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AFGHANISTAN UPDATE

Security and Reconstruction

Coalition Joint Task Force-180 is a coalition military operation in Afghanistan with military forces from 20 coalition partner countries focused on creating the conditions for security, stability and reconstruction. Each day, CJTF-180 Public Affairs Press Center provides news and information about operations in the coalition joint operating area and about coalition partner military activities and their operations in Afghanistan.

June 6, 2003

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan; - Approximately two companies from Task Force Devil out of Kandahar re-established a cordon and search mission in the mountains between Gardez and Khowst yesterday through this morning. The Operation has been tactically named Dragon Fury II.
The operation was based on intelligence developed as a result of Operation Dragon Fury, which was conducted between Monday and Wednesday. During Dragon Fury II, anti-coalition fighters were observed firing into a crowd of civilians near a compound in an area north of the Khowst-Gardez road, wounding four.
Coalition forces killed one enemy fighter and took another person under control. Two of the wounded civilians, an adult male with gunshot wounds to his right arm and chest, and a five- to seven-year-old boy with a gunshot wound to his chest, were medically evacuated from the vicinity to the Forward Operating Base at Salerno yesterday afternoon.

They are both in critical condition. Initial reports do not indicate why the anti-coalition fighters fired at civilians.

There were three separate enemy actions that occurred in the vicinity of Asadabad yesterday. The first was the firing of a white phosphorus rocket that impacted away from the firebase. The second attack was two mortar rounds that also impacted away from the Base. The third attack was a 107mm rocket fired in the direction of the base and impacted near a girls' school close to the base. There was no report of injury or damage to equipment or property.

Three rockets were fired at the firebase near Shkin yesterday evening impacting away from the base. There were no casualties or damage to equipment.

An Afghan Military Forces soldier was medically evacuated from the vicinity of Spin Buldak to Kandahar yesterday afternoon with gunshot wounds to his left tricep, left thigh and buttocks. He underwent exploratory surgery and is in stable condition. The wounds were received during a fight between AMF and anti-coalition fighters. He is in stable condition.

June 5, 2003

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan; - In an update to yesterday's press statement: The AH-64 Apache helicopter that crash-landed Tuesday northwest of Orgun-E was destroyed in place yesterday. There was only minor damage to windows at a nearby school from the detonation. The Civil Affairs team on site is coordinating repairs.

Task Force Devil Civil Affairs personnel supported an 812th Romanian-led team in distributing 350 Humanitarian Rations and toys to the villages of Haji Mohammad Zai Kalacha and Haji Parman Kalacha, south of Kandahar, in Kandahar province yesterday.

A 25-year old Afghan male was medically evacuated from Orgun-E to Kandahar airfield with a gunshot wound to his left thigh yesterday afternoon. He is in stable condition at this time. The cause of the wound is unknown.

An Improvised Explosive Device exploded near a Special Operations Forces convoy one kilometer from the Gardez firebase yesterday morning. The convoy continued to the firebase and returned with other forces to investigate. There were no casualties and only a cracked windshield to one vehicle.

By U.S. Army Lt. Col. Douglas Lefforge

FULL UPDATE

Air Power
MIRAGE 2000 (DASSAULT-BREGUET)

The Mirage 2000 is very similar to the Mirage III/5 and 50, though it is not a variant of the Mirage III/5 or 50 but an entirely new aircraft with advanced interceptor controls. In its secondary ground-attack role, the Mirage 2000 carries laser guided missiles rockets and bombs. There is a two-seat version of this aircraft, the 2000N (Penetration) which has nuclear standoff capability.

The wings are low-mounted delta with clipped tips. There is one turbofan engine mounted in the fuselage. There are semicircular air intakes alongside the fuselage forward of the wings. There is a large, single exhaust which protrudes past the tail. The fuselage is tube-shaped with a pointed nose and a bubble canopy. There are no tail flats. The fin is swept-back and tapered with a clipped tip.

