Free Republic

(See video at end of story) BAGRAM, Afghanistan — A 200-pound bomb dropped from a U.S. warplane can end a firefight in a heartbeat. That same bomb, however, slightly off target, can be tragic for troops on the ground. The margin of error, the difference between helping allies and making a horrific mistake, is microscopically thin for pilots thousands of feet in the air. Bad judgment, poor communication or both can alter fate in seconds. Pilots with the Spangdahlem, Germany-based 81st Fighter Squadron know the risks all too well. When the squadron last deployed to Afghanistan in 2006, a pilot...

SPANGDAHLEM, Germany – Tracking and pursuing enemy forces on the ground should be easier for A-10 pilots with the 81st Fighter Squadron when they go downrange early next year. By the time they deploy, leaders hope the unit’s 18 aircraft will be outfitted with new targeting systems. Three already have been installed with six more on the way. The technology allows pilots to deploy laser-guided munitions, pursue moving targets at night with infrared imaging and stabilize points on the ground while maneuvering. The information is routed from a targeting pod attached under the wing to a monitor in the one-man...

11/7/2007 - AL ASAD AIR BASE, IRAQ (AFPN) -- A new version of the A-10 Thunderbolt II has been flying over Iraq providing close-air support for the ground troops from Al Asad Air Base for nearly two months. As part of the Precision Engagement Upgrade Program, the Maryland Air National Guard's 175th Wing has been converting it's A-10s from A to C models. "We are the first A-10C model squadron to deploy to combat," said Lt. Col. Timothy Smith, the 104th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron commander. "We just transitioned to the aircraft six months prior to coming here, and the C-model...

SOUTHWEST ASIA — Coalition airpower supported Coalition ground forces in Iraq and the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan in the following operations Sept. 27, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.  Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt IIs targeted an enemy cave in Asadabad with Guided Bomb Unit-12s to suppress enemy fire.The Joint Terminal Attack Controller reported the bombs hit the target and the enemy fire ceased.Other A-10s joined the engagement, strafing enemy firing positions in the area with cannon rounds.The JTAC confirmed the rounds hit the targets and the desired result was achieved.Also near Asadabad, A-10s fired...

SOUTHWEST ASIA — Coalition airpower supported Coalition ground forces in Iraq and the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan in the following operations Sept. 18, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.  Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt IIs targeted an enemy building in Jaladabad with cannon rounds.The JTAC confirmed the weapons hit the target and the desired result was achieved.An Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle conducted a show of force in Gereshk over a group of suspicious people observing Coalition forces.The Joint Terminal Attack Controller reported the suspicious activity ceased.  An Air Force B-1B Lancer targeted an enemy...

September 1, 2007: The new A-10C is headed for Iraq and Afghanistan, as the first of the new models became available last month. That's because the U.S. A-10 "Warhog" ground attack aircraft is so popular with ground troops that even the air force brass took note of it. So they speeded up the plan to upgrade the electronics of the aircraft. The A-10 can fly low and slow, and is designed, and armored, to survive lots of ground fire. The troops trust the A-10 more than the F-16, or any other aircraft used for supporting the ground troops. The new...

TIKRIT, Iraq – The 25th Combat Aviation Brigade continued its lethal fight against insurgent forces when attack helicopters engaged and killed eight insurgents Aug. 9 in Salah ad Din province.  An attack helicopter received a “troops in contact” call from Coalition ground forces. The group of insurgents broke contact by the time the attack helicopters arrived to the location of the engagement.  Moments later, the team observed 12 gunmen moving tactically near their attack position.  “Our attack and scout weapons aircraft will continue to fly day and night in support of Coalition and Iraqi ground forces,” said Maj. John Herrman,...

8/2/2007 - POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. (AFPN) -- An Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot has received the Distinguished Flying Cross in a ceremony here July 27 for a nighttime rescue mission in Afghanistan in 2005. Maj. Keith Wolak, with the 74th Fighter Squadron here received the honor for a combat search and rescue mission he coordinated July 2, 2005, when he cleared a helicopter landing zone while suppressing the enemy's attacks. The mission was to rescue a U.S. Navy SEAL on the ground. "I feel very proud and very honored and I'll wear this medal with pride," said...

