UAVs Suck: Manned O-1 Bird Dog AFACs over Vietnam: What RIGHT Looks Like

One of the serious failings of today's counter-insurgency efforts is the lack of MANNED observation/attack aircraft with human eyes to sense the subtle nuances and "tells" of elusive enemies hiding in closed terrains to perpetuate sub-national conflict (SNC) like we did during the Vietnam war when we had over 400+ O-1 Bird Dogs, O-2 SkyMasters, OV-1 Mohawks, OV-10 Broncos available AT ONE TIME to be in the air to effect 24/7/365 persistent air surveillance. Ground Forward Air Controllers (GFACs) cannot see what airborne observers can—and vice a versa—we need BOTH. However, none of this can be done with piped in video imagery displayed on TV screens back at the FOB (forward operating base). We cannot put up into the air more than a handful of large UAVs at a time lest they crash into eachother or have their control signals cross and crash. So much for all the money we are saving when really we are going broke making corrupt UAV companies rich as the enemy is free to lay land mines to blow out men up at will.

http://www.combatreform.org/USARMYAVIATIONDIGEST/grasshoppersmustreturn.htm

This amazing video documents the USAFs SparrowHawks Airborne Forward Air Controllers (AFACs) in Cessna STOL Grasshopper O-1 Bird Dogs (formerly known as L-19s in U.S. Army parlance until the 1962 DoD designation order) in action locating the elusive VC/NVA and then marking them with WP 2.75 smoke rockets so fighter-bombers and attack planes like A-1 SkyRaiders and A-37 Dragonflies could swoop down on them and destroy them with heavy high explosive (HE) and flame jellied gasoline napalm weapons, cannon shells and beaucoup 2.75 Hydra 70mm HE rockets, and if requiring point destruction, guided missiles.

http://www.combatreform.org/killerbees3.htm

It may shock you to know todays weak egomaniac U.S. military doesn't even have O/A aircraft and AFACs because monstrous ego fighter jocks are threatened by slower attack planes like the A-10 Warthog getting most of the ground attack action because they can actually loiter and see targets from the air and slower rotorhead pilots dont want everyone to know that fixed-wing STOL planes are more effective and economical than their slower, too-complicated and costly VTOL helicopters.

http://www.combatreform.org/aircommandos.htm

To work around both pilot egoclubs weve tried to use UAVs and it simply hasnt worked except to make corporations rich. If we want to win SNCs we need a layer of persistant 24/7/365 air surveillance that can only come from effective MANNED O/A aircraft; its time to create a new class of non-egomaniac, possibly enlisted pilots to do this;

http://www.combatreform.org/enlistedpilots.htm

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• usaf
• afac
• gfac
• airborne
• forward
• air
• controllers
• vietnam
• surveillance
• coin
• counter-insurgency
• snc

[n68188]

OV-10s with AN/APQ-144 "disco lights" and exhaust baffles, proved survivable in Desert Storm. Two older A models which had not been retrofitted with the countermeasures kits were shot down however, and their loss was used as justification for the type's retirement without replacement. A number of older AH-64s that had not been upgraded with similar kits were the only other aircraft lost to manpads. The Air Force had left its FAC planes stateside because they were affraid of the manpad threat.

[dynmicpara]

I know one of the OV-10 observers and was aware of this HQMC BS back in '93 during the back-stab. The jet jocks (too fast) and rotorheads (too slow) egos n rice bowls were threatened by OV-10s.

[CorticalVortex]

Gotta have some brass ones to do this. Worth finding Marshall Harrison's "Lonely Kind of War" (can get used from Amazon) if you're interested in the OV-10 life as a FAC. Good read. The "Vietnamese" voice in this video sounds suspiciously Hispanic -- gotta love uncle sugar's propaganda machine.

[nbq5z5]

Good to hear that lessone were learned quickly - pity some of these have to be re learned..

[ajdewitt1]

I sure would like to know how I can get a copy of this film. My brother in law was killed in one of these in Vietnam. He received the Medal of Honor. Would like to use this film to educate kids during events to remember Hilliard A Wilbanks.

[RichAStrong]

See my website about the 23 TASS on strongware

[RichAStrong]

See my website about the 23 TASS

[Cavelson]

Why fly UAV. Funny in the war is the adventure!!!

[kissrev1]

My Step-Dad did three tours flying these and O-2s in Vietnam. When he puts on his dress uniform, it's quite impressive. 2 silver stars, 3 bronze stars, and 2 Distinguished Flying Crosses. He never talked about it, but as one poster stated earlier, these guys, and my step-dad must have had balls of steel. Thanks for posting.

[dynmicpara]

We should deploy the CAP to Iraq/Afghanistan; they'll do a far better job than BS UAVs that cannot see squat and have their imagery "hacked" by Hadji.

[dynmicpara]

Talk to some UAV retards on that bandwagon of failure running around these days...we could put up over 300+ MANNED O/A aircraft over Vietnam, today we can't get a dozen Predators up at a time when they are not crashing...

[jonny2387]

man i was born in the wrong era