CVW-5 in The Third World War

[Matt Wiser]

Part 20: 15 May:


14 May dawned bright, though there was still some sand in the air to the north, but the sandstorm that had forced things in the KTO to grind to a halt had largely dissipated. And so, right on schedule at 0600, the first packages set for launch.

The first packages were CAS, and VA-115 CO CDR John Compton led the first one. Four Eagles A-6s, four Super Hornets from VFA-192, along with two VF-21 Tomcats and a VAQ-136 Prowler, comprised the package, which launched right on schedule at 0600.

When the package arrived over Kuwait Bay, the aircrews noticed the return of the battleship New Jersey, and the battleship began sailing in a figure-eight pattern, prior to beginning a bombardment run.

As the package orbited over Kuwait Bay, they didn't have long to wait for tasking. The Multinational Division was pushing into Abdali, and found that the Iraqis had managed to move two Regular Army infantry divisions from Basra down into the area, and were using them to delay the Coalition's advance north towards the border and Umm Qasr. Both divisions were made up of reservists, with either T-55s or Chinese Type-69s for their tanks, while their APCs were either Chinese YW-531s or the North Korean copy, the VTT-323. Their divisional artillery was old Soviet 122-mm or 152-mm pieces that dated from the 1950s, and they had no radar-guided AAA.

A “Fast FAC” in an F-16D called the package in, and directed them to a position in front of the Australians, who had found the going that morning a little tougher than expected. CDR Compton asked the FAC if the Aussies' artillery could deal with any air defense assets, and the FAC got things going. Then the FAC called them in. Their target was a brigade HQ from the Iraqi 42nd Infantry Division, a reserve formation from Basra. After the FAC marked the target, the Hornets went in.

LCDR Pat Grey in Dragon 402 led the Hornets in, finding the Iraqis up and active, even if there were no AAA radars present, for the gunners below sent up a steady stream of 23-mm and 57-mm flak. Grey's Hornets rolled in, putting Rockeyes on two 37-mm sites and a 23-mm site, while all four Hornets drew MANPADS fire on their egress. No one was hit, and the Hornets cleared the way for the A-6s.

Skipper Compton led the Intruders in, and though the flak sites had been suppressed, to everyone's amazement, there was a single 37-mm gun still firing. Ignoring the AAA coming up, the Eagles Skipper laid a dozen Mark-82s onto the target, and the other three A-6s followed suit. The brigade HQ area was smothered in explosions as each A-6 planted sixteen Mark-82s onto the target. Again, there were several MANPADS, either SA-7 or SA-14, coming up at the A-6s as they cleared the target, but no one was hit.

The Prowler had contributed by jamming several SAM radars that were coming from across the border, but the Iraqi SAM operators held their fire, doubly so after several phony “Magnum” calls had been made. Fearing that HARMs or other antiradar ordnance were on the way, the SAMs-two SA-8s and at least one SA-11, shut down. Unlike the rest of the package, the Prowler stayed behind, orbiting over Kuwait Bay and providing standoff jamming support to not only CVW-5's efforts, but other Coalition strikes coming into the area.

The rest of the package reformed, and though the Tomcat crews were disappointed, all returned to CV-63, trapping just after 0745.

VA-185 had the next package, and Knighthawks XO CDR Adam Yoshida led four A-6s, with four Dambusters Hornets, and two VF-154 Tomcats, to the Umm Qasr area. When they got there, the airborne FAC was busy, but he directed the package to check out Highway 26, the two-lane road that connected Umm Qasr with Zubayr and Basra. The package headed in that direction, and when they arrived, they found a supply convoy of several dozen vehicles headed south towards Umm Qasr.

VFA-195's LT Ken Cameron led the Hornets in, and the F/A-18s drew SAM attention, for one of the nearby SA-11 launchers came up and fired. A HARM was promptly sent towards it, killing the Gadfly launcher. A radar-guided 85-mm AAA site came up as the Gadfly shut down, and another HARM went after the Firecan AAA radar, killing it. Rockeye CBUs finished off the flak battery, and the way was clear for the A-6s.

