It
had already been an eventful deployment. The carrier George H.W. Bush
had cruised alongside a Russian carrier in the Mediterranean in early
2014 as they forcibly annexed neighboring Crimea, then shot down a
civilian airliner over Ukraine, all before the Americans' first port
call.
Then it was on to the northern Persian Gulf, to provide
security for Afghanistan's April presidential election. But things
really ramped up one day in June, when members of the air wing returned
to the carrier and realized something was different.
"While the
higher-ups might have known what was going on, the JOs up here, we
literally found out from CNN that we were headed to Iraq," an E-2C
Hawkeye flight officer assigned to Carrier Airborne Command and Control
Squadron 124, out of Norfolk, told an audience at the annual Tailhook
Reunion Sept. 12 outside Reno, Nevada.
Mission planning began
immediately and two days later, they were flying missions over Iraq
against the brutal Islamic State militancy.
"We knew what we were
planning was real, so that was really cool," she said to the audience of
[how many] fellow carrier fliers. "It meant a lot of responsibility for
us."
The E-2C NFO, a lieutenant, spoke on a panel with eight
fellow junior officers about their combat experience, who asked not to
be identified by name due to concerns about their personal safety;
Militant leaders have continued to try to incite attacks against
American troops at home.
The junior officers were featured as part
of Tailhook's "Year of the Junior Officer" theme, sharing their
successes and frustrations, including the ever-present peril of a
nighttime carrier landing and the Hornet's lack of satellite
communications equipment.
"As the former strike group commander
from George H.W. Bush, prior to this deployment that you're going to
hear about today, we had no idea what we would do," said Rear Adm. John
Aquilino as he introduced the panel.
As the only American assets
on station, the pilots and flight officers of Carrier Air Wing 8 were
the first to fly into Iraq's air space, 45 days before other American or
international assets joined in.
For the nugget aviators — on
their first cruise in their first fleet squadrons — things went from
business as usual to flying by the seat of their pants very quickly.
They started with reconnaissance missions and planned airstrikes, but the rules of engagement were strict.
"We
literally needed presidential approval before anything was going to
happen," the NFO said. "So about six weeks after this, we come back from
a port call, and a couple of different things had happened that raised
the situation concern and kinetic events were approved."
The
learning curve was steep, she added, but over the next few months the
air wing adapted to their new area of responsibility and carried out
successful strikes against Islamic State fighters and positionsover
Mount Sinjar, the Mosul and Haditha dams, and then the first strikes
into Syria.
'Longest 20 seconds of my life'
A Strike Fighter
Squadron 31 F/A-18E Super Hornet pilot with 600 flight hours at the
time got his first taste of combat over the Mosul dam in September on
his tenth flight into Iraq.
He'd only flown with laser-guided
Joint Direct Action Munitions in a simulator before that deployment, and
on that day in Iraq, he took off from the carrier strapped with two.
"On
that specific day, that was the day — if you guys remember — when [the
Islamic State group] basically took over the Mosul dam and threatened to
destroy it," he said.
On the ground, Kurdish Peshmerga forces
were pushing back the ISIS fighters. With nowhere on the ground to stop
for fuel, the two pilots had been on station for 20 minutes when it was
time for a second in-air refueling courtesy of an Air Force tanker.
The
lieutenant was waiting for his lead to finish up and scanning a
Peshmerga convoy when a joint tactical air controller came over the
radio.
"Keep in mind that since we had no troops on the ground,
this JTAC was actually at Fort Bragg, North Carolina," he said. "I get
the call to get my sensors on a potential vehicle that has been shooting
mortars at this Peshmerga convoy."
An Air Force Predator had eyes on an ISIS vehicle stacked with mortars.
"I
could tell by the tone of the JTAC's voice — normally you can kind of
tell whether this was going to be an employment or not," he said. "It
was very quick. We got authorization almost immediately that we were
going to go ahead and employ on this vehicle."
The team decided to simultaneously fire.
"I'd
honestly never fired a Maverick or anything off the jet. When that
thing came off there, it was frickin' loud," he recalled. "It was a big,
big frickin' flame coming off of my right wing there. So [it] kind of
startled me a little bit. I'm watching this thing come off my jet and
I'm like, oh s---, I still have to fly my jet."
He leveled off
from a dive, he said, "and the next probably 20 seconds were the longest
20 seconds of my life, as I'm wondering where the heck this Maverick is
at."
It was a mission accomplished.
Another Super Hornet pilot on station that day, from VFA-213, recalled the aftermath.
"When
you looked at the video afterward, they had 20 or 30 mortars lined up,
so essentially there were secondaries going off for the next hour or
so," he said.
New rules
The CAG 8 members all emphasized how
different things were for Operation Inherent Resolve, as the missions
against the Islamic State group were dubbed, than the Afghanistan
mission they'd prepared for and were carrying out before things changed.
"The
biggest difference, I think for me personally, was just the command and
control portion of it," said another VFA-31 pilot. "In Operation
Enduring Freedom, it was very established, as far as communicating to
the agency there, getting your fuel."
In Iraq, they were directing their own show and learning the rules as they went.
"We
always talk about geopolitical boundaries and urban close air support ,
but we only get to experience that with [the Dare County Bombing Range
in North Carolina]," he said. "As a JO, it's eye-opening to have to
think about very real geopolitical boundaries, a very real attack axis."
