CVW-5 in The Third World War

[Matt Wiser]

Everyone this time thinks getting rid of Saddam is a good idea. As for Iran? Expecting them to sit this out is a waste of time. Remember that after the Green Revolution, Iran is more like Turkey, so there's not that fear of Iran trying to impose a Shia religious dictatorship on a bunch of Sunnis. Not to mention "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

[Wolfman]

Nice to see a new update for this story.

[Matt Wiser]

The next day's ops, and another squadron loses its CO:

19 May dawned bright and hot, as another hazy Gulf day began. The 0600 package was led this time by VA-185, with CDR Lowry taking four Eagles Intruders, four Golden Dragon Hornets, two Freelancer Tomcats, and a single Gauntlets Prowler into the area north of Basra on Highway 6. There, near the town of Al Hartha, was a major Iraqi supply center and POL storage, and though it had been hit before, CENTAF felt it deserved more attention, and this time, it was the Knighthawks' turn.

The strike package launched, and after forming up, headed inland. As the package approached the Faw Peninsula, the crews noticed a number of USN and RN minesweepers, assisted by MH-53s, working the area off of Faw. They also saw the battleship New Jersey, her main armament at maximium elevation, still throwing 16-inch shells onto Iraqi positions west of Faw City, while a number of Iranian CH-47 and UH-1 helos were going into and out of Faw City on reinforcement, resuupply, or casevac runs.

Ingress was on the west side of the Shatt-al-Arab, and as was usual by now, two Iranian fighters arrived to follow the strike package as it skirted Iranian airspace. This time, it was a pair of F-5s that followed the strike birds as they flew between the Shatt-al-Arab and then the Iranian border proper as they approached the target.

CDR Chad Runyan took his four Dragons Hornets in ahead of the A-6s, and they found not just the single SA-2 that they had been briefed on, but also one SA-6 and several AAA batteries, both optical and radar-guided. A HARM took care of the SA-2 Fan Song radar, which had been hit at least once, while Rockeye CBUs dealt with the three remaining launchers. Another Hornet sent a HARM after the SA-6, which shut down, while CBUs from the F/A-18s went after the AAA sites, with two 14.5-mm ZPU sites and at least one each of 37-mm and 57-mm taking Rockeyes as well.

With the air defense assets supppressed, and the SA-6 holding fire, the way was clear for the A-6s. Skipper Lowry's birds were able this time to come in from medium altitude for their bomb runs, with the target on the west side of Highway 6 and away from the town. Her element was targeted on the warehouses and revetted storage, as both the Skipper, her B/N LT Dana Verell, and wingmates Mason and Daniels in 535, laid sixteen Mark-82s each onto the target. Both crews were rewarded with multiple secondaries as the Mark-82s “Disagreed with the warehouse contents.”

The second element, also with Mark-82s, came in right behind the CO, and they planted their bombs onto the POL storage, just to the east of the supply depot. Multiple fireballs erupted as as result, with several large columns of smoke rising in the Intruders' wake.

After clearing the target, the package reformed, still under the watchful eyes of the Iranians, who had sent two F-4s to relieve the F-5s, and headed south. After clearing Faw, the Prowler took a drink of fuel from a VS-21 S-3, before assuming a standoff role for much of the morning. The rest of the package returned to CV-63 and a turnaround.

Next out of the gate was VA-115 on the 0630 launch, with Skipper Compton taking four Intruders, four Dambusters Hornets, two VF-154 Tomcats, and another Prowler. This time, the target was the Al Rumaylah airfield, west of Basra. Close to the oil fields of the same name, the oil company airfield was being used by the Iraqis as a FOL for helicopter operations, and as CENTCOM's ground forces moved north, the Army wanted it taken out.

Ingress this time was also via the Shatt-al-Arab, and again, the Iranians watched the strike package with two more F-5s until the package cleared Basra before turning west. As the package crossed an artificial lake northeast of the target, a number of radars lit up as the target was in the rear area of the Iraqi Army's V Corps, with not just a prewar SA-2 site and heavy 85-mm AAA, but several corps-level air defense assets, with two SA-6s and at least two radar-guided 57-mm batteries.

CDR McMurphy's Dambusters went to work, putting a HARM into the SA-2 site, and one of the 57-mm sites as well. One of the SA-6s did launch, but a HARM sent its way caused it to shut down, while one of the 85-mm sites also took a HARM, before a Hornet with Rockeyes put it out of action. The SA-2 was also hit with Rockeyes, along with another 57-mm site, and the way was clear for the A-6s to come in.

CDR Compton led his A-6s in despite some sporadic 57-mm and 85-mm fire, but the crews ignored the flak, concentrating on their bomb runs. The Skipper's element put sixteen Rockeyes each onto the ramp area of the field, catching several Hip and Hind helos and sending them up in fireballs, along with a pair of An-26 transports as a bonus. The second pair of A-6s had sixteen Mark-82s each for the runway and ramp area, and LCDR Don Cole's element also walked some of their bombs into the fuel storage, leaving not only a cratered runway in their wake, but also several fireballs in the field's fuel storage.

All the strike birds cleared the target, and while the F-14 crews were disappointed that MiGs from either Jaliabah or Talil didn't show, it was par for the course by now this far south. What no one knew at the time was that the Iraqi AF had been withdrawing aircraft from both Talil and Jaliabah in order to “conserve” them for the next round.

After clearing the target, the strike birds reformed northeast of Rumaylah, before heading back, with the return trip the mirror image of the inbound one. Once again, the Iranians monitored the package as it headed out, with the same two F-4s that had watched the VA-185 mission earlier. All aircraft then cleared Iraqi airspace before heading back to the ship.

BAI and CAS runs continued throughout the day, but strategic missions were part of the agenda as usual. First out was VA-115's CDR Wiser, who took four Eagles Intruders, four Golden Dragon Hornets, two more Tomcats from the Black Knights, and a Prowler after the Hindiyah POL storage and warehouses, south of Musaybb on the Euphrates and in the MEZ. The A-6s would have six Mark-83s for the strike, while the TARCAP and IRON HAND had their usual loads. Though the air defenses in the southern part of the MEZ had been degraded, they were still dangerous, and no one was to take any unnecessary risks. After intel officers emphasized that, along with the strike lead, the crews went out and took the cats at 0900.

Ingress was via Saudi as usual, and as the crews waited to hook up with the tankers, a RSAF package returned with a Tornado trailing fuel. The aircraft began to go out of control not far from the border, and everyone watched as the crew punched out. Fortunately, a RSAF Cougar CSAR helo was waiting nearby to recover the crew.

After entering Iraqi airspace, the package headed north to the Euphrates, east of Najaf, where they got down to 450 Feet AGL for the run in. As they approached the MEZ, flying between Highway 8 and Freeway 1, numerous radars were active, as there had been a strike already into the Baghdad area by the Air Force and the RAF. CDR Wiser led the package past the target area, then picked up the town of Al Hashwah, where Highways 8 and 9 met, then climbed and turned south for the bomb run.

As he did, the Tomcats climbed to assume their TARCAP, the Prowler began putting out ECM, and CDR Kathy Evison's Dambusters Hornets went in for the IRON HAND. The Musaybb SA-2 came up, and though it had been twice previously, it came up again, and Evison put a HARM into the radar, knocking it out and she went in with Rockeyes to finish the job-hopefully permanently.As she did, the Iskandariyah SA-2s also came up, as did the SA-3s at both Iskandariyah New and Shayka Mazar airfields.