The Knighthawks' Intruders each carried ten Rockeyes and two AGM-65Hs, and the Intruders took Maverick shots. The lead element went after not only the leading vehicles of the convoy, but also picked out two AAA gun trucks, taking both of them out, while the trailing vehicles were hit by the second A-6 element. Then CDR Yoshida led the Intruders in on the convoy, raining Rockeyes down on the supply trucks. Multiple secondaries followed, and as the A-6s pulled away towards Kuwait Bay, they left numerous burning vehicles in their wake. Just as with the first package, there was no IrAF opposition, and all aircraft returned to Kitty Hawk by 0745.

Similar BAI and CAS packages went into Kuwait all morning, not just in support of the Multinational Division, but also the 40th ID and the 278th ACR. But strategic strikes were also on the ATO, and VA-115 took the first one for CVW-5.

CDR Matt Wiser, the Eagles' XO, took four A-6s, four VFA-195 Hornets, two VF-154 Tomcats, and a VAQ-136 Prowler to the Mahawil Scud Facility, north of Hillah. This target not only handled SSM training, but was also the headquarters for the 223rd Missile Brigade, which had been firing Scuds at targets in both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. This target was at the edge of the Baghdad MEZ, and it was expected that MiGs would also respond to any strike.

The package launched at 0930, and the usual ingress via Saudi airspace went like clockwork. As they refueled, a USAF strike package came back from their own strike, and the crews noticed that what should have been a four-ship of F-16s was now two. Not knowing what they had gone for, the crews hoped they wouldn't be getting the same reception.

As CDR Wiser led the package past Najaf, they noticed an RSAF strike going in on the An Najaf Military Logistics Area to the northwest, and though the AAA was intense, the RSAF Tornados and F-15S strike birds came away unscathed.

It was 1045 when the strike package entered the Hillah area, and the radars in the Baghdad MEZ were still up and active. As the Prowler began jamming, LCDR Kathy Evision led the Dambusters' Hornets in to clear the way for the A-6s, and as she did, a SAM site that had been thought knocked out came back up: the Mahumdayah (Baghdad South) SA-5 site, for the Prowler began picking up Square Pair signals associated with the SA-5.

LCDR Evision sent a HARM towards the SA-5, while the Prowler did the same, just as the site launched two missiles. Both SA-5s “went dumb” as either the HARMs struck the radar, or the site operators saw the HARM launches, and shut down to avoid being hit.

While the SA-5 went off the air, the Hillah SA-2 came up, and LCDR Evision sent her second HARM after the site. As it did, two radar-guided heavy sites, either 85-mm or 100-mm, came up, and LT Darrel Ratliff, leading the second Hornet element, fired two HARMs that killed both AAA radars, while LTJG Kevin Scott, his wingman, rolled in on the 100-mm site, putting a full load of Rockeyes on the site, putting it out of business. With the SA-2 site off the air, and the AAA radars out of commission, the way was clear for the A-6s.

CDR Wiser then called in hot, and he rolled his A-6 in onto the target area. His trusty B/N, LT Porter, picked out a missile storage warehouse for the two GBU-10Es that their A-6 was carrying, and she expertly placed the two laser bombs onto the target building. Not only did they get bombs on target, but there was a large secondary explosion that sent a smoke cloud rising to over 10,000 feet. The Eagles Exec egressed the target area without drawing any additional fire.

The XO's wingmate, LT Rivers, with his B/N LT Fisher in 509, rolled in right behind the Exec, and they saw the explosions on the ground. They, too, picked out a large warehouse as their target, and as LT Fisher planted their two laser bombs onto the warehouse, it, in the words of LT Rivers, “Went way up.” A second large explosion sent a cloud up past 10,000 feet, and as the A-6 left the target area, multiple secondaries could be seen on the TRAM's FLIR. They, too, left the target area without taking fire.