News Release A-10A Friendly Fire Board of Inquiry Findings released CEFCOM NR-07.028 - July 13, 2007 OTTAWA - Lieutenant-General Michel Gauthier, Commander Canadian Expeditionary Force Command (CEFCOM), released today the findings from the A-10A Friendly Fire Incident Board of Inquiry (BOI) that investigated the September 4, 2006, events during which a USAF aircraft opened fire on Canadian troops. This incident resulted in the death of Private Mark Anthony Graham and injuries to several other Canadian soldiers serving with Charles Company group, Royal Canadian Regiment, Joint Task Force – Afghanistan (JTF-Afg). “Members of the Board of Inquiry produced a thorough report...

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. soldiers killed at least six Iraqi policemen and seven suspected militants during a dawn raid in east Baghdad on Friday to arrest an Iraqi police lieutenant accused of militant links, the U.S. military said. A U.S. war plane made an air strike during the fighting after U.S. soldiers were attacked with "heavy and accurate" gunfire from an Iraqi police checkpoint, rooftops and a nearby church, the military said in a statement. The police lieutenant was detained in the raid. The U.S. said he was suspected of planning roadside bomb and mortar attacks on U.S. forces, and...

July 3, 2007: The U.S. Air Force is spending about $8 million per aircraft to repair and reinforce the wings on 252 A-10 ground attack aircraft. This will keep the A-10s flying for another twenty years. The A-10 may be the last manned American ground attack aircraft, and the entire fleet is being upgraded with new electronics, to make the aircraft as effective as possible. The U.S. A10 "Warthog" has flown more combat missions in Iraq than any other American warplane. Despite this, the U.S. Air Force has never really wanted the A-10, and has been forced to keep it...

WASHINGTON, June 15, 2007 – As the troop surge in Baghdad approaches full force, the aviation unit that controls the skies over Iraq’s capital is changing tactics daily to keep a leg up on the enemy, the unit’s commander said today. Army Col. Daniel Ball, commander of 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, told Pentagon reporters via a satellite broadcast that his unit is providing air support for ground troops, ferrying soldiers and equipment around the battlefield, and helping stem the flow of “accelerants” into Baghdad. The unit, part of 3rd Infantry Division, is the first combat aviation brigade to deploy to...

BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- An Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon deployed to the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing crashed in Iraq at 12:27 a.m. June 15. There was one crewmember on board. The aircraft was flying on a close-air-support mission in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The cause of the accident is under investigation.

Poster: 1LTCobraPilot: "All this footage is either from my personal camera I had in Iraq, and recorded footage from the Cobra I was flying that records use of the weapons system. With the exception of the brief CNN footage about the battle of Tikrit which I played a major role in. I flew with the Marine Light/Attack Helicopter Squadron 269. Semper Fi!"

4/21/2006 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- Imagine being pinned down by enemy forces, with no relief in sight. Now, imagine picking up a phone and calling your friendly local fighter pilot, flying overhead only miles away, for help. With the new Fighter Aircraft Communication Enhancement, or FACE, pod, ground units in combat are now able to do just that. Fielded for the first time in late 2004, the FACE pod is a solution to communication problems often experienced by aircraft in the mountainous regions of Afghanistan. Used effectively in several theaters, the FACE pod allows ground units to communicate with...

AL ASAD, Iraq (April 9, 2006) -- Sweat slowly drips off of the Marines as they carefully raise the 500- and 1000-pound munitions to the weapons carriage on the AV-8B Harrier - the Flying Nightmares are readying for action. Marine Attack Squadron 513, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, is the first Harrier squadron to employ the Joint Direct Attack Munitions in a combat zone. "With this new feature on our jets, we will be able to hit targets more accurately, therefore making us a more effective squadron," said Lt. Col. Willis E. Price, commanding officer, VMA-513. The...

WASHINGTON, April 10, 2006 – Aerial strategy practiced by coalition pilots during Operation Iraqi Freedom hinged on knocking out pertinent enemy targets while preserving vital Iraqi infrastructure as well as citizens' lives, an F-16 pilot who flew combat missions over Iraq early in the war recounted here today. A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon flies through the sky during a combat mission over Iraq on July 23, 2004. Before then, South Carolina Air National Guard F-16 pilot Maj. Michael Norton flew his fighter in the aerial vanguard that launched Operation Iraqi Freedom on March 19, 2003. Photo by...

