In Afghanistan, an Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II dropped guided bomb unit-38s onto anti-coalition high value targets in the vicinity of Nangalam. The mission was confirmed a success by an on-scene joint terminal attack controller.
In the vicinity of Shurakian and Kajaki Dam, an Air Force B-1B Lancer and Navy F/A-18C Hornets dropped a GBU-12 and GBU-38s onto anti-Afghan forces who were firing rocket-propelled grenades at coalition forces conducting operations in the area. The JTACs declared the missions successful.
Coalition aircraft conducted shows of force and provided armed aerial overwatch for a coalition ground forces convoy receiving RPG and small arms fire in the vicinity of Lashkar Gah. The missions were reported a success by the JTACs…
In Iraq, coalition aircraft flew 43 close-air-support missions for Operation Iraqi Freedom. These missions integrated and synchronized with coalition ground forces, protected key infrastructure, provided overwatch for reconstruction activities and helped to deter and disrupt hostile activities.
Twenty-seven Air Force and Navy ISR aircraft flew missions as part of operations in Iraq. Additionally, three Air Force and coalition aircraft performed tactical reconnaissance.
Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft and C-17 Globemaster IIIs provided intra-theater heavy airlift, helping to sustain operations throughout Afghanistan, Iraq and the Horn of Africa.
Approximately 130 airlift sorties were flown, more than 650 tons of cargo were delivered and nearly 2,500 passengers were transported. This included approximately 33,000 pounds of troop resupply airdropped in Afghanistan.
And that’s just an excerpt. Of one day.
Interesting article in this month’s Air Force Magazine about achieving Air Supremacy in future endeavors. I have just skimmed it so far, but one thing that struck my eye was a statement which essentially says that it’s been so long since we’ve operated without air supremacy that it is now taken as a “given”. I believe that thought will lead to disaster. I also know that I tread lightly in this forum if I mention the name F-22, but just because the Air Force says it needs them, doesn’t mean that the Air Force doesn’t need them. I’m beginning to think that rather than spend the better part of a trillion dollars on a stimulus package and who knows how much more on various bail outs, the Gov would do better by bailing out the DoD. I completely agree we need more Soldiers and Marines, but I also believe we need more CVBGs and Air Wings. Again, just my 2 cents….
As I’ve harped on here several times before, warfare is a paper-scissors-rock affair and without air supremacy everything else degrades rapidly. One little aspect many people don’t think about much anymore {except for uniforms) is camouflage. Everything I ‘ve read and my experience in NATO in 70s indicates that our techniques are TERRIBLE and infrequently practiced compared to other services like the Germans who remember what it was to operate without air superiority. This was also the case in WWII in both theaters and has been true of every conflict since. Attention to good techniques is minimal in tng and honored more in the breach than anything. In the Air Force it’s practically non-existent. I often wondered back in the 70s how our un-camouflaged bases in the emerald-green English fields and in Germany would look to in-bound Soviet SU-24s(Fencer the primary strike ac of that day.) I know how they looked to me. Tgt acquisition? No problemmo. Hell, they didn’t even get around to building hardened hangers
for most bases until several years after I left in ‘71. We are simply lazy about such things due to complacency built up over 50+ yrs of cover complements of our air to air dominance. If we fail the only lessons learned are going to be the hard way–the very hard way.
I’m also amused/bemused by the fact that it is some of the very same people who never tire of reminding us of the fact that with long assembly-line production lead-times everything is a come-as-you-are party who, in the same breath, call for a reduction/stretch-out of assets. Pathetic.
And the Navy better hope all it’s ship-based missile systems work as advertised as they will get a deeply serious workout with any loss of control of the air. And forward protection
against sunburn-like sea skimmer launchers is dicey as it is now.
A-10’s, if you’re on the right side and on the ground, even as ugly as they are, they’re the most beautiful angel in the air. If you are on the wrong side, quickly sit down and put your head down between your legs and kiss your ass, “Good-Bye.” You’ll be “traveling”, when you get to your reward, may you find them all to be males and you are theirs.
Regarding the bail-out of the DoD, that idea does have considerable merit. The same companies that contract with the Big 3 for assemblies could likewise contract with Boeing and Lockheed and others for building aircraft, and there’s no reason a GM assembly plant can’t be fitted up to build improved Hummers and other kit necessary to our military. As a stimulus package for the manufacturing sector at least this would get usable kit into the DoD.
Also, quantity has a certain quality all its own. I am certain that, at least in Europe 1944, the sound of 4000 radials crossing the French channel did more to affect morale on both sides of the conflict than did any words ever uttered.
Some days I wish I could have seen and heard such a thing, before quickly reminding myself of the price paid to make it happen.
– Max
One line of P-3 love and we don’t even get mentioned by name. We really are like the fat stepsister who gets hidden in the basement when company comes.
Say it ain’t so Humble! Sigh… always the bridesmaid, but never the bride.
Ya know, some folks are gonna be sweating bullets when the last P-3 is retired. Especially seeing how the Navy just cut 4 of the first six, and $900 million from the program, with the first P-8 test not even due to roll out for some time.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a4r0ci7H6ayw&refer=home
I can’t believe they are further stripping ASW assets to fund DDG-1000.
Humble,
Even though I’m a retired AF guy and F-15 one at that (there go any creds I’ve built on this site!), one of my responsibilities on the Joint Staff was trying to keep P-3s out of the clutches of the Counter Drug Mafia. I feel your pain brudda!
On a more serious vein, I think your comment adds weight to the argument. Since at least the Clinton era, DoD program funding has been a zero sum game. If a service needed something, it had to come out of some other DoD hide, preferably your own, but certainly not outside SecDef purview.
I had an extensive list of “honey-do’s” today, and I kept my blood pressure elevated by thinking what I would have done as SecDef or CSAF if I’d had a quarter share of the $870B bailout money, even if it was spread over the FYDP. My best conclusion was that the current SecDef would have been satisfied and the former SecAF and CSAF would have kept their jobs (well except for that little nuke thing).
I’m not sure how may MEFs, Stryker Brigades, or CVBGs $200B each would buy, but I’m pretty sure we’d have a bunch more Predator/Reapers AND F-22s.
Juvat,
Having, back in the day, flown a number of drug-interdiction flights out of BNAS, I understand what you’re saying. Heck, even US Customs got in on the P-3 act with a few of their own, including an AWACS-like variant.
respects,
Broken record again: No takee-care of SS
and Medicare and we are re-arranging the deck chairs long-term. Carthage must be destroyed!
Phil? Are you out there?
I know Lex has you on “receive-only”, but you need to read this CAOC link every day. The air side of the human drama we call war. Use your imagination to fill in the blanks……Modern war against 9th century abominations.
re Notso H.-
“we don’t even get mentioned by name”
Exactly the way the Navy wants it. The Nav doesn’t do ISR or at least doesn’t want the attention. Clever, eh?
b2
Humble, so long as there is an Iran there will be a P-3 flying somewhere and in the meantime the skies will be filled with BAMS and probably a few IL-38s.
Curtis, you could also say the same thing about F14’s and F4’s flying somewhere above the skies of Iran…… Heh. (and whatever other hardware leftover from the Shah’s 1970’s era purchases)
JoeC,
I may be wrong here, but I was of the impression that Iran had run out of F-14’s due to running out of spares. They can probably still find F-4 parts on the market, but the US clamped the lid down tight on F-14 items.
They got a few P-3’s too… with an undisclosed number of Harpoons.
respects,
These daily reports were pretty amazing a few years ago when it was really hot.