LCDR Tony Carpenter and LT Karla Jefferson came in right behind 509, and with all the smoke, they had a hard time picking out a target. Jefferson, the B/N, was able to find a bunker, and she locked onto it, placing two GBU-10Es onto the bunker. This bunker, as postwar investigation found, was being used to store artillery rockets, and it, too, blew apart. The explosion was not as big as the Exec's or Rivers', but it sent a large fireball and smoke cloud into the air. Unlike the Exec's element, Carpenter and Jefferson drew fire as they egressed, for an unguided SA-2 was launched as they headed south. The Eagles' Ops Officer easily avoided the missile, and he set course south.

Their wingmates in 510, LTJGs Knapp and Shelton, came in and as they did, a nearby 37-mm battery opened up on them. Ignoring the flak, they came in, and picked out what looked like a maintenance area. Shelton, the B/N, placed their two GBU-10s onto the area, and though there were no large secondaries, it was found out after the war that they had hit the 223rd Brigade's missile maintenance facilities, where missiles were checked out before being sent to the TELs in the field. On their way out, they still drew some 37-mm fire, but the A-6 was above the light flak, and they easily egressed the target area.

While the A-6s went in on their runs, and the Hornets waited to pounce on any SAMs that came back up, the F-14Ds were orbiting on TARCAP, waiting for any MiGs to come to the party. And just as the second A-6 element was rolling in, AWACS gave the call: MiGs inbound.

LT Mobley and LT Wade in Blackknight 110 led their wingmates, LTJG O'Gara and LT Simmonds, onto the bandits. The two elements closed at over 1200 knots, and the MiGs were soon on TCS and identified as MiG-23s. Deciding to save their AIM-54s for more valuable targets, Mobley locked up the leader, shooting her first AIM-120 from 35 miles, and as the first missile flew towards the target, she launched a second Slammer. The first missile exploded the Flogger, and the second missile then smashed into the MiG as it tumbled towards the ground in flames.

O'Gara then targeted the MiG wingman, who continued to close. He shot his first Slammer at 32 miles, and was surprised to see it miss. He fired a second missile at 22 miles, and this time, the AIM-120 did as it was designed, exploding the MiG in a fireball. With AWACS now calling no threats in the area, both Tomcats headed south, picking up the rest of the strike package and heading back to the border.

Post-strike refueling was without any fuss, and the strike package returned to CV-63 after four and a half hours in the air.


Throughout the day, additional CAS and BAI packages went over the beach, giving support to not only the Multinational Division, but also the 40th ID and the 278th ACR as they pushed the Iraqis back towards their border. But strategic strikes were still on the agenda as the day wore on.

The next strategic strike fell to VA-185, and the Knighthawks' Skipper, CDR Amanda Lowry, led the mission. This strike went after the Qalat Salih airfield, halfway between Qurnah and Amarra on Highway 6. Though the airfield was not being used for fixed-wing combat operations, IrAF transports were flying in and out, and the aircraft shelters were high on the TBM target list, as a number of Scud TELs had been picked up on imagery. This mission launched at 1145, with four VA-185 Intruders, four VFA-192 Hornets, a Prowler, and two VF-154 F-14s flying shotgun.

Ingress was via the Shatt Al Arab, past Basra, and very close to Iranian airspace. And as was usual in such cases, the strike package had Iranian fighters, in this case, two F-4Es, following along and monitoring the strike, but staying on their side of the border.

The strike package actually flew past the target, then oriented to make their runs from north to south, in case anyone was hit, so that a quick hop across the Iranian border and a safe bailout could be easily made. As they did so, the Al Amarra SA-2 came up, and the Prowler began jamming, while two radar-guided batteries near the airfield also came up, both of them 57-mm.