The planned integration of an enhanced communications system into the venerable A-10 aircraft could pave the way for the platform’s introduction into a cutting-edge combat package being developed by the Air Force and Army, a senior program official says. Plans to put the airborne Enhanced Position Locating Reporting System (ELPRS) onto a number of A-10s could allow the aircraft to be folded into the Joint Mission Capability Package (JMCP) concept, said Air National Guard Col. Louis Durkac, assistant director of requirements at Air Combat Command.The concept is designed as a “capabilities-based force package composed of fielded [weapon] systems with...

3/17/2006 - EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) -- To call yourself the Airman warfighter's weapon of choice is one thing, but it's quite another to go out and back it up. Since its debut in 1999, the Joint Direct Attack Munition, or JDAM, has been called upon more than 15,000 times and continues to be used in the global war on terror. JDAM is a tail kit that turns an unguided dumb bomb, already in the warfighter's arsenal, into an accurate smart munition. These new smart weapons are available to the warfighter in four variants: the 2,000-pound MK-84, the...

AN AIR BASE IN IRAQ -- The U.S. Air Force has begun moving heavily armed AC-130 airplanes -- the lethal "flying gunships" of the Vietnam War -- to a base in Iraq as commanders search for new tools to counter the Iraqi resistance, The Associated Press has learned. An AP reporter saw the first of the turboprop-driven aircraft after it landed at the airfield this week. Four are expected. The Iraq-based special forces command controlling the AC-130s, the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force, said it would have no comment on the deployment. But the plan's general outline was confirmed...

TALL AFAR, Iraq -- Buzzing over this northern Iraqi city in her Kiowa scout helicopter, a .50-caliber machine gun and rockets at the ready, Capt. Sarah Piro has proved so skillful in combat missions to support U.S. ground troops that she's earned the nickname "Saint." In recent months of fighting in Tall Afar, Piro, 26, of El Dorado Hills, Calif., has quietly sleuthed out targets, laid down suppressive fire for GIs in battle and chased insurgents through the narrow alleys of this medieval city -- maneuvering all the while to avoid being shot out of the sky. In one incident,...

How slow can you go when bullets, rockets and other unfriendly things might be buzzing around you? Not just how slow, but what can one see from a few hundred feet in the air above a battlefield? Those are the prime questions Laredo native and Air Force Reserve Maj. Robert "Tito" Hetland might have to ask himself - and has - having served in Iraq and Afghanistan flying A-10 troop support planes. A-10 Warthogs can fly as slow as about 230 miles per hour over dangerous turf. Hetland will fly in much friendlier skies over the Laredo International Airport on...

With the installation of horizontal tails on the first F-35, the Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) team has completed assembly of the aircraft's major structural components. The next milestone in the aircraft's march to first flight is engine installation, planned for early 2006. Technicians have completed major-component assembly of the first F-35 Joint Strike Fighter at Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth. First flight is planned for next fall. The F-35 will be the most powerful single-engine fighter ever flown. "The speed and precision of assembly on this airplane continues to impress even the most experienced aerospace veterans among us...

12/28/2005 - BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan (AFPN) -- A-10 Thunderbolt IIs continue taking the fight to the enemy by providing close air support to U.S. and coalition forces participating in Operation Enduring Freedom. Shortly after deploying in September to this base at the foot of the Hindu Kush mountains from Davis-Monthan Air Base, Ariz., the 354th Fighter Squadron “Bulldogs” began making history. “Our A-10s have provided non-stop presence and lethal firepower since we arrived,” said the squadron commander Lt. Col. Martha McSally. “From ensuring the success of Afghanistan’s first-ever provincial elections on Sept. 18 to the first seating of an...

A man died this weekend after he accidentally shot himself at a gun range near Ocala, Fla., according to a Local 6 News report. Authorities said the 39-year-old man was practicing a sport called cowboy action shooting when he shot himself.

December 04, 2005 Release A051204d Terrorist attack backfires TIKRIT, Iraq – Army and Air Force units teamed up to crush an ill-conceived terrorist attack against an Army patrol near Balad the morning of Dec. 3. The attack began with a hail of small-arms fire directed against the patrol. The Soldiers quickly located and engaged the gunmen, forcing them to take cover. The patrol called for close-air support and two Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons responded by dropping laser-guided bombs. Two terrorists were killed in the short engagement. One Soldier was treated at the scene for minor injuries and returned to...

