Where are our Airborne Forward Air Controllers? Brits Ask, USA Slacks-Off

http://defenceoftherealm.blogspot.com/2007_09_01_archive.html

Monday, 10 September 2007

"Ignorant or malignant civilians"

"...the vast body of literature that touches in one way or another on ground attack, and to a lesser extent CAS, and am now starting to read another superb book, this one by Douglas N. Campbell, called The Warthog and the Close Air Support Debate. Although only a few chapters in, one message comes through loud and clear already, that the so-called "fast jets" are too fast for CAS. They simply do not afford their crews the opportunity of visually confirming their designated target before committing to a weapons release.

The author, as you might expect, makes the case for the A-10, unofficially dubbed the "Warthog" but those who recall the Matty Hull incident might believe that they are also too fast, as the pilot failed to distinguish British markings on a well-marked Scorpion light tank.

This is definitely the view I take, and this one from limited but personal experience of flying training jets at low level -- and considerable experience of flying single-engined club aircraft at considerably lower speeds.

One person who shares that view is Tory MP Ann Winterton, who yesterday had published in The Sunday Telegraph a letter headed, 'Slower planes would cut friendly fire casualties.'

Her view, as expressed, was that, 'fast jets such as the F-15 are not the answer for close air support in engagements. Aircrews under the command of forward air controllers have to take split-second decisions in which the tiniest of errors could cause a friendly fire incident.'

She goes on to add that she raised the issue in a Parliamentary question about the use of light and small propeller aircraft for close combat support -- which, indeed she did - and was told such aircraft would be unlikely to meet the Defence Ministry's 'demanding requirements'". [EDITOR: for NATION-STATE WAR. This is why we need dedicated Sub-National Conflict (SNC) forces who will get the smaller, more numerous 24/7/365 platforms needed to win since they are not big, expensive $$ and "sexy" enough for NSW racketeers)

*******

We used to have observation/attack planes like Army and Air Force O-1 Bird Dogs, OV-1 Mohawks, OV-10 Broncos, OA-37 Dragonflies etc. to verify from the air what we were bombing, today because large nation-state war (NSW) platform fighter-bomber egotists don't want to be seen in slower aircraft so we are bombing civilians and losing two sub-national conflicts in Iraq/Afghanistan as we create more rebels than we are killing or winning over to our side. Danny Glover played a Cessna 337 O-2 SkyMaster pilot and Airborne Forward Air Controller (AFAC) in the movie "BAT-21" and you can watch that to get a sense of the superb vision humans can employ from the air to get better effects. UAVs piping video to people straining their eyes over TV screens do not even come close to on-scene pilot/observer vision--when the UAVs are not crashing at a 50% rate! We need to regain manned AFAC capability beginning with two-seat modifications to armored A-10 Warthogs. Details:

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

And obtain off-the-sheld O/A planes with long loiter times to "Bird Dog" for the enemy 24/7/365 as an Air Cavalry for fighter-bombers in NSW and the main air force in SNCs:

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

The words of former Iraqi Coalition Authority Director of Air Ops, Major General George Molan, Australian Defence Forces:

"Even in this, the highest technology war in history, there is a role for a man in a light manoeuvrable aircraft who can use his initiative, report and transfer data, remain on station with the ground troops day and night and most importantly, establish a personal relationship with the warriors.

I do not accept the argument that a manned aircraft cannot be used ... due to the threat. I believe that this argument has been confused by the control of training and operations of the aircraft by the U.S. Air Force in Iraq.

The threat to the pilot of ... aircraft in Iraq operations ... is far less than to the equivalent Soldier on the ground in an equally expensive and complicated armoured vehicle. The benefit in having a pilot in the loop in talking to troops on the ground is priceless, particularly in less highly technically advanced armed forces.

The threat to a pilot manoevring low to optimise his effectiveness is not at all unreasonable in an Iraq-like insurgency. Threat is relative and should not be judged by highly sophisticated U.S. standards."

P.S. if it had been two-seat OA-10Bs with skilled enlisted AFAC observers doing a tour in the air from their ground FAC duties instead of overworked single-seaters, the British column wouldn't have been strafed during the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• O-1
• FAC
• airborne
• forward
• air
• control
• fratricide
• tillman
• maneuver
• support
• BAT-21
• CAS
• AFAC
• GFAC
• ETAC
• JTAC
• p-47
• stuka
• il-2

[Skyes9]

this mission is now supplemented with F/A-18Ds and OA-10Cs.

[dynmicpara]

Stupor Hornets have a back-seat observer but move too fast to see and strike and OA-10Cs are single-seat with over-worked pilots.

[blindbubba]

What song is that playing? On the "Out of Africa" album?

[dynmicpara]

It was John Barry's Love Theme from "Out of Africa" until the greedniks made YOUTUBE yank the music.

[only2percent]

Neo-cons crave the state of a "perpetual war". Look how many of our liberties were surrendered due to it.

[dynmicpara]

If we learned how to smother sub-national conflicts with terrain control measures to include manned O/A aircraft we'd put the neocons out of the war business.

[afviper]

This brings up a good point my dad was a FAC flying OV-10s, nothing better than a good pilot and a pair of human eyes over the battlefield.

[Porty1119]

We need to look into some of the proposals to modernize and restart production of an OV-10 derivative.

[lknkprkninflamesbest]

Do you know what the song is? The one that replaced John Barry?

[captainpegs07]

@only2percent Most regulatory laws are submitted and signed by so called 'liberals.' Study up.

[blindbubba]

er - I must have misspoke. I meant the current background song, where the lyrics keep saying "save me from myself..."

[nojeh94]

very nice video what is the song please?

[LCPStud]

Yeah but the Brits were not using their IFF tactical radios.