CDR Colleen “China B” McMurphy, the Golden Dragons' Skipper, led the four Hornets in onto the flak sites, and HARMs were in the air, going for the Firecan radars that controlled the guns. Both radars took the HARMs and went off the air, and both the Skipper and her wingman went in on the gun batteries and planted Rockeyes to finish the job. As they pulled up, they drew MANPADS fire, and also fire from trucks mounting four-round launchers for SA-7s.

The second element came in, and unlike the lead Hornets, had AGM-65s instead of HARMs. The trucks were picked out and Mavericks sent their way,and four of the trucks were killed. MANPADS fire ceased for the most part, and Skipper McMurphy called in the A-6s.

CDR Lowry in 531 led the A-6s onto the target, , and she picked out a HAS that had been identified as being used for Scud TELs. Her B/N, LT Dana Verell, locked onto the shelter and placed two GBU-10G AP laser bombs onto the shelter, and as the bombs hit, the A-6 crew was rewarded with an explosion, followed by a secondary, meaning either a TEL or an aircraft was in the shelter. Her wingmates in 535, LT Mason and LT Daniels, also picked out an HAS, but their two bombs didn't produced a secondary. Both aircraft in the lead element cleared the target and egressed to the south, still under the watchful eye of the two Iranian F-4s.

The second element was led by LT John Collett and LT Joe Meredith, and they put their bombs onto another shelter, and like the Skipper's, this one produced a large secondary explosion. As they came out, there was “moderate” 23-mm flak, but the A-6F easily evaded the fire. Their wingmates, LTJG Darlene Wilson and LCDR Trina Regan in 540, were the last in, and they, too picked out a shelter. Again, GBU-10Gs smashed into a HAS, and a large secondary explosion blew the shelter apart. They, too, drew 23-mm fire on egress, and even some shoulder-fired missiles, but the A-6 egressed the area without further incident.

While the A-6s went in and did their thing, the Hornets were orbiting. LT Dave Crenshaw, the second element leader, noticed several aircraft on the ramp area, well away from the HAS areas. CDR McMurphy gave the okay, and the Hornets rolled in on the ramp, finding an An-12, two An-26s, and an Mi-6 Hook transport helicopter parked there. The second element rolled in, and Crenshaw and his wingmate, LT Marc Sheppard, planted their Rockeyes on the ramp, killing the An-12, an An-26, and the single Hook, and damaging the second An-26. They drew “considerable” 23-mm fire as they went in and out, but the Hornets were able to egress the area without damage.

The strike package reformed south of the target, and though the F-14 crews were disappointed, everyone made it to the rally point. After reforming, the package headed south, and the Iranians were still watching as the package flew down the Shatt Al-Arab, only turning back to their base when the Navy aircraft cleared the Faw Peninsula. It was 1335 when they returned to Kitty Hawk, trapping shortly thereafter.

As the afternoon went on, it was becoming obvious that the Iraqis still had plenty of fight in them, though they were beginning to fall back. CENTAF kept up the pressure, with CVW-5 contributing its share of CAS and BAI missions that afternoon, but strategic strikes were still coming on the ATO, with two more on tap for CVW-5.

The first one was also VA-185's, with CDR Yoshida taking four A-6Fs, four VFA-195 Hornets, two VF-21 Tomcats, and the usual Prowler, to the Karbala Northeast Military Logistics Area, close to the Karbala Northwest Airfield. This strike launched just after the mission to Qalat Salih had trapped.

Ingress, by the now-usual Saudi route, had no problems, and the pre-strike refueling went off without a hitch. As they went in, and passed Najaf, a RSAF strike was just pulling off a strike on the Najaf Northwest Logistics Area, and proof of their effort could be seen, as a number of smoke clouds from burning storage buildings and exploded bunkers were visible. The strike package pressed on, flying over Lake Milh, west of Karbala, before turning to the northeast and approaching the target area.