AL QAIM, Iraq (Nov. 24, 2005) -- Marines flying AH-1W Super Cobras, soaring through the skies of Iraq, are growing accustomed to using precision guided ordnance, maximizing the damage to their targets while minimizing collateral damage. Since arriving in western Iraq during September, the Gunfighters of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 369 have continuously dropped precision guided ordnance on the enemy in support of ongoing operations. The Gunfighters, from Al Qaim, Iraq, dropped their 100th precision-guided AGM-114 Hellfire missile, Nov. 17. “We are destroying target after target in support of ground combat brethren,” said Maj. John Barranco, the officer-in-charge of...

AL ASAD, Iraq, Sept. 28, 2005 — For many people, doing two jobs at once is an unwelcome burden. For hard-charging Marines, it's a challenge and a chance to become better at both. Maj. Keith Couch, the acting commanding officer of Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 2 (Forward), is leading his squadron in war while simultaneously flying combat missions in Iraq, protecting Marines and soldiers with their boots in the sand. “Flying combat missions and commanding MWHS-2 work hand-in-hand,” said the native of Leslie County, Ky. “Commanding headquarters squadron, you have the advantage of getting a firsthand perspective of what is...

Air Support Operations Center airmen respond to immediate requests and preplanned missions of close-air support to defeat terrorism. This time, things went down differently than planned. As arranged, the men prepped and fired a mortar at coalition forces. They shuttled into their vehicle, certain of a smooth exit. "He squealed on his teammates, and coalition forces rounded them up." Capt. Sev Olinger What the terrorists did not count on was what happened afterward: An American fighter aircraft zoomed overhead, investigating the mortar point of origin. The pilot tracked the terrorist team in their getaway truck, simultaneously communicating with an Army...

BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. Marines battled insurgents with tanks and aircraft Sunday in western Iraq after the Americans came under attack from a village schoolhouse, the U.S. military said. Eleven insurgents were killed, the military said. The statement did not say whether any Marines were killed or wounded in the battle, which started when Marines from Regimental Combat Team-2 were attacked with mortar fire from a schoolhouse in a village near Haditha, 140 miles northwest of Baghdad. The building was rigged with explosives and fortified with at least three .30 caliber machine guns in the windows, a military statement said....

An Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt pilot reaches a milestone supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, July 29, 2005 — The commander respectfully called "Duck" scored 3,000 flying hours in an A-10 Thunderbolt over the Afghan skies July 3. U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Jeffrey Cowan, 74th Fighter Squadron commander, entered A-10 "Warthog" history upon returning to base after flying a mission in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Since his first flight, Cowan, from Pope Air Force Base, N.C., has clocked more than 3,000 hours in a Thunderbolt cockpit. "It is extremely rare for a pilot to get 3,000 hours...

July 21, 2005 Close air support FORWARD OPERATING BASE MACKENZIE, Ad Duluiyah , Iraq – Soldiers and airmen from 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, Task Force Liberty destroyed a suspected anti-Iraqi forces weapons cache near Ad Duluiyah with an air strike. Coalition forces identified the target, a pontoon on a small low-lying island in the Tigris River , as a possible weapons cache after AIF fired rockets from there. The Fire Support Element from 1-15 Infantry directed bombs from Air Force jets onto the site to destroy the pontoon and deny AIF the ability to use it to hide weapons...

http://www.conservativeunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12905Air Strike--poor insurgents. Ha! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WHAT A PICTURE - AT OVER TWO MILES AWAY!! TURN SPEAKER UP TO HEAR THE DIALOG. Here is what technology can do in a war zone. The pictures were taken from an AC130 Specter gunship two and a half miles away. The guys in the picture are setting up a roadside bomb and planning to ambush an American convoy which followed a short while after the pictures were taken. They were setting up for the ambush and were pacing off the distance from the bomb to where the convoy was to pass by. Turn your...

Seahawks conclude Iraqi tour, make mark in history Submitted by: 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing Story Identification #: 200572224315 Story by Gunnery Sgt. Shannon Arledge AL ASAD, Iraq (July 22, 2005) -- Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 4 started its journey home today. After seven months in a deployed combat environment, the 190 Marines are ending their deployment that began in mid January. “All the Marines were very eager to support [Operation Iraqi Freedom],” said Sgt. Joseph A. Esala, electronics section, a native of Statesboro, Ga. “It is a challenging and worthy effort. I’m honored to have been involved in it.”...