HARMs went after the SA-2s and the Iskandariyah SA-3, with the latter shutting down and one of the SA-2s as well, with one SA-2 that did fire eating a HARM. Then to everyone's surprise, one of the Baghdad SA-5s that had been knocked out early in the war came back up, and though the Prowler jammed the one missile that did launch, a HARM from one of the Hornets shut the Square Pair radar down, hopefully for good.

As the SAMs were being dealt with, two Hornets went in onto the AAA sites. Two of them had been knocked out earlier during strikes on Al Furat, but they came back up, and though their radars were down, the 57-mm guns were still dangerous. Bot sites ate Rockeyes, as did a 37-mm site just east of the target area itself, Another 57-mm site northeast of the rail bridge also came up, and it took a pair of Rockeyes as well.

The way was clear for the A-6s, and as CDR Wiser led his element in, the Eagles XO noticed flak still coming up. He ignored it as LT Porter lined up the target in the FLIR, and they put their Mark-83s right in the middle of the storage area, and fireballs erupted in their wake as their bombs found tanks. Their wingmates, Rivers and Fisher in 509, followed in their wake, picking out two undamaged tanks along with the warehouses, and they, too, put their bombs on target, with secondary explosions following. Both XO and wingmates were able to clear the area and head south back to Highway 8.

With the smoke and flame from the fuel tanks obscuring their aim, the second element headed for an authorized opportunity target. LCDR Carpenter's two A-6s, with a pair of Hornets overhead, went to Al Furat, which they had hit before, and though most of the buildings there had varying degress of damage-from minor to near total, the two crews added their six Mark-83s each to what had been deposited there earlier. Like the XO's element, Carpenter's two aircraft cleared the target and the Ops Officer followed the XO south, followed by two Hornets.

As the A-6s went in, the Tomcats found themselves busy as MiGs came into the picture. LT Patterson and LT Bradley in Blackknight 106, with LT Conway and LT Freeman in 109, were confronted with bandits inbound. Two MiG-21s came out of Shayka Mazar, while two MiG-29s came in from Baghdad. This time, the crews picked out AIM-54s to deal with the MiG-29s, and both Tomcats shot at about forty miles. The MiG leader, targeted by Patterson and Bradley, managed to pull a Doppler Break, but his wingman was not so fortunate, being taken down by 109's crew at about 35 miles. The leader orbited, trying to draw the Tomcats into the teeth of Baghdad's air defenses, but the crews refused to bite. They picked out the two MiG-21s that were coming in, just as CDR Evison's Hornets finished their HARM shoots.

CDR Evison locked up one of the MiGs at 24 miles and shot a single AIM-120, and the Slammer did its job, sending the MiG down in a fireball, but both Hornet and Tomcat drivers were surprised at what happened next, as one of the Latifiya SA-2s came up and fired three missiles, and one of the SA-2s connected with the second MiG. That MiG-21 went down in a ball of fire, and in return, Evision told her wingmate not to shoot the last HARM they had at the SA-2 site.

Two MiG-25s now came into the picture from Al Taqqadum, but the Tomcats were now low on fuel, and departed south, along with the other two Hornets and the Prowler. After circling around, AWACS noted the two Foxbats then turned for home.

After getting south of Najaf and the Euphrates, the package reformed, climbed to altitude, and headed south for the border. Just short of the border, the crews noted a package similar to theirs headed north. After tanking, the crews headed back to the boat, trapping aboard Kitty Hawk just after 1300.

VA-185 took the second MEZ package of the day, and this one would go into the outskirts of Baghdad itself. CDR Lowry took four A-6s, four Golden Dragons Hornets, two Freelancer Tomcats, and another Prowler into the MEZ, targeted for the Al Rasheed Gas Power Plant in the southern Baghdad itself. For CDR Lowry and her Knighthawk crews, this was a first since THUNDER. They had hit MEZ targets before, but this would be their first time back to Baghdad since 28 April, and they knew that though a number of strikes had gone into Baghdad from then on without loss, “there was always a first time.” For there would be no CSAR mission launched for them, and going down meant a trip to the Baghdad Hilton. With that thought in mind, the crews got ready, then were on the cats and away at 1000.

As usual, ingress was via Saudi, and after hitting the tankers, the inbound strike met their colleagues from the Hindiyah-Musaybb strike, and the strike leads waggled their wings. Then it was all business, as the Knighthawk strike package got down low once at the Euphrates. Once they were east of Hillah, CDR Lowry took her birds to the northeast, aiming to pick up the Tigris River. After doing that, it was a turn back to the northwest, headed for the IP. That was the Nuclear Research Center at Tuwaithia, which had been knocked out during DESERT STORM and DESERT FOX. As the strike birds hit the IP, they headed due west for the target, climbing to 750 Feet AGL. The Tomcats and Prowler, meanwhile, climbed just short of the IP, the former assuming their TARCAP while the EA-6B began putting out electrons to jam the radars that were now both “numerous and active.”

The Hornets, meanwhile, went in on their IRON HAND mission, and CDR Runyan led his Golden Dragons in. They went in on two SAM sites, one each of SA-2 and SA-3, and both sites drew HARM shots. The SA-3 shut down after launching two missiles, which “went dumb”, while the SA-2 stayed on as it fired three of the flying telephone poles, and it took the HARM. Runyan's wingmate,LT Christine Langtry, went in with a pair of Rockeyes to put the site out of action.

The other two Dragon Hornets went in on what turned out to be the Baghdad South SA-5 site, and though it had taken a HARM earlier, the radar looked to be intact. One of the Dragons put Rockeyes onto both the radar and at least one loaded SA-5 launcher, wrecking the former and exploding the latter. As they climbed, a call came from the Prowler: SA-10 was up.

Despite repeated attempts to finish it for good, the Baghdad South SA-10 came back up, and this time, the site fired two missiles. LT Langtry saw them headed for the Skipper's Hornet and called “Skipper,SAM BREAK RIGHT!” as she fired a HARM at the SA-10. It was too late, for both missiles found CDR Runyan's Hornet and the plane became a fireball. No one saw a chute or heard a beeper, and the Hornet crashed to earth in a field east of Highway 8.

Angry at seeing her Skipper go down, Langtry followed her HARM in, and she saw the radar track smoking after the missile hit. She put her two remaining Rockeyes onto the site, smothering the launcher with bomblets, and noting secondaries as she pulled away.

Despite the loss of Dragon 401, the way was clear for the A-6s, and CDR Lowry led them in. They had six Mark-83s each to target the Power Plant and despite the AAA coming up, came in. Lowry and Verell in 501, with Mason and Daniels in 535 went in on the plant proper, each planting their six Mark-83s onto the generator hall, with several explosions in their wake. They got clear, then banked hard left, headed back southeast to pick up Freeway 1 and the way back south.

The next pair was LT S Collett and Meridith in 533 with LT Mason and LCDR Regan in 540. Collett and Meridith put their bombs onto the transformer yard, turning in into a junkyard, while Mason and Regan walked their Mark-83s across the two large fuel tanks, storage buildings, and the admin area. Two more large fireballs followed, as the A-6s followed their CO's way out.

