Air Cav Crews See Higher-Tech Attacks, Weapons from Iran
Fri, 19 Oct 2007 13:18:00 -0500
Air Cav Crews See Higher-Tech Attacks, Weapons from Iran
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press ServiceWASHINGTON, Oct. 19, 2007 - Air cavalry helicopter pilots have had to change their tactics to adapt to newer and higher-tech surface-to-air missile systems that officials believe are coming in from Iran, a senior official in Iraq said today. Crews from 1st Air Cavalry Brigade out of Camp Taji, Iraq, have flown support for operations in and around Baghdad for more than a year. Since their arrival, there has been an increase in the sophistication of attacks and types of weapons, Army Col. Daniel J. Shanahan said in a conference call with military analysts.
"In the last several months, we have had an increased threat from systems that we had not seen in the first part of the year," Shanahan said. Some of them originated in "places like Iran," he said, causing considerable change in tactics, techniques and procedures.
"It's a real concern, and it's something that we're dealing with," he said. "Right now we've got the best systems in the world, and we've got technology behind us."
Shanahan said additional sensors and diffusers, which decrease an aircraft's infrared signature, have been added, and crews' flying tactics have changed.
Shanahan's crews have logged 80,000 hours of flight time in the past 13 months, he said. The helicopters spend about 10 hours in the air for every one on the ground, Shanahan estimated. But even though the enemy's weapons systems are more advanced than before, overall attacks on aircraft are down in the area, he said.
Crews are fired upon about 200 times monthly, he said. Attacks are from weapons types ranging from small arms to rockets known in military parlance as "man-portable air-defense systems," or MANPADs, which are shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles that typically use infrared guidance.
MANPADs make up only about 5 percent of the attacks, "but if you ask the pilots, they would say that MANPADS is the biggest threat," Shanahan said.
It takes about 3,000 troops to fly, fuel, arm and maintain the H-64 Apache, UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters operating around the clock at the base. The aircraft are used for attack reconnaissance, air assault, air transport and medical evacuation missions.
In addition, crews partner with Iraqi air force units for training and some missions. The Iraqi air force has progressed sufficiently that it routinely provides reconnaissance missions, patrolling pipelines, power lines and other infrastructure. It also provides in-country transportation for Iraqi government officials.
Iraqi air force pilots fly three types of helicopters: Mi-17s and Bell JetRangers in training programs and UH-1 Hueys mounted with defensive systems, which are workhorses for reconnaissance and transport, Shanahan said. This frees his crews from these types of missions and is a critical step toward the Iraqi government assuming its own security mission, he said.Related Articles:
1st Air Cav Shifts Tactics, Enables Iraqis to Complete Mission
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Showing posts with label strategy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label strategy. Show all posts
19 October 2007
More love from Iran...
Great, our friend Ahmagonnajihad is shuttling high end AA missiles into Iraq. These are not organic weapons. They are far more sophisticated than the homemade surface-to-surface rockets of Hamas in Lebanon. They usually come from a nation-sponsor (Iran, North Korea, China, Russia, etc.). We supplied a number of these weapons to the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan to be employed against the Soviets. However, several groups have perfected alternate tactics. The Tamil Tigers, the most sophisticated and dangerous terrorist group in the world, has perfected pummeling LZ (landing zones) with mortars as aircraft are landing or taking off.
Why, one may ask, would you want to shoot down helicopters? Simple, you are an opposition force with no interest in the success of the nation in which you are deployed. Operating these systems is not simple, they require specific training and support. Modern anti-air weapons have sensitive electronics which must be maintained and calibrated. Our Al-Q enemies are undoubtedly being supported by Iranian Revolutionary Guards with secondary support from China.
Lovely.
16 October 2007
New Maritime Strategy...