CDR Runyan, the Dambusters' CO, led the Hornets in to deal with the defenses, as an SA-2 came up east of Karbala, and at least two radar-guided AAA sites near the target. A HARM from the Prowler dealt with the SA-2, while Runyan fired a HARM that dealt with a 57-mm radar, while his wingmate sent a HARM after a 100-mm site. Both gun radars went off the air, and the second element went in to deal with the gun batteries proper with Rockeyes. Both sites were knocked out, though heavy light flak came up from 23-mm and 37-mm sites near the target. But the way was clear for the A-6s.

CDR Yoshida in 532 rolled in, and his B/N, LTJG Laura Patterson, picked out a warehouse as their aim point. This time, the A-6s each had six Mark-83 1,000 pound bombs as their warload, and Patterson laid 532's bombs on target, blowing not just the target warehouse, but a pair of adjoining ones, apart. As they egressed to the south, their wingmates in 539, LTJG Duncan Ellis and LCDR James Houston, unloaded their bombs onto a similar group of warehouses, blasting them apart. Both aircraft in the lead element drew heavy light flak, but the A-6s were above the light stuff, and the 37-mm gunners were not properly leading their targets.

The second element came in, with both A-6s raining Mark-83s down on separate groups of warehouses. And much to the crews' surprise, there were numerous secondaries as the Iraqis were storing ammunition in those particular warehouses. As the A-6s cleared the area, even the flak gunners had to take cover from all the shrapnel raining down as there were several more sympathetic detonations in the storage area.

The package reformed over Al Hindiyah, and much to the disappointment of the Freelancers' Tomcat crews, no MiGs came, though AWACS reported a number of MiGs orbiting in the Baghdad area. Egress to Saudi, and post-strike refueling, went like clockwork, and as the package turned for the carrier, another CVW-5 package was coming in for their pre-strike refueling.

This package was the last one of the day, and had launched at 1405. CDR Wiser led four VA-115 A-6s, four Dambusters Hornets, and two VF-154 Tomcats on the last strategic strike of the day for CVW-5. Though they didn't have a Prowler, an Air Force EF-111 joined them at the tankers to provide the EW support, and they would need it, for their target was part of the sprawling Al Qa Qaa complex south of Baghdad: the Latifiya Liquid Fuel Production Plant.

This final package met the tankers over Saudi, joined up with the EF-111, then penetrated into Iraq. With the As Salman airfield still out of commission, along with the Najaf IOC, they had no interference from the Iraqis, and only as the package flew between Karbala and Hillah did Iraqi radars come up.

The EF-111 began jamming the radars, as several SA-2s and SA-3s came up, and when one of the SA-2s, a site directly west of the complex, came up and fired two missiles, a HARM and jamming shut the site down.

LCDR Kathy Evision's Dambuster Hornets then went in to clear the way for the A-6s, as did the F-14s, for Al Iskandariyah New AB was right next to the target area. The Hornets encounted another SA-2, and an SA-3, and both drew HARMs in response, killing the SA-3 and forcing the SA-2 off the air. While that was going on, two radar-guided AAA sites came up, both 57-mm, and HARMs also went after those sites, killing both radars. The way was now clear for the A-6s to go in.

CDR Wiser in 505 led the Intruders in, and LT Porter, his B/N, picked out the target. Both lead Intruders had GBU-10Es, and she planted their two bombs into the plant, earning a large secondary explosion as a result. As 505 left the target area, their wingmates in 509, Rivers and Fisher, came in and planted their laser bombs onto the complex. They, too, got a large secondary explosion for their effort, and though they still drew flak, including some 57-mm that wasn't radar-guided, both Intruders successfully egressed the area.

The second element, led by the Eagles' Ops Officer, LCDR Carpenter, then came into the target area. Unlike the Exec's element, the second pair of A-6s had a dozen Mark-82s to hit the propellant storage area, and LT Jefferson, the B/N, planted their bombs right in the middle of the storage area, and multiple secondaries resulted. Large ones.. As 504 egressed, their wingmates, Knapp and Shelton, rolled in and added their Mark-82s to a staging area for fuel trucks, and also saw several large secondary explosions as they cleared the target area. This element, too, drew 57-mm flak as they cleared the target, but egressed successfully.