As the A-6s went in on their runs, the two Freelancers Tomcats were busy with MiGs. Two MiG-25s came out of Al Taqaddum, while two MiG-29s that had been on a CAP came right in. LCDR Trent Powers and LT Shannon Mitchell in Freelancer 205 led LT Shane Vansen and LT David “Taco” Bell in 208 onto the two Fulcrums. Powers and Mitchell locked up the MiG leader at only fifteen miles,well within both AIM-120 and AA-10 Alamo range, and both fired. The MiG radars were among those being jammed by the Prowler as the lead MiG ate a Slammer, with the fiery remnants of the MiG coming down in a neighborhood just south of Baghdad.

Vansen and Bell in 209, meanwhile, got into a turning fight with the wingman, in full view of the population of southern Baghdad. She got in behind the MiG and got Sidewinder lock, putting an AIM-9R into him. That sent him down onto Highway 8, and 209's crew watched as the pilot ejected just before impact, then they turned to meet the two MiG-25s coming in.

Both Foxbats came in at Mach 2, intending to back up, then avenge, the Fulcrums. Vansen and Bell managed to lock up the leader for a Phoenix launch at 40 miles, and that MiG took a double shot, with two AIM-54s turning the Foxbat into a fireball, which then plunged to earth.

The wingman saw what happened to his leader, and tried to turn away. Just as he did, Powers and Mitchell took a single Phoenix shot at 35 miles, which blotted the MiG out of the sky in a fireball. That far away for both kills, no one saw chutes.

Additional MiGs were scrambling, but the Tomcat crews looked at their fuel gauges, and that decided the issue. They got back down low, along with the Prowler and the three remaining Hornets-which had backstopped the Tomcats, headed out to pick up the A-6s.

Reforming northeast of Hillah, the package, minus one, headed south to the Euphrates. Once clear of the river, they climbed to altitude and headed for the Saudi border and the tanker track. After refueling, and the tankers' crews knew by now never to ask what had happened to a missing aircraft, the package returned to CV-63, trapping just after 1400.

Although the Dragons' CO had not been seen to eject, CDR Runyan was still listed as MIA for the time being. It was pointed out that there had been times in previous wars where aircraft had been seen to blow apart, and yet, crew had survived. In the meantime, the Dragons' XO, who had just been promoted to Commander a few days earlier, was notified, and CDR Paul Lazier became the new CO of the Golden Dragons.

Next up was another VA-115 strike, and this one again had the CO taking it. This time, it would be a return trip to the Shayka Mazar Military Logistics Center, southeast of the air base of the same name and still within the MEZ. The news of the loss of the Golden Dragons' CO was a reminder to the aircrews that every time they went into the MEZ, let alone Baghdad itself, they were stirring up a hornet's nest, and every so often, someone got stung. This time, they would be going in right behind an Air Force and RAAF strike on the airfield itself, and there would be both AF MIGCAP and EF-111 support, and the blue-suiters were told that those elements would have to wait for the Navy to do their thing before egressing. CDR Compton took four Eagles A-6s, each with sixteen Mark-82s, while the Dambusters had four Hornets for the IRON HAND side, with two Blackknight Tomcats and a Gauntlet Prowler rounding things out. After a reminder about complacency and the still-dangerous MEZ, the package was on the cats and away at 1400, just as the Knighthawk strike package was entering the pattern.

The package ingressed via Saudi as usual, and this time, as they hit the tankers, Skipper Compton found the AF package they were following had just left. After refueling, the Navy strike went in past Najaf and Diwaniya, when they went down low for the run-in and strike, getting down to 450 Feet AGL. Watching for obstacles such as masts and smokestacks, the crews eventually picked up Freeway 1, before crossing it and heading northeast.

Their RWRs picked up numerous radars active in the MEZ, which wasn't a surprise, then more radars as Shayka Mazar AB got closer, for an SA-2 and the base defense SA-3 came up, along with several SA-8s. As F-15F Weasels went to work on the SAM-suppression mission, and the EF-111 began jamming, the Navy also went in, with the Prowler also climbing to add its ECM to the picture, while CDR McMurphy's four Hornets went after the SAM and AAA around the supply base. There, there was an SA-2 that had been hit earlier, but had been repaired, for it promptly launched two missiles.

McMurphy herself sent a HARM after the SA-2, which just as promptly shut down, but she and her wingmate LTJG Ellison went in with Rockeyes, and both put a pair of CBUs on the site, wrecking it.A 57-mm radar-guided site also came up, and that ate another HARM, this one from Ellison, who also added Rockeyes to knock out the site.

The second pair of Hornets followed their CO in, and both found a ZU-23 site and a pair of ZPU-4 (14.5-mm quad machine-gun mounts) sites for their Rockeyes to hit. Though all four Hornets drew MANPADs shots, none connected, and CDR McMurphy cleared the A-6s to come in.

Skipper Compton took the Eagles Intruders in,just as both AF and RAAF F-111s were coming off target at the air base. Ignoring the flak from the base, with the occasional SA-8 shot in visual mode as well, he concentrated on his bomb run, finding several undamaged warehouses among many that hadn't been hit. Compton put his Mark-82s onto the buildings, and several secondaries resulted. His wingmates, Lowell and Eversole in 511, followed the Skipper in, and they, too, found warehouses for their Mark-82s, sending them up as well. Both A-6s cleared the target despite drawing small-arms fire, some 23-mm flak, and MANPADS.

LCDR Cole in the CAG bird, 500, then took his second element in, and LT Greer, his B/N, found revetted storage areas, with either ammo or fuel drums in the revetments. Their Mark-82s sent several of the latter up in oily fireballs, while others filled with ammo had “multiple” secondaries cooking off. Right behind them was Morris and Caroll in 507, and they, too, put their bombs into revetted storage, with similar results. Like the Skipper, the second element drew light flak and MANPADS, but both A-6s, like the lead element, got clear and headed south.

While the F-15s from the AF MiGCAP were busy, summarily dealing with two late-scrambling MiG-21s from Shayka Mazar that tried to launch as the F-111s came in, the two Freelancer Tomcats found themselves engaged as well, with LT Ken Rawlings and LTJG Dave Randall in Freelancer 205, and LTJGs Christine Perry and Gary Andersen in 211.

AWACS warned of threats inbound from both Al Iskandariyah and Baghdad International, and the Tomcats turned to meet the threat. Two Mirage F-1s that had come down with the 102nd Fighter Squadron from the Mosul area scrambled out of Iskandariyah, and as they did, the Mirages were engaged. Rawlings was able to lock up one of the Mirages at 30 miles, and as the Iraqis climbed out on burner, he shot a pair of AIM-120s. Both Slammers ate up the distance, fireballing the Mirage and sending him down onto Highway 8.

The second Mirage managed a Doppler Break, before turning back in, despite the 1v2 odds. Perry managed to get a Slammer lock at 17 miles, then she took the shot. Her first shot missed, but a second shot at 12 miles was more successful, exploding the Mirage just as he was shooting a pair of Super 530 AAMs at 211. Shorn of radar guidance, both missiles “went ballistic”and flew clear of the Tomcat.

Just as the second Mirage was hit, two MiG-29s came in from Baghdad, headed for the F-14s. Perry and Andersen got Phoenix lock, and took a shot at 45 miles. This time, there was no need for a second, for the lead MiG fireballed. His wingman was more fortunate, for he turned, performing another Doppler Break, then he turned for the safety of Baghdad. With the AF and Navy strike elements now clear of their targets-and the AF having dealt with another pair of MiG-21s from Shayka Mazar, the Tomcats followed the rest of the package out of the area.