The
Bush Carrier Strike Group made its way back to Norfolk in October, as
the carrier Carl Vinson and Carrier Air Wing 17 picked up where they
left off.
One VFA-94 F/A-18C Hornet pilot got his shot to prove
himself about halfway through that cruise, in a pre-planned strike over
Iraq.
"Somehow, someway they convinced the powers that be to let
us take our small-motor [F/A-18] Charlie, single-seat with 4 [missiles]
up north," he said. "It was a heck of a cat[apult] shot. I don't know if
anyone's gotten to fly with a 2,000-pounder on a Charlie before — but
it flew great, once we got a little air speed."
They were knocking out roads and bridges to set up for defensive operations the following day.
"It
was a lot of fun dropping those things," he said. "It feels like you're
dropping a Volkswagen off your wing, which you pretty much are."
Despite the thrill of seeing combat so early in their careers, there was still the reality of how dangerous it was.
"I
just want to say that night traps still are really scary, even though
we have [heads-up displays] and velocity vectors," said another VFA-94
pilot. "Some of my combat experiences were, I was thinking about the
boat the entire mission."
Ending a sortie will be a lot more
straight-forward when Maritime Augmented Guidance with Integrated
Controls for Carrier Approach and Recovery Precision Enabling
Technologies — better known as MAGIC CARPET — makes it to the fleet.
"These
guys on the ground would be like, 'Go check out this target out,' then
I'd go to the tanker and be like — three more hours 'til that night
trap," the pilot said.
While the Hornets dropped the bombs, EA-18G Growlers provided support not only for CAG 17 but for coalition forces.
When
news broke in February that Islamic State group fighters had murdered a
captured Jordanian pilot, jets from Electronic Attack Squadron 139 were
called up.
"The Growler was specifically asked to go and fly
side-by-side with coalition Jordanians and unleash havoc in revenge up
at Al Raqqa," said one electronic warfare officer.
One complaint,
though, from the E-2 NFO and the pilots was the Hornet's lack of
satellite communications. When radios weren't enough, the JTACS would
have to go through the Hawkeye to talk to the fighters, or Air Force
assets were tasked because they had the right equipment.
Aquilino
assured the audience and the JOs that Rear Adm. Mike Manazir, the Navy's
director of air warfare, has made that a priority.
"It's tough in
the budget environment. We need it, we know we need it. It's on the
list," he said. "I think [Manazir] and the Air Boss will get it to us,
just not as fast as we want it."
For
now, the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike group has taken Vinson's
spot in the gulf, continuing to launch air strikes. As of Sept. 11,
they'd flown more than 1,500 missions.
militarytimes.com
=======================================
Β)The Pilots Fighting ISIS
Call Sign
Bones
Navy Weapons Officer Lt. Michael Smallwood
This deployment, my roommate ejected shortly after
launching to go on a combat flight. We ended up still going in, but I
had no idea how my buddies were doing for the next 6 and a half hours.”
Items Carried Into Combat
I keep a photo of my wife and kid in my right G-suit pocket.
Call Sign
Yard Sale
My father was a Navy pilot so I grew up around the
flying culture. He took me to a Navy airshow when I was about 6. After
seeing the show I realized at that moment that I wanted to be a fighter
pilot and nothing else.”
Items Carried Into Combat
Just the normal gear.
Call Sign
Sweet P
Navy Weapons Officer John Izzo
I wanted to have some adventures, do some good in the
world, serve my country and make sure I have some stories to tell when I
get old.”
Items Carried Into Combat
There are so many things we take into the plane
for a combat flight, from survival gear to mission-related info, and it
really doesn’t leave much room for any kind of personal items beyond a
water bottle.
Call Sign
Smoat
It’s also very tough for us to relate the specifics of
our job to other people who haven’t been through it before. The result
of this is a very close brotherhood among pilots.”
Items Carried Into Combat
I fly with a wallet-sized photo of my wife in my pocket and my wedding ring strung into my dog tags.
Call Sign
Betty
Marine Capt. Kyle Wilson
I have been fascinated with aviation since I was young.
My grandfather flew B-17s in World War II and he has always been
someone that I have tried to emulate.”
Items Carried Into Combat
I wear a small medal with a cross and the Eagle Globe and Anchor that my uncle wore during his time in the Marine Corps.
Call Sign
Pickle
Doing one of the most dangerous jobs in the world together creates a very tight bond between us.”
Items Carried Into Combat
My wedding ring and extra survival equipment.
Call Sign
Skull
Marine Maj. William Mitchell
If there’s air beneath my wings, then there’s nothing
to dislike. I cherish every flight because you never know when it may be
your last.”
Items Carried Into Combat
The same helmet bag that was issued to me on every flight I’ve flown since flight school.
Call Sign
Xerxes
Navy Weapons Officer Chris Gierl
You go through cycles while on cruise and I’m glad to say that these folks have been right there with me through it all.”
Items Carried Into Combat
I always have my “Terrible Towel.”
Call Sign
Pope
Marine Capt. Lanier Bishop
My mother was a true Georgia peach and wore it as a pendant for many years before she passed away.”
Items Carried Into Combat
A State of Georgia quarter underneath my name tag.
Call Sign
Chaz
We are very close, like one big family.”
Items Carried Into Combat
I always take pictures of my family and my girlfriend.
Adam Ferguson is a freelance photographer on assignment for The New
York Times aboard the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt, in the Persian Gulf.
nytimes.com|
Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια:
Δημοσίευση σχολίου