As the A-6s went south, both the Tomcats and Hornets were in a TARCAP, expecting a MiG scramble from Al Iskandiriyah New, Shayaka Mazar to the east, or even Baghdad. Though both the fighters, as well as AWACS, were able to pick up MiGs to the north, the Iraqis never left the sanctuary of the Baghdad MEZ, Though VF-154's leading scorers, LT Jacqui Patterson and LT Debbie Bradley, were leading the Tomcats, the Iraqis maintained their CAP orbits. Even a taunt from Patterson over GUARD, daring the Iraqis to come up and try and collect the bounty Saddam was offering for their shootdown drew no takers, and Bradley noted that when she lit a pair of MiGs up with 105's APG-71 radar, the MiGs went further north. With the A-6s clear of the target area, the Tomcat and Hornet drivers, disappointed, turned to follow, picking up the EF-111 as they did so.

The trip south went without any problems, and the EF-111 headed for its base after the post-strike refueling. The Navy birds headed for the carrier, and they returned to the ship at 1630, the last traps of the day for CVW-5.

On the North SAR Station, it had been another routine day. No Iraqi aircraft or surface craft came to challenge the ships, and the only aircraft to come close, other than friendlies, were Iranian. An RC-130 orbited to the Northeast, while the regular P-3F recon run went on as usual, along with the F-4 CAP that was being maintained out of Bushehr. There was an interesting development, as two F-14s were tracked, flying a CAP pattern between Bushehr and Bandar Khomeni, which was the first time this had been spotted. In all cases, the Iranians were careful to stay clear of the exclusion zone declared by Fifth Fleet for all Coalition naval vessels, and when a pair of F-4s got too close to the destroyer Mustin, all it took for them to get clear was a polite reminder over GUARD.

Nimitz and CVW-9 took care of the night schedule for CENTAF, though low-intensity flight ops, such as CAP and SUCAP, continued during the night from Kitty Hawk. The following morning, aircrew wakeup was at 0430, and after breakfast, the aircrews gathered in their ready rooms. The weather forecast was bright and clear, and the dawn breaking over the Gulf was proof of that. Air Ops were handed off from CVW-9 at 0600, with the first package on the cats and ready to go, as CVW-5 got on with the war.

[Matt Wiser]

Part 21: 16 May:

The morning of 15 May dawned, bright and clear, as the first mission packages of the day went off the cats and into the air. The night before, Marines from the 15th MEU and New Zealanders with the Australian brigade had torn through a brigade-sized force of Saddam Fedayeen and fought their way to Umm Qasr, seizing the southern part of the port, as well as the residential area. The Marines and Kiwis dug in, expecting a violent Iraqi reaction to their presence, and they were not disappointed.

The first package, with VA-115 Skipper CDR John Compton leading four Eagles Intruders, four Golden Dragons Hornets, with a VAQ-136 Prowler, and two VF-21 Tomcats, went to the area just northwest of the port. Though originally tasked with hitting artillery north of Safwan, an OA-10 FAC redirected them to hit a column moving south on Highway 26 from Zubayr. Mainly truck-mounted infantry and a few T-55 tanks, the only air defense the convoy had were a few truck-mounted ZPU-2 or -4 machine guns, along with SA-7 MANPADS. The Umm Qasr area was also within I Guards Corps' air-defense zone, and as the package came in, several SA-11 and SA-6 radars came up.

The Hornets from the Golden Dragons went in, and put several HARMs in the air. Two of the SA-11 radars shut down, as did one of the SA-6s, but one SA-6 and one SA-11 did fire, but their missiles “went dumb” as HARMs killed the SA-6 radar and the SA-11 track. The Hornets then rolled in on the convoy, hitting both lead and trailing vehicles with Rockeyes, then they assumed a TARCAP as the A-6s came in.