The Navy package reformed well south of the target, to the east of Hillah, before heading back to the border. Once clear of the Euphrates, they picked up the AF as they climbed to altitude, and both packages hit the tankers. After refueling, both headed for their respective bases, with the Navy package hitting the pattern for CV-63 at 1745, and trapping just after.

CVW-5's final strategic strike also went to Baghdad, and once again, it was the Eagles who drew the mission. CDR Wiser took four A-6s, four Dambusters Hornets, two VF-154 Tomcats and another Prowler-the same aircraft and crews that had flown the Musaybb-Hindiyah POL strike-against the Al Haytham Missile R&D Facility, just north of Baghdad proper on Highway 1. While planning the mission, CAG's Ops Officer pointed out that the only real way out was right over Central Baghdad. Since it was nothing that they hadn't done previously-especially when most of the crews involved had hit Baghdad's main rail yard the day before Uday had been whacked, and they had gone out practically the same way. The crews simply shrugged, accepting it as part of the strike.

Launch was at 1530, and just as it had been before, the package went in via Saudi. They, too, encountered the previous package as it was returning to the ship, and a few waggles of wings followed. The tanker track followed, and the birds hooked up with the tankers. As they did, they saw the welcome sight of RSAF F-15s and Typhoons orbiting nearby, making sure no Iraqi-or even Soviet-fighters got anywhere near the vulnerable tankers and other High-Value assets.

After refueling, the strike package went in, and as usual, they got down low, but this time, they were west of Najaf when they did so, coming in now at 500 Feet AGL. They crossed Lake Milh, and as they approached Lake Habbiniyah, the crews noticed the MEZ radars to the northeast going up. Unkown to anyone in the package, the RAF, French, and USAF were hitting the Fallujah III CW plant-which, among other things, made Castor Oil and thus Ricin-thus the radars going up.

With the radars up as they approached the lake, the XO took his A-6s down to 400 Feet AGL, and the rest of the package followed. After clearing the lake, they headed north to a cluster of buildings south of Lake Tharthar, giving the dam, hydropower plant, and the Palace/VIP Recreational Complex a decent berth. After turning right at the building cluster, the strike birds headed east to a quarry, which was familiar to them from the Rail Yard strike, then they turned for a pair of radio masts, which was their IP for the run on Baghdad.

CDR Wiser gave the Strike Commit call, and CDR Evision took her Hornets in, while LT Patterson's two Tomcats climbed for the TARCAP, while the Prowler also climbed to give its jamming maximum effect. As they did, the defenses began to react.

Numerous SAM and AAA radars came up, and Evison's Hornets shot HARM at several, with the Taji SA-2 taking one, and an SA-3 just south of the Army Airfield taking another. The former failed to shut down, eating the missile, but no one was sure about the SA-3, which also went off the air. Evison herself went in on the SA-3 with Rockeyes, putting two on the site to knock it out, while her wingmate, LT Chris Roberts, found a 37-mm site near the strike target, which took a couple of Rockeyes in the process.

The second pair of Hornets found the Baghdad North SA-10, which had been knocked out on THUNDER Day, 28 April, but one of the Hornet drivers noticed activity at the site, which received a pair of CBUs. They also found another SA-3 site west of the target, and though this site had not turned on its radar, it shot a missile in optical mode, which missed. The missile crew found themselves on the wrong side of two Rockeyes, which wrecked the site.

As the Hornets pulled up, the A-6s went on in. The Intruders climbed to 750 Feet AGL for the run-in, and they each had six Mark-83s with Snakeye retarders for the target. CDR Wiser picked up Highway One just south of Taji, and followed the road to the target. After a slight course adjustment, he picked up the target, and LT Porter called the Hack. The XO released his bombs, and just after he did, LT Rivers in 509 did the same. Their bombs all landed in the target compound, blasting several buildings, and as they pulled away, the two A-6s headed south, right over Baghdad. The XO's element skirted Al-Muthena AB, to the surprise of the Iraqi AF personnel there, then found the remnants of the Victory Arch complex before picking up Highway 8 and heading out of the city.As they did, they drew heavy, but inaccurate, flak as the A-6s headed out, with CDR Evision's element right with them.

Right being the CO was LCDR Carpenter's element, and they, too,picked out the target. Though visually obscured by smoke and flames, the B/Ns in both aircraft picked out aimpoints through their FLIR systems, and both A-6s came in, adding their bombs to what the XO's element had delivered. Carpenter's two A-6s followed the XO's pair out, and had the same flak coming up as they did, with the second pair of F/A-18s on their right wing.

Unknown to any of the strike crews, they had quite a few witnesses to their air show over Baghdad. The International Press Corps at the Palestine Hotel was watching from the rooftop, and the news cameras caught the A-6s and F/A-18s as they buzzed Baghdad's skyline, with the flak an added fireworks show. They wouldn't find out until much later-as in after the war later, that not only had the head of the Soviet Military Advisory Mission and his staff been watching from the rooftop of the Soviet Embassy, but even the Iraqi Dictator himself, along with his Defense Minister and Military Intelligence Chief, had watched the whole thing from one of his palaces. The Defense Minister said after the war that “To say that President Saddam was displeased was, shall we say, a major understatement.”

As CDR Evison's Hornets followed the first pair of Intruders out, they ran into the second pair of four MiG-23s that had scrambled hurredly from Al-Rashid AB. Both Evison and Roberts locked up the MiGs with AIM-120. The two Hornet drivers took their shots, with Evison's Slammer exploding the MiG wingman and sending him down onto the east bank of the Tigris River. Her wingmate shot just after the MiG wingman went down, killing the leader in a fireball and sending him down into the river itself.

After the A-6s and Hornets cleared, the Tomcats and Prowler headed on out, only they were at their CAP altitude, and they simply roared over Baghdad at about 10,000 feet. Once clear of the city, they did get back down low, picking up the Intruders and Hornets south of the city as they headed south between Highway 8 and Freeway 1.

After reforming, the package continued south, picking up the Euphrates southeast of Najaf. There, they climbed to altitude and headed for the Saudi Border and the tanker track. There, silhoutted against the setting sun, the birds drank the fuel needed to get back to the ship, and crews turned on formation and cockpit lights. The flight back to the ship was anticlamatic, and Kitty Hawk began taking the birds aboard at 1820, bringing a close to major flight ops for the day.

Low-key flight ops continued until Midnight, with CAP and SUCAP supplementing CVW-9 and Nimitz. For the rest of the aircrews, wakeup came at 0430 as usual, and after breakfast and briefings in their ready rooms, they got ready for another day of combat ops. The first packages were briefed and on the cats by 0600, as another day in the KTO got started.

[jemhouston]

Iowa Class Classic Grid Square Removal since 1940s.

[Wolfman]

Nice work, Matt.

[Matt Wiser]

And the next update, as the weather in the KTO goes down the crapper....



The dawn of 20 May was bright and clear as the first package got onto the cats, but the aircrews were concerned. For they had been told in their mission briefs that a major sandstorm was coming in from the west, and this one promised to be worse than the last one. Still, the crews got on with it, as CENTAF wanted to get in as much air activity as possible before the weather closed things down.

