effect an attack in thirty seconds. The radar dome is unmasked for a single radar scan and then remasked. The processors determine the location, speed and direction of travel of a maximum of 256 targets.

The Target Acquisition Designation Sight, TADS (AN/ASQ-170) and the Pilot Night Vision Sensor, PNVS (AN/AAQ-11) were developed by Lockheed Martin. The turret-mounted TADS provides direct view optics, television and three fields of view forward looking infra-red (FLIR) to carry out search, detection and recognition and Litton laser rangefinder/designator. PNVS consists of a FLIR in a rotating turret located on the nose above the TADS. The image from the PNVS is displayed in the monocular eyepiece of the Honeywell integrated Helmet And Display Sighting System, HADDS, worn by the pilot and co-pilot/gunner.

Lockheed Martin has developed a new targeting and night vision system for the Apache, called Arrowhead. Arrowhead has a dual field-of-view second-generation long-wave infrared sensor with improved range and resolution. The new system is planned to enter service with the US Army in 2004.

COUNTERMEASURES

The Apache is equipped with an electronic warfare suite consisting of: AN/APR-39A(V) radar warning receiver from Northrop Grumman (formerly Litton) and Lockheed Martin; AN/ALQ-144 infra-red countermeasures set from BAE Systems IEWS (formerly Sanders, a Lockheed Martin company); AN/AVR-2 laser warning receiver from Goodrich (formerly Hughes Danbury Optical Systems then Raytheon); AN/ALQ-136(V) radar jammer developed by ITT; and chaff dispensers. US Army Apaches will be fitted with the ITT AN/ALQ-211 IRCM (Integrated Radio Frequency Countermeasures) suite. UK AH Mk 1 Apaches have BAE Systems Helicopter Integrated Defensive Aids Suite (HIDAS).

ENGINES

The Apache is equipped with two turboshaft engines each providing 1,265kW. The American AH-64D has General Electric T700-GE-701 engines and the UK Apache is fitted with RTM322 engines from Rolls-Royce/Turbomeca.


40 posted on 12/30/2002 9:57:53 AM PST by MistyCA
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