CDR Compton led the Intruders in. Each A-6 had sixteen Rockeyes, and each crew laid their Rockeyes onto the convoy, blowing trucks and tanks apart. They had only scattered flak and a couple of SA-7s come up and missed, though the strike birds had to be careful in egress, as the Faw Peninsula and Iran were close by. Some light flak did come up from Faw, but a Marine ANGLICO spotter noticed it, and called down two salvos of 16-inch from New Jersey to deal with the offenders. As the A-6s and Hornets formed up to return to the ship, they noticed a flight of A-10s coming in to service the convoy, while Marine AH-1W Cobras moved in to pick off any remaining AA gun trucks as well as deal with any tanks.

CDR Compton led the A-6s and Hornets back to Kitty Hawk, but both Freelancer Tomcats and the Prowler stayed, to cover packages heading into the same target area. They would remain, with tanker support, for another four hours, providing CAP and standoff EW support, as the Umm Qasr area became quite busy, with both AF and Marine aircraft now coming in.

The next package was led by VFA-195's CDR Chad Runyan, with VA-185 contributing the Intruders. Four Dambusters Hornets and four A-6Fs, with two VF-154 Tomcats, headed to the Zubayr area, with a reported corps-level headquarters as the target. As they approached Zubayr, everyone's threat receivers lit up as several SAM and AAA radars came on, and Runyan's Hornets went in to shut them down. An SA-2 and an SA-3 came up, and almost immediately shut down as HARMs were launched, but an SA-11 track and a pair of SA-8 tracks did launch. One of the SA-8s was killed by a HARM, while the other two shut down their radars, but continued in optical mode. None of the SAMs scored, and after killing a pair of AAA sites, CDR Runyan cleared the A-6s in.

VA-185's Exec, CDR Adam Yoshida, led the A-6s onto the target, and his lead element was armed with ten Mark-83s each to deposit on the target. His B/N, LTJG Laura Patterson, was able to designate the target-a group of command vehicles-and Yoshida was able to drop. Their wingmates in 539, Mason and Daniels, followed in, and also put their Mark-83s on the same target.

After the lead element cleared, the second pair of Intruders came in, each with sixteen Rockeyes. The CBUs fnished the job, and as the second element pulled away, there were a number of burning vehicles and several secondary explosions in their wake. The package reformed southeast of Zubayr, and to the disappointment of the Tomcat crews, the MiGs at Shoiabah AB had stayed on the ground, as the package egressed, returning to CV-63.

It wasn't until after the war that the crews found out that the Iraqi Theater Commander, General Hamdani, had been at the command site, though he had not been there at the time. He had gone forward, with a Soviet guest, Major General Andrei Trimenko, to visit I Guards Corps, and had just left his field command site when the A-6s came in.

As the morning progressed, more CAS and BAI packages went over the beach, but strategic strikes were also on CVW-5's plate. The first launched just after 1000, with VA-115's XO, CDR Wiser, leading the mission. This strike went into the Baghdad MEZ, with the Shayka Mazhar Southeast Military Logistics Center as the target, and not far from the nearby air base. Fortunately for the Navy, an Air Force mission in the early morning hours had hit the runways at the base, and the Iraqi fighters there were thus grounded. However, there would still be MiGs or Mirages around, along with the defenses in the Baghdad area, so the strike would not be a milk run.

CDR Wiser led four Eagles Intruders along with four Dambusters Hornets, two VF-154 Tomcats, and a single Prowler, on the mission. Ingress was via Saudi, with the package taking from both USAF KC-10s and Saudi KE-3As, before entering Iraqi Airspace. As usual, the HVUCAP was present, with RSAF F-15Cs and Typhoons in proximity, and the crews noticed kill markings on some of the RSAF fighters.