First off was CDR Compton, the VA-115 Skipper, taking four Eagles A-6s, four Hornets from VFA-192, a pair of Freelancer Tomcats, and a single VAQ-136 Prowler to the Kut West Military Logistical Center, just west of the Ubaydah Bin Al Jarra Airfield.With the PGM shortage, the A-6s each had sixteen Mark-82s to hit either warehouses or revetted storage, while the Hornets had their usual SEAD loadout. HARMs and Mavericks were still in decent supply, but the Golden Dragons' pilots decided to make more than a few phony “MAGNUM” calls to keep the defenders' SAM sites quiet, and keep the HARMs for actual threats. The Prowler had three ECM pods and two fuel tanks, while the Tomcats now had a four each of Sidewinder and AIM-120, conserving the available Phoenix supply.

Launch was right at 0600 on the dot, and after forming up, CDR Compton took the pacakge in via Kuwait Bay and the Faw Peninsula. As they crossed Faw, the crews saw several Iranian CH-47 Chinooks, escorted by AH-1s, going to and from the still contested city of Faw, where the remaining Iraqi defenders were being rooted out, one building at a time. After passing Faw and skirting Basra to the West, between the city and the Iranian border, the crews also noted two Iranian F-4Es watching them from the Iranian side, and flying parallel to the strike package. Once clear of Amarra, and a turn west towards Kut, the F-4s turned back, while the Navy birds headed for their target.

As the package headed towards Kut, several radars came up, while AWACS warned of bandits. The Prowler began jamming as an SA-2 and and SA-3 came up. Both had been attacked before, but the Iraqis had evidently made repairs, for both sites' missile radars went active.

The Golden Dragons went in, led by their Ops Officer, LCDR Don White. Two HARMs were soon in the air, and one of them killed the Fan Song at the SA-2, while the SA-3 shut down to avoid taking the HARM. As the Hornets orbited south of Kut, two SA-8s from the airfield came up, and HARMs went after them as well, killing one and forcing the other to shut down. The Hornets then went after several AAA sites near the target, knocking out a pair of 37-mm sites and a 57-mm battery with Rockeye CBUs.

While the Hornets were on their IRON HAND mission, the Tomcats were busy as two MiG-23s scrambled from Ubaydah Bin Al Jarrah. Unkown to the crews, the Iraqis had redeployed aircraft from fields that were threatened by the ground forces' advance, such as Shoibah, Jaliabah, and Talil. The MiG-23s had arrived the previous night from Shoibah, and now scrambled to intercept the incoming strike.

The Freelancers were led by the team of LCDR Trent Powers and LTJG Shannon Mitchell in 205, with LT Shane Vansen and LT David “Taco” Bell in 208. It was Vansen who picked up the MiGs, and she took the lead, wth Powers supporting 208. She picked up one of the two Floggers and shot a Slammer at only 20 miles, killing the MiG as it shot two AA-7s at 208. Both of the Iraqi weapons flew wide of their mark, as Powers and Mitchell locked up the wingman and fired their first Slammer at 15 miles. The MiG driver executed a Doppler Break, forcing the APG-71 to break lock, but as he turned back in, a second AIM-120 at 10 miles scored, exploding the MiG and sending him down. Seeing that, the base commander at Al Jarrah kept a pair of MiG-23s and a pair of MiG-25s that were ready to scramble on the ground.

With the way now clear, CDR Compton took the A-6s in. They drew “heavy, but inaccurate” flak as the AAA sites that had radar wisely turned them off to avoid either jamming or a HARM. The Eagles Skipper picked out warehouses and both he and his wingman, now LT Todd Eversole, made their runs, releasing their bombs despite the flak, and showered the warehouses with thirty-two Mark-82s, and as the Skipper and his wingie pulled away, they could see multiple secondary explosions in their wake as “bombs and warehouse contents violently disagreed.”

LCDR Don Cole in the CAG bird again, along with Morris and Carroll in 507, followed the Skipper in, and they picked out revetted storage for their ordnance. They, too, drew the flak, and more than a few MANPADS, but none of the defensive fire connected, for both A-6s made their runs and cleared the target. They, too, saw numerous secondaries as Mark-82s exploded a number of revetments, leading them to believe that ammo was stored in those.

After the Intruders cleared the target, the Hornets went in, expending remaining Mark-82s or Rockeyes on the warehouses and revetments, and the Golden Dragons were also rewarded with secondaries as they pulled away.

The strike package reformed southeast of Kut, and as on ingress, the Iranians watched the egress, with two F-4s monitoring the Navy package as it flew south towards the Gulf. When the package went Feet Wet, the F-4s turned and headed back, while the Navy birds headed for CV-63, trapping just after 0800.

CDR Amanda Lowry led the 0630 package, with four of her Nighthawks A-6s, four more Golden Dragons Hornets, two Freelancer Tomcats, and a Gauntlets Prowler after the Al Hartha POL storage, north of Basra on Highway 6. Though the target had been hit previously, with the large, fixed tanks having been hit, the Iraqis were making use of revetted storage with fuel drums and rubber fuel bladders. In addition, there were also numerous fuel trucks visible on overhead imagery, ensuring the depot's coming back up on the target list.

After launch, the package formed up and headed north, and as the strike birds passed Kuwait Bay, the crews saw the New Jersey, still tossing 16-inch shells into Iraqi positions west of Faw. Once they went Feet Dry, the crews saw the usual Iranian shadows, this time two F-5Es, following them from the Iranian side of the border, along with a stream of Iranian helicopters, both Chinooks and Bell 214s with AH-1J escort, going into and out of Faw itself.

The package flew east of Basra, and actually flew past the target before doing a 180 and coming in. As they did, several radars came up, both SAM and AAA, and this was a surprise. It wouldn't be found out until later, but elements of the Iraqi III Corps air defense brigade had been redeployed from the Basra area, a sign that the Iraqis were pulling back north.

With the radars-two SA-8 and at least one SA-6-coming up, the Prowler went to work. Pumping out ECM, the radars were blinded as LCDR Mike Brazelton's Hornets went in, putting HARMs into the air. The SA-8s shut down, but the SA-6 ate a HARM, as did two AAA radars. The Hornets then came in with Rockeyes, hitting not just the disabled SA-6 and the radar-guided 57-mm sites, but also hitting a pair of sites housing ZPU-4 quad 14.5-mm machine-gun mounts. When the Hornets pulled clear, they also drew MANPADS shots, with SA-7s or SA-14s coming up.

As the Hornets pulled away, CDR Lowry took her A-6s in, and they found out the Hornets had stirred up a nest of the beasts. Not just the medium-caliber 57-mm from surviving guns, but a site whose radar had stayed off came up as well, along with two 37-mm sites manned by reservists. Ignoring the flak, the Intruders came in, while the Hornets went back down on the flak sites that had now revealed themselves.

Skipper Lowry's element came in, and she and her wingmate, LT Melissa Daniels, put their sixteen Mark-82s into the center of the dump, and numerous oily fireballs erupted as the Mark-82s found fuel drums and tanks. Both Intruders got clear, despite the flak, and Daniels and her B/N had a scare as an SA-7 or SA-14 flew down the starboard side of 535.

With the Skipper's element clear, the second pair, led by LT John Collett in 537 with LTJG Darlene Wilson in 540, went in. They, too, drew a lot of flak, but it was inaccurate, though 540's crew drew an SA-8 shot in optical mode. Both A-6 crews added to the bombs the lead pair had laid down, and both pulled clear.

The only ones who were disappointed were the Tomcat crews, who were expecting either a reaction from Kut, or from other fields to the Northwest. With the Iraqis not choosing to play this time, the crews called SAM warnings before CDR Lowry called the egress, and the two Tomcats headed south to join up with the rest of the package.