The Mirage 2000-5 is a multi-role single-seater or two seater fighter. It differs from its predecessors mainly in its avionics; its new multiple target air-to-ground and air-to-air firing procedures linked to the use of RDY radar and its new visualization and control system. As a multi-role combat aircraft with versatile air-to-air mission capabilities, the Mirage 2000-5 integrates the state-of-the-art of the know-how based on the experience gained from the previous Mirage 2000 versions (Mirage 2000 DA, Mirage 2000 E, Mirage 2000 D) and is designed for the most-advanced armaments.

The Mirage 2000 D, derived from the Mirage 2000N operated by the French Air Force, is a two-seater air-to-ground attack aircraft. The Mirage 2000D tactical penetration two-seater fighter carries air-to-ground high precision weapons which can be fired at a safe distance, by day or by night. Its navigation and attack system enable it to fly in any weather conditions, hugging the terrain at a very low altitude. Beyond the nuclear-weapons capabilities adopted for the Mirage 2000 N, the Mirage 2000 D armament includes laser-guided weapons, low-drag bombs, and the aircraft can also carry the APACHE cruise missile. The Mirage 2000 D geometrical characteristics and the main performance data are the same as those of the Mirage 2000-5.

Specifications:
Countries of Origin: France
Builder team: Dassault Aviation, SNECMA, Thomson-CSF
First flight: March, 1978 [Mirage 2000C]
Crew: One / Mirage 2000N &2000D -- two [ 1 pilot + 1 navigation and weapon officer]
Power plant / Thrust: SNECMA M 53 P2 jet engine / 9.7 t with afterburner
Roles:Interceptor [Mirage 2000C]
Major operational capabilities:
All weather night and day missions such as Battlefield Air Interdiction (BAI) [Mirage 2000D]
Automated terrain following at very high speed and very low altitude
All-weather night and day bombing capability
High precision all weather day/night bombing with Thomson-CSF PDL-CT

Dimensions:
Length: 50 ft, 3 in (14.36 m)
Span: 29 ft, 5 in (9.13 m)
Height: 5.30 meters
Empty Weight: 7,600 kg [Mirage 2000C]
Maximum Weight: 16,500 kg
Maximal armament weight: 5,900 kg [Mirage 2000C] / 6,200 kg (9 store stations) [Mirage 2000D]

Perfmorance:
Maximum Speed: Mach 1,2 [low altitude] / Mach 2,2 [high altitude]
Rate of Climb: 17,000 m/min
Ceiling: Above 50,000 ft / 16,500 m
Combat Radius:
800 nm (1,475 km) w/ 4 250-kg bombs
1,000 nm (1,850 km) w/ 2 1,700-liter drop tanks
1,800 nm (3,335 km) max fuel w/ 2 1,700-liter + 1 1,300-liter drop tanks
In-Flight Refueling: Yes
Fuel capacity: [Mirage 2000C]
3,950 l internal / 8,000 l maximal / in-flight refuelling [Mirage 2000D]
3,1 t internal / 6,2 t maximal / In-flight refuelling

Sensors:
RDI radar (interceptor), RWR, Advanced bombsight

Armaments:
2 GIAT DEFA 554 de 30 mm cannons
Air-air : missiles MICA, Magic 2, Super 530F,Super 530D Sky Flash.
Air-ground bombs : BGL 1000, BM400, BAP 100
Air-ground missiles : Durandal, Belouga, Armat, Apache, Scalp, AS30L, AM39, ASMP

TYPICAL LOADS:
2 AM.39 Exocet, 1 1300 L drop Tank (855 nm)
1 1300 L drop tank, 2 ARMAT, 2 R.550 Magic (885 nm)
1 1300 L drop tank, 2R.500 Magic, 2 R.530D (885 nm)
4 Belouga, 2 1700 L drop tank, 2 R.550 Magic (1094 nm)
18 EU2 250 kg bombs (756 nm)

Special equipment:: [Mirage 2000C]
Thomson-CSF RDI radar (pulse doppler), look down-shoot down capacity, integrated electronic counter-measures, fly-by-wire, automatic pilot, inertial guidance system [Mirage 2000D]
Fly-by-wire system, 2 inertial navigation systems, Thomson-CSF Antilope 5 terrain following radar, Icare digital map, integrated GPS, integrated countermeasures, laser designation pod with thermal camera (PDL-CT)