BAGHDAD, July 18 (KUNA) -- US fighter jets launched on Monday air attacks on locations suspected of being hideouts of insurgents in Rawa village, western Iraq. Both Iraqi and US forces took part in the un-named mission, launched early on Monday. Eyewitnesses said the US military launched a wide-scale operation in a number of locations in Rawa village, in Al-Anbar constituency. In another development, Iraqi security forces found a large weapon hideout in Mosul, north of Iraq, an Iraqi official said. The hideout included a large quantity of missiles, communication devices, military uniforms, knives and swords, the official added.

KALSU, Iraq (July 13, 2005) -- The AH-64A Apache is the U.S. Army’s principal attack helicopter. It’s equipped with some of the latest avionics and electronics and can be operated almost anytime, in almost any weather, day or night. Here since April and flying the Apache, Task Force 1/151st Aviation Attack Battalion patrols Iraqi air from a small post south of Baghdad. The unit also provides convoy security and protection for warfighters on the ground. And while the unit supports the mission of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward), the firepower they can bring to the fight would be of...

6/20/2005 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- An MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle destroyed an anti-Iraqi forces mortar launch site near Al Qaim on June 18 while assisting Marines under enemy fire. The air strike occurred during Operation Spear in which U.S. and Iraqi security forces in Iraq’s Anbar province called in air strikes on terrorist strong holds. An Air Force joint terminal attack controller, whose unit on the ground was under mortar attack, saw imagery from a nearby Predator assigned to another mission and requested control of the unmanned aerial vehicle. After positive identification of the launch site, the Predator...

13th MEU embarks on final mission of pre-deployment work-ups Submitted by: 13th MEU Story Identification #: 2005610134415 Story by Cpl. Andy Hurt ABOARD THE USS TARAWA (LHA-1) (June 10, 2005) -- The sounds of anchor chains rumbled through the narrow halls of the USS Tarawa Wednesday morning, signaling the final at-sea period for the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit during pre-deployment work-up training. The Special Operations Capable Exercise will determine whether the MEU is qualified to accomplish specialized amphibious operations while they endure the upcoming Western Pacific deployment, scheduled for mid-July through early 2006. Each element of the MEU, including MEU...

LATIFIYAH, Iraq (AP) - Hundreds of Iraqi and U.S. troops searched fields and farms Saturday for insurgents and their hideouts in an area south of Baghdad known for attacks, and the Marines said they discovered 50 weapons and ammunition caches and a huge underground bunker west of the capital fitted out with air conditioning, a kitchen and showers. The joint U.S.-Iraqi force operating in Latifiyah to the south was backed by American air power and said it had rounded up at least 108 Iraqis, mainly Sunnis, suspected of involvement in the brutal insurgent campaign to topple the Shiite-led government. To...

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, May 16, 2005 — The U.S. Air Force A-10s currently deployed at Bagram Airfield are part of the 23rd Fighter Group, the Flying Tigers, out of Pope Air Force Base, N.C., and are a unique group of aircraft - evident by just one look at their nose art. The noses of these A-10s are emblazoned with an image of a shark's teeth and eyes. The Flying Tigers are the only Air Force unit authorized to display nose art on their aircraft, due to the history it symbolizes. The Flying Tigers were first activated at Langley Field, Va.,...

Air Force Pilot Experiences Ground Combat Here is a report from an Air Force pilot who was assigned to several operations in Iraq as the Forward Air Controller - the USAF guy responsible for calling in Air Strikes and communicating with the aircraft above a ground combat mission. It's long, but it's good. It shows the Zoomies are doing their part on the ground, as well as in the air...even if they don't know certain *ahem* unofficial Marine nomenclatures.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A U.S. Marine was killed as American and Iraqi forces continued their offensive to hunt down insurgents in western Iraq, the U.S. military said on Friday. The Marine was killed on Thursday during security and stability operations, it said, without giving details. The death takes the number of U.S. soldiers killed in combat since the invasion of March 2003 to 1,129. U.S. and Iraqi forces began their offensive on Sunday in a bid to stamp out resistance in Iraq's vast western desert province of Anbar, one of the most lawless areas of the country. They stepped up...