After clearing the target area, the package reformed just north of Basra proper, and headed south, taking the same way out as they had in. Just as on ingress, the Iranians had their usual shadows, F-4s this time, watching the package as they egressed out of Iraq.

Once clear of the Faw Peninsula, the Prowler broke off to assume a standoff jamming role for strikes going into the Basra-Zubayr area, while the rest of the package returned to Kitty Hawk. The trip back to the ship was uneventful, and the birds began trapping at 0740.

After the first two major strikes launched, CAS and BAI runs took over. Those had several mini-package efforts going into the Basra-Zubayr area, the Rumallah Oil Fields and the roads leading to the causeway. Several also went on the roads towards both Jaliabah airfield and An Nasiriyah. The crews noticed that the Iraqis were conducting what appeared to be a fighting withdraw north, not a bug-out similar to that in 1991. While the Navy, along with the AF and Marines, put their strikes in, it looked like X Corps had halted. It wasn't until crews on CAS or BAI returned to the ship that they found out what was in store.

The Eagles had the next package lead, with the XO taking the Salman Pak South C3 site, southeast of Baghdad.. This target was one of several C3 sites in and around Salman Pak and Madain, and were well within the MEZ. CDR Wiser noted the target's location, near a bend in the Tigris River and north of Shayka Mazar airfield, and requested additional F-14s or Hornets for TARCAP. Two additional Tomcats were added to the strike, but the Exec was disappointed to have no extra Hornets. An Air Force strike against a target in the same area would have their F-15s and Weasel F-16s, and those would also be around to back up the Tomcats and the IRON HAND F/A-18s if needed. It would be four Eagles A-6s, four Dambusters Hornets, a Gauntlets Prowler, and four Tomcats from the Black Knights.

Launch was at 0845, after several of the crews on the strike had returned from CAS or BAI runs. After forming up and then refueling at the Gulf Tanker Track, they headed in over the beach. Ingress was via the eastern route, along the Iranian border and the Tigris. As usual, the Iranians tailed the strike package from their side of the border, with two F-4s on this occasion. Once the strike birds got past Amarrah, the F-4s turned back into Iran, and the Navy package headed deeper into Iraqi airspace.

Once clear of the Kut area, the crews noticed numerous radars coming up on their EW displays, and that meant the Baghdad MEZ was coming up. The strike birds got down low, while the Tomcats and the Hornets went in at medium level, all blinded (hopefully) by the Prowler. Unknown to the Navy crews, the Air Force was actually going in on Shayka Mazar Airfield itself, and an accompanying EF-111 was already putting out electrons, while the Weasel F-15s had HARMs in the air.

As the package approached Salman Pak, several SAM and radar-guided AAA sites came up. While the Tomcats assumed their TARCAP, LCDR Kathy Evison's Hornets went in on their IRON HAND mission, and the Hornets found themselves very engaged, with the Air Force having stirred up the defenses. Though the Baghdad South SA-10 was still down, the Baghdad East site did come up, along with a nearby SA-5 site. The Prowler sent a blast of ECM after both, while LCDR Kathy Evison's Dambusters went in after the SAMs and radar-guided AAA.

Evison and her wingmate, LT Chris Roberts,went in after two 57-mm sites after shooting HARM at the SA-10 and the -5. They laid down Rockeyes on the sites, knocking out several guns, but as they pulled away, noticed that one or two guns in each site were still shooting. They also drew some 23-mm and 37-mm flak, which FLT Ron Fraser, the Squadron's RAAF exchange officer, took his element down on, killing a 37-mm site and a 23-mm one as well. HARMs went into the air from both elements as an SA-8 from Shayka Mazar shot from across the Tigris, which shut down, along with both an SA-2 and an SA-3.The SA-2 site near Salman Pak East airfield took a HARM and went off the air, while the SA-3 shut near Salman Pak itself shut down also to avoid taking the missile.

Once the Hornets went in and cleared the way, the A-6s came in, just as the AF strike on Shayka Mazar was going out. CDR Wiser's lead element each had six Mark-83s for the primary target, the C3 building. The XO's two A-6s took flak on the way in from a 37-mm site, but it was optically guided and “poorly aimed.” Both CDR Wiser and LT Rivers, his wingmate, put their Mark-83s onto the primary target, wrecking it. As the two A-6s pulled clear and headed back southeast, the crews watched in horror as an F-16, one of the last aircraft in on the AF strike, took a hit and fireballed. Though no one saw a chute, a beeper was heard, and the crews knew that whoever the aviator was, he or she was going to be captured as the MEZ was a “No-Go” for CSAR forces. Both Intruders cleared the target area without incident, however, despite both flak and MANPADS.

The second pair of A-6s were LCDR Tony Carpenter's element. The Eagles Ops Officer led LT Chris Knapp in on the target, and they found the primary target obscured by clouds of debris, dust, and smoke. Instead, the two B/Ns, LT Karla Jefferson and LTJG Mike Shelton respectively, found a large support building inside the compound and that structure took the pair's Mark-83s, leveling it. They, too, drew flak on the way in and on the way out, along with MANPADS, but cleared the target area and followed the XO's element out.

While the A-6s were servicing the target, the IrAF came into the picture. There had been a scramble in response to the strike on Shayka Mazar, with the defenders sending in four MiG-21s from Al Iskandariyah and two MiG-23s from Al Rashid, and the F-15s on TARCAP had downed three of the former and both of the latter. Now, to confront the Navy, two more MiG-21s came in, bringing with them two MiG-29s from Saddam IAP, with two MiG-25s that had been on a CAP west of Baghdad for good measure.

The Black Knights on TARCAP responded, as LT Jacqui Patterson and LT Debbie Mobley in 104 led LT Conway and LT Freeman in 110 against the cloest threads, the two Fulcrums. Both picked up the MiGs at 40 miles as they climbed out and turned east, and quickly gained lock-on. AIM-120Cs followed, with Patterson and Bradley shooting at 30 miles, still BVR but with the target locked in the TCS system. The Slammer missed, to their surprise, but a second shot at 22 miles scored, sending the MiG down. The wingman did a Doppler Break before turning back in, but Conway and Freeman got lock at 22 miles and took two shots. Both scored, and the wingman plunged into the Tigris River.

The MiG-21s kept coming in, and as they closed, two of them turned for the Hornets. Evison and Roberts turned their F/A-18Es onto the threat, Both Hornets locked up the lead pair, and shot their Slammers at 15 miles. The MiG leader took a hit from Roberts' Slammer and fireballed, while his wingman tried to evade at the last moment. He took a proximity shot from Evison's missile, and though the MiG crashed, this time, the pilot managed to punch out.

The other two MiG-21s saw their two colleagues go down, and both performed Doppler Breaks. The Hornets lost lock as they did, and AWACS advised the Hornet drivers that the MiGs were turning away.

While the MiG-21s were engaged, two MiG-25s came into the picture. Unlike previous occasions, the F-14s this day had no AIM-54s loaded, with a four Sidewinder-four Slammer load. That didn't dissuade Patterson and Conway, for as the second pair of Tomcats maintained a CAP to block a scramble out of Al-Rashid or Al-Muthena, they confronted the Foxbats. With a call over GUARD “Tomcat Girls here, ready to play?” the F-14s closed in.