As if you needed to know instantly! Actually, this should be pretty interesting. With Navy folks doing Army jobs, and Marines doing everyone's jobs and Coasties picking up everything else - it's a real mess out there. Truth be told, the blue water threat has receded a bit. The overemphasis on littorals has (I hope) burned itself out. The major concern is the future of US shipbuilding, in my opinion. We have lost too much talent and capability in our industrial sector. The Navy and Coast Guard need to coordinate efforts to adequately bridge the gap between law enforcement / military operations and MOOTW (Military Operations Other Than War). This includes things like the humanitarian assistance to South and Latin America. The Navy (and Military) is often doing things that the Department of State should be taking lead. If you want a real insight into the challenges facing the 21st century military, read Gen Sanchez's comments - the unedited version. I think he soundly indicts all the players in the current geopolitical sphere with regard to our present employment of forces. For a slightly more esoteric read, check out the present Foreign Relations magazine for a great article on strategy.
No. 112-07 October 16, 2007
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03 August 2007
Mud Shark's View - Next Great Powers...
A colleague of mine (and classmate) has posed a first stab at the next great powers in 50 years in the comments. They were so cogent, I felt compelled to post them directly for additional comment.
Picking the world leading powers for the next fifty years seems easy, yes? Well don't be too sure. Fifty years in our modern age is a lifetime. The Soviet Union rose and fell in just under 80. The Third Reich did the same in about fifteen years. So who will the great powers be and what will they be concerned with? Will Islam remain a destabilizer in the world? Will we still be dependent on hydrocarbons as a fuel source? Extra points to those who cite references in their analysis!
50 Years: *THE* World powers: Not in order.1. USA; USA Profile We have been counted out before but the US economy is HUGE! The technology base is uniformly spread across every aspect of our society, and the basic nature of "Americans" is still scrappy (we LOVE to compete). The Governmental system is still self correcting (if a bit slow for the A.D.D. society), and generally speaking, there isn’t anything better out there.2. The EU: EU Profile IF they don't devolve into civil war they will be players. They are slowly beginning to run into the same issues the USA ran into. Only for them it is much worse. The surrender of one's sovereignty is difficult. In the USA we have a much more forward looking mind set than in Europe. The EU nations are much more focused on the past. And, in my opinion, there will be a transitional time when some member countries will decide they want to opt out of the Union. Perhaps even to form a separate Confederation in order to maintain their sovereign rights to manage internal and external commerce and taxation. Though, if trends continue on their current path, the caliphate will declare victory in Europe and THEN things will get very interesting. A review of Muslim birth rates and the accepted multi-cultural societal structures in Europe can only spell the current EU's doom. Civil/Cultural war will be rampant. IF the EU can overcome these issues, World power status. If not, I think they will remain interesting also-rans.3. Korea: North Korea Profile Unification after Kim's death. Economic power house already. Add the North's resources and BAM! Major Player.4. Japan: Japan Profile A resurgent Korea and stronger China will FORCE Japan to rearm. These folks HATE...no, LOATH each other. Unless you have spent some time with them, you can not fully understand this. They would sell each others souls in a heart beat. Japan's Navy could probably take down China's in an afternoon. But quantity has a quality all its own. Japan is already positioning it self to rearm. Its initial forays into armed deployments has begun. Watch the multi-national fight over the Spratley islands for indicators and warnings. They remain FIERCELY nationalistic and are rivaled only by the Koreans in the area of homogeneity. They are the GROUP THINK KINGS!5. China: China Profile There are so many ifs here I am reticent to put them on the list, but: IF they can drag their population out of the stone age and subsistence farming. IF they can educate their population without a haves vs. have-nots civil war. IF they can keep their nationalism in check and not provoke a catastrophic war with their neighbors and the USA (Japan, Taiwan, Korea, India, Thailand, etc. etc.) IF Islam does not take root and create a civil war. IF the Southwest does not revolt. IF the Northeast does not revolt. Then, I think they will be true powers. Right now they have money, people, and resources. They lack a uniform technology base, uniform basic education, and an involved population. As the education levels rise, the population will DEMAND a more active voice. Additionally, the traditionalists, though thinned dramatically during the cultural revolution WILL make themselves felt as their country moves towards industrial/imperialism. And yes they WILL get imperial. Every nation does. Its like the terrible twos. All WE can do is try to influence without appearing imperial ourselves (hard to do when every military HQ has a map of the world displaying the areas of responsibility for each of the military governors, err, I mean regional combatant commanders. China sees this, measures it against its long history of European (and yes, US) intervention, and it maneuvers to prevent it from ever happening again.Semper Fi!
Mud-Shark
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