Like a cat, the USAF’s A-10 continues to demonstrate additional lives after repeated efforts by the fighter generals to bury the ungainly but potent airplane. Lockheed Martin Systems Integration (Owego, NY) expects its first production contract in March for the A-10 Precision Engagement (PE) Program, which will give the A-10 – redesignated the A-10C once modified -- a precision-weapons capability, with several more production contracts to follow. In February 2004, Lockheed Martin was awarded an initial systems integration contract. The goal is to equip all 356 USAF A-10s with the upgrade by 2009. Lockheed Martin began the upgrade program under...

The newly designated C-model A-10 Thunderbolt II, modified with precision engagement technology, was flown for the first time at Eglin AFB, Fla., last week, thanks in large part to the work of a small group of people at Hill AFB. The A-10 Program Office here has been managing the precision engagement program for the past four years. The office’s precision engagement program management team, made up of about 25 people, acts as a liaison between Air Combat Command and the project’s prime contractor, Lockheed Martin Systems Integration. Calling the A-10C the “best friend to the boots on the ground,” Lt....

Several years ago, I met an officer who flew A-10s. He directed me to a site that depicted the support crew that made certain that his aircraft was combat ready. Can any of my fellow FReepers direct me to the A-10 support-ready Warthog site? Mechs checking the nose cannon, loading ordnance, etc. I'm attempting in gettin my 23 year old son to enlist in the United States Military, serving America in in whatever capacity he chooses. His eyesight is not flight-sight certifiable, but he is a big, strong intelligent kid!

Harrier squadrons combine in Iraq to provide air supportSubmitted by: 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing Story Identification #: 20041224153725 Story by Sgt. Nathan K. LaForte AL ASAD, Iraq (Dec. 24, 2004) -- The salt-stained jets streaked across the sky signaling the arrival of the newest squadron on the block. They were exhausted from a trans-Atlantic flight that started at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz., and ended at Al Asad, Iraq in a few short days in mid-November. The "Tomcats" of Marine Attack Squadron 311, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, found their "welcome aboard" period short-lived as the...

AL ASAD AIRFIELD, Iraq, Dec. 14, 2004 – Aviation is continuing to play a part in mopping up insurgents in Fallujah, the commander of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing said here today. Marine Maj. Gen. Keith J. Stalder commands about 9,000 Marine and Army troops based at this airfield between Baghdad and the Syrian border. He said aviation helped Marines and soldiers in the city with the combat they faced in retaking Fallujah and aviation continues to target the small pockets of insurgents that remain. "The wing is still flying missions -- mostly fixed-wing, but some rotary-wing missions as well,"...

Reserve pilots not reserved when protecting ground troops   by Staff Sgt. Jennifer Lindsey455th Expeditionary Operations Group Public Affairs 10/4/2004 - BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan (AFPN) -- Ammunitions troops here charged with reloading a wingman’s A-10 Thunderbolt II Gatling gun had a busy night recently, following his return. New Orleans Air Force Reserve pilots proved that they are anything but reserved when it comes to protecting U.S. ground troops in Afghanistan. In defense of a U.S. military convoy, “S-flight 3” fired more than 800 rounds and two laser-guided bombs, destroying a hillside bunker and attacking enemy forces. Capt. Brian and his wingman, Major...

EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE--Seven A-10 Warthogs brought a little desert sand home with them when they touched down Saturday at Eielson Air Force Base for the first time in almost six months. Though the long journey home provided the A-10s a chance to clean off some of the dust accumulated in Afghanistan, they were still due for a major cleaning and overhaul at the end of a busy 5 1/2-month deployment to Bagram Airbase near Kabul. "We were sitting next to jets in Boise (Idaho)," said Capt. Glenn "Shredder" Ott, an A-10 pilot and West Valley High School graduate. "Boise...

NEWS RELEASEHEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND7115 South Boundary BoulevardMacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894 August 27, 2004Release Number: 04-08-83 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MNF-I OPERATIONS IN IRAQ 26-27 AUGUST 2004 BAGHDAD – In Operation Iraqi Freedom, coalition aircraft on Aug. 26 flew 46 strike sorties in Close Air Support (CAS) for Main Supply Routes (MSR) and Alternate Supply Routes (ASR), and for Troops in Contact (TIC) situations. U.S. Air Force and Marine Corps aircraft provided close air support to MNF troops in contact in the vicinity of An Najaf. A total of 14 munitions were...