The RIOs were able to work their controls, and gained lock at over 40 miles. With the MiGs closing in at over Mach 1.5, it was close, but the Tomcats both shot at just under 40 miles. Both crews took double shots, with Patterson's and Bradleys two Slammers scoring, turning the MiG into a fireball. His wingman, seeing his leader turn into fiery wreckage and no chute, turned, attempting a Doppler Break, and this time, he succeeded, for he managed to break lock and avoid the two AIM-120s sent his way.

The Tomcats though, couldn't pursue, as that would take them deeper into the MEZ with no support, and with the A-6s and Hornets clear, broke off and headed back southeast. The second pair of Tomcats, covering Al-Rashid, were not engaged, but they were the last to leave apart from the Prowler.

As the package reformed at altitude to head back out the crews saw the wall of sand that was closing in. Though briefed on it prior to launch, and most had been in the air when another sandstorm had come a few days earlier, this one was bigger, they felt. As usual, the package had a pair of Iranian tails on that side of the border as they went past Amarrah, with two more F-4s watching them until they cleared the Faw Peninsula. Once clear of the Peninsula, they overflew the North SAR Station before returning to Kitty Hawk, trapping just before Noon.

During the morning, crews went out and came back, everyone was talking about the wall of sand that was visible to the west. To those who had seen it, it was a good deal bigger than the previous one, and that storm had caused an overnight stand-down from flight ops. It wouldn't be the same this time, for a midmorning weather update, along with warnings from both TF-77 and CENTAF, meant that flight ops would stand down sometime in the afternoon, and were expected to remain shut down for at least two days. Nobody liked hearing that the Iraqis were going to get a break from the weather, but for aircrew, it meant a well-deserved rest, while maintenance crews would be able to give the aircraft some more TLC than usual. Until CENTAF called things off, the pressure on Saddam's forces would still be kept up, with an increase in the Optempo until the call came from CENTAF.

Next out of the box for a strategic strike was VA-185 and CDR Adam Yoshida, the Knighthawks' XO, had the next one. He took four Knighthawk Intruders, four Golden Dragons Hornets, four Freelancer Tomcats, and a Gauntlet Prowler to the sprawling Mahawil Military Base Area in the southern area of the Baghdad MEZ. Not only was this the prewar home of the 10th “Saladin” Armored Division, and housed a major logistical center, the facility also was the HQ of the 223rd Missile Brigade, and supported the brigade's Scud launches. On this day, the primary targets were the missile related facilities, with training and support facilites, missile storage warehouses, and revetted storage for missile fuel and for warheads.

The package took the 0900 launch, and as the aircraft formed up, the crews noticed Nimitz and her escorts already setting a course for the Southern Gulf. Ingress was via Saudi, and as the Navy package got to the tanker track south of the border, crews saw an Air Force package leave the track and head north, while another package came in (unknown to CDR Yoshida and his people, this was the Shayka Mazar mission that that VA-115 had come in behind at Salman Pak). The Navy refueled, then headed in at medium level.

At a point east of Najaf, the package dropped down low, crossing Highway 8 east of Hillah, where the Prowler broke away and climbed back to altitude and began sending blasts of ECM against the radars in the MEZ. Then the Tomcats did the same to assume a TARCAP against scrambles out of either Iskandariyah, Saddam IAP, Al Rashid, or even Al-Taqaddum and Habbiniyah to the west.

Dragons Skipper CDR Colleen “China B” McMurphy's Hornets went in on the IRON HAND mission, and as they did, numerous radars came up, despite the ECM from the Prowler. A HARM took care of the Latifiya East SA-2, while SA-2s at Musaybb and at Mahawil also had HARMs directed at them,with the former shutting down, and the latter eating the HARM as it fired two missiles in the general direction of the Prowler.

CDR McMurphy and LTJG Bryan Ellison, her wingmate, then went in on a pair of radar-guided flak sites near the target. Both 57-mm sites ate HARMs, then both Hornets followed up with Rockeye drops. They also took care of a 37-mm site just south of the target, along with a nearby 23-mm site, before climbing to altitude to back up the Tomcats.

The second pair of Hornets were also busy, sending HARMs after the Shayka Mazar SA-3 that came up. The first HARM “went dumb”, but the second found the Low Blow radar and killed it. The two Hornets then found a 57-mm site and a pair of 37-mm ones for their Rockeyes, neutralizing all three before climbing to backup the Tomcats along with their CO.

CDR Yoshida's A-6s came in, and each Intruder had sixteen Mark-82s for the target. In spite of the Hornets' efforts, there was still quite a bit of light and medium-caliber flak as the Knighthawk crews went in on their bomb runs. Yoshida in 532 and LT Ellis, his wingmate in 539, found the Brigade HQ and support area for their Mark-82s, with several bombs wrecking the HQ building, and severe damage to other structures in the HQ area, A bonus was a pair of large secondary explosions, which signaled (hopefully) a Scud and launcher going up. Both A-6s cleared the target and headed south, picking up the Euphrates, despite drawing flak and MANPADS.

The second pair came in, with LT Collett and and LT Meridith in 533 and LTJG Wilson and LCDR Regan in 540. Collett and Meridith picked out several warehouses for their Mark-82s and dropped, but despite the bombs ripping several warehouses apart, no secondaries resulted. The pair of Wilson and Regan in 540, though, picked out revetted storage, and laid their bombs on those revetments. They were rewarded with numerous secondaries going off, most likely stored missile fuel or possibly warheads as they cleared the target. Both A-6s drew flak and several MANPADS shots, but they, too, got clear and headed for the Euphrates.

Unlike the AF strike at Shayka Mazar and VA-115's mission to Salman Pak, no serious MiG opposition developed. Two MiG-21s from Iskandariyah New, however, did scramble to challenge the strike, and these two MiGs were smart, coming in low to try and avoid the Tomcats. They didn't expect the Hornets, however, and CDR McMurphy's element found both MiGs north of the target area.

The Dragons Skipper and her wingmate both picked up the two MiG-21s coming in low and fast, and some quick work in the cockpit had AIM-120 lock-on at just under 15 miles. Both Hornet drivers took their shots, with Skipper McMurphy's shot scoring the MiG wingman just east of Musaybb, sending him down with no chute, whle Ellison's first shot missed.

As the wingman smashed into the ground, the MiG leader pulled up and turned, perhaps hoping to draw the Hornets into the Musaybb SA-2 site. The Hornets didn't bite, forcing the MiG back in, and Ellison picked him up first. This time, a Slammer shot at nearly visual range found its mark, turning the MiG into a fireball and sending what remained of him into the Euphrates.

When the A-6s called clear, the Tomcats and Hornets got back low and headed south, picking up the Prowler as they did so. The package reformed east of Najaf, before climbing back to altitude for the trip back to the border and the tankers.

Post-strike refueling was routine, but as the strike package turned for the trip back to the ship, the sandstorm was most obvious as crews saw the wall of sand moving from west to east. Seeing that meant that the Saudi route into Iraq was now closed for the time being, and that it wouldn't be long before all air ops in-country were going to shut down.

With that, the package returned to Kitty Hawk, and after forming up in the pattern, trapped just after 1300.


Despite the sandstorm coming in, CAG wanted to get in as many strikes over the beach as possible before the weather truly closed in and shut down air ops. With that, the next package off the cats was led by VA-185's Skipper CDR Compton, with four Golden Dragons Hornets, two Freelancer Tomcats, and a VAQ-136 Prowler went for a return visit to the Numiniyah Military Logistics Center. The facility had been struck several times in the past, but the sprawling complex had barely been dented, while the PGM shortage meant that most of the storage bunkers in the complex had not been hit. Thus, the dozen Mark-82s each the A-6s were packing would go for either warehouses or revetted storage.

The mission launched just after Noon, and after forming up and then hitting the Gulf Tanker Track, headed for the beach. On the way in, the aircrews noticed the three amphibious ships that had brought the 15th MEU, including Makin Island, heading south along with their own escorts, while the battleship New Jersey was still on station, throwing 16-inch shells against the Iraqis holed up on the east side of the Zubayr River, some of whom had been shelling the Marines and Kiwis along the Zubayr-Umm Qasr road, Highway 26,

As the strike package flew up the Shatt-al-Arab, they picked up their usual tail from the Iranians, with two F-5Es providing the shadow this time. As usual by now, the F-5s turned back once the strikers went north of Amarra and turned west, deeper into Iraqi airspace. Shorn of their shadows, the strike birds flew just north of the Tigris River and Highway 6, and it wasn't long until Kut came into view, and the defenses for not just the military garrisons, but Ubadayh Bin Al Jarrah AB as well.

Numerous radars came up, with the SA-2 site back operational, along with one of the two SA-3s, and several SA-8s around the airfield. The Prowler began jamming, and sent a HARM after the SA-2, while CDR McMurphy's Hornets also had HARMs in the air. The SA-2 site shut down, as did most of the SA-8s, but one SA-8 track took a HARM, as did the SA-3 site.

Despite this, the package continued on to Numiniyah, and as they did, several radar-guided AAA sites came up. A 57-mm site near the target drew a HARM shot, as the Hornets went in to put Rockeyes onto not just that particular site, but also serviced a pair of 37-mm sites and a 23-mm site near the Numiniyah airfield. That field had been reported as unservicable, but as CDR McMurphy went in to put a pair of Rockeyes on the 23-mm site, she saw a number of aircraft parked on it, and a low-level, high speed pass showed them to be operational. That call brought the Tomcats in to handle TARCAP not just for Al Jarrah, but also Numiniyah.

McMurphy then called in the A-6s. The Eagles Skipper took his A-6s in at medium altitude, but as they dived onto the target, the Intruders still drew light-and medium-caliber flak, and several MANPADS as well. CDR Compton and his wingmate, Eversole, each found several warehouses for their Mark-82s. However, the crews were disappointed to see no secondaries as they pulled away from the target, though they did see not just tracers, but at least three SA-7s or SA-14s chasing them out.

The second element, LCDR Cole with LT Morris, came in thirty seconds later, and they aimed for some of the revetted storage. They laid down their Mark-82s, and this time, the crews were rewarded with multiple secondaries as the contents of the revetments disagreed with the Mark-82s. They, too, drew both flak and MANPADs as they egressed to the southeast, picking up the Skipper's element as they did so.

As the A-6s went in, the Iraqis responded from both fields. Two MiG-21s that had come down from the north began their takeoff roll as the lead A-6 element cleared the target. CDR McMurphy's pair of Hornets went in on the MiGs as they got wheels up and headed south, trying to pick up the two A-6s.

The MiGs never had the chance, for McMurphy locked the leader up with a Sidewinder, sending an AIM-9X into the MiG, sending him down into some farmland southeast of the base. As she did, LTJG Ellison,her wingmate, found the wingman as he broke away from the leader. That MiG, too, caught a Sidewinder and tumbled into the ground. Neither Hornet driver saw a chute.

While the Dragons were dealing with the two -21s and the A-6s were on their way southeast, two more MiGs, these being MiG-23 Floggers, scrambled out of Al Jarrah. The Freelancers jumped at the chance,and it was the same teams that had scored that morning, with Powers/Mitchell in 205 and Vansen/Bell in 208. This time, as the MiGs climbed up, they turned into the Tomcats, and one of the Floggers gained AA-7 missile lock on 208 despite the Prowler's jamming.

The MiG shot a pair of AA-7s just as Vansen locked the Flogger up and sent a Slammer in reply. She then did a break before turning back into the MiG, only to see the two Apex missiles fly by, but the Slammer scored, turning the MiG-23 into a fireball.

Seeing his partner fireball, the second MiG broke right, then turned back into the fight, but 205's crew picked him up and shot a Slammer as the MiG fired his own pair of AA-7s. The Slammer flew into the Flogger's nose and exploded, and the MiG, shorn of its cockpit and right wing, fell in flames into the Tigris River.

Once the A-6s were clear, and the MiGs were down, the package headed south to reform. As they did, the Iraqis scrambled two more MiG-23s from Al Jarrah, but that was akin to closing the barn door after the horses escaped. The package reformed near Al Hayy, then headed east to pick up the Tigris and Highway 6. As usual, when they got close to the Iranian border, another pair of shadows arrived to follow the strikers out, with F-4s this time.

The shadows pulled away as the outbound strike cleared the Faw Peninsula, and as they headed south towards the carrier, the crews saw that the New Jersey was no longer in Kuwait Bay. She had also packed up and headed south to get away from the approaching wall of sand, which the crews had seen as they came out. Recovery was routine-or as routine as carrier ops can be, with traps beginning at 1445.

Weather then began to bite, as two additional packages, one from VA-185 with BAI, and a VA-115 tasked for a strategic strike, were held on the ship as conditions ashore continued to deteriorate. CENTAF then called things off for the time being, as the sandstorm was expected to last for at least forty-eight hours. Accordingly, after consulting with Admiral Freeman, CAG ordered a halt to flight ops, calling in all airborne aircraft and helos, other than a pair of Black Knights Tomcats on CAP. Once recovery was completed, Kitty Hawk then set course for waters north of Dubai to join Nimitz, New Jersey, Makin Island, and their escorts. Only the ships on the North SAR station remained, though their helos were now safely tucked into their hangars.

With air ops now suspended, aircrew were looking forward to a couple days of rest, while the maintenance people could get caught up. While low-key flight ops would be maintained in the Southern Gulf, with both Kitty Hawk and Nimitz putting up CAPs as per the usual day/night rotation, everyone else could take time off. For now, though, the war-air, ground, and naval-in the KTO was on hold.

[jemhouston]

While a break is needed, how much can Iraq use it?

[Jotun]

While a break is needed, how much can Iraq use it?

Everybody is beholden to the powers of nature. The only thing Iraq can conceivably do is assemble reserves to the north of the northern edge of the sandstorm. Their troops already in the area and their air force are going to be forced to sit tight, just like the, what, allied forces arrayed against them. Replenishment etc. is going to be difficult to impossible.

This theater would have been the ideal environment for the proposed non-nuclear Pershing II anti-airfield ballistic missile...

[Matt Wiser]

Watch the areas around Samawah, An Nasiriyah, the Rumalaya Causeway (scene of 24th ID's most intense tank battle in DESERT STORM-two days after the cease-fire), and the approaches to Basra. When CENTCOM ordered X Corps to stand fast on current positions, they gave the Iraqis some breathing room. How much? We'll just have to wait and see who got across and who hasn't.

In the meantime, CENTAF and NAVCENT can use the downtime to get caught up on aircraft maintenance, the ships can do some UNREP, and aircrew can get some much-needed rest.

[Wolfman]

This is getting intense. Nice work, Matt, keep it up.