The trip in passed close to As Salman airfield, and the crews noted with satisfaction that the base had been put out of commission, with not just the runway being knocked out, but the ten aircraft shelters had been hit by penetrating LGBs or other hard-target ordnance, and blown apart. After that, ingress between Najaf and Diwaniyah was without incident, as the SAM sites defending both were still off the air. Only as they approached Musaybb and then Shayka Mazhar did the threat receivers come alive, as both early-warning and SAM radars came up.

While the Prowler went to work, jamming radars and sending a HARM after one SA-2 site that was close to the target, the Golden Dragons went to work. LCDR Kathy Evision took the Hornets in. She took her element after a pair of sites, one an SA-2 east of Iskandiriyah and an SA-3, and as both sites came up to fire, HARMs went after them. The SA-3 shut down in time, but the SA-2 was taken off the air by another HARM, its two missiles “going dumb.” A Roland radar came up near Shayka Mazhar AB, and it, to, shut down as a HARM went into the air. Another HARM took down a radar-guided 85-mm site, and after the latter, along with a 57-mm battery next to the target, was hit by two Hornets with Rockeyes, the way was clear for the A-6s to come into the fray.

CDR Wiser led the Intruders in, and as they went into their attack runs, noticed the many bunkers in the storage area. Four A-6Fs, with a pair of GBU-24s each, wouldn't do much, the Eagles XO noted, but it would be a good start. He led the Intruders in, and his B/N, LT Porter, designated a bunker. CDR Wiser put their two GBU-24s onto a bunker, and they were rewarded with a large secondary explosion as the “Military Storage” was ammunition! Their wingmates in 509, LT Rivers and LT Fisher, had a similar result when their targeted bunker exploded.

The second element was led by the Eagles' Ops Officer, LCDR Tony Carpenter, who found a bunker that his B/N, LT Jefferson, designated, and it, too, went up in a large secondary explosion. LT Knapp and LT Shelton in 509 were the last in, and they, too, struck a bunker that when it blew, “seemed to want to go into orbit.' The second element drew some SAMs, with MANPADS coming up, and what seemed like a Roland passing close to Carpenter and Jefferson in 504, but fortunately, did not detonate.

While the A-6s were going in on their runs, the F-14s and Hornets were orbiting in a TARCAP, expecting a MiG scramble either from Al Iskandiriyah New or the fields near Baghdad. The Tomcat element was led by the redoubtable ace team of LT Paula Mobley and LT Kara Wade, with LTJG Pat O'Gara and LT Darrel Simmonds, and as they orbited, two bandits took off from Iskandiriyah and turned towards the Tomcats. The bandits were quickly identified as MiG-21s, and after announcing over GUARD “Tomcat girls ready to play,” Mobley sent an AIM-120 after the MiG leader. The Slammer found its mark, turning the MiG into a fireball, but the wingman continued to close.

He didn't last long, for O'Gara locked him up with a Slammer and shot him at ten miles. The Slammer ate up the distance, and the MiG fireballed. But it wasn't over, for AWACS warned of two more MiGs coming in from the Baghdad area. These two were MiG-25s out of Al Taqaddum, and they meant business. Both Tomcats turned to engage, and O'Gara and Simmonds shot first, shooting an AIM-54C at 55 miles. This MiG took a hit and exploded, but all the crews saw was the blip going off scope. The second Foxbat turned away, hoping to lure the F-14s into Baghdad's inner air defenses, but the Tomcats didn't bite. Both F-14s turned away, and rejoined the package south of the target area.

Egress was without incident, and once back into Saudi, the post-strike refueling was routine. The trip back to Kitty Hawk was uneventful, trapping just after 1300.

The rest of the afternoon saw more CAS and BAI, as the Iraqs reacted to not only the seizure of Umm Qasr, but also the clearing of the Sabiriya and Radwatin Oil Fields before the Iraqis could blow them, as had happened in 1991.

A typical CAS run was led by VFA-192 skipper CDR Colleen “China B” McMurphy, who took four Golden Dragons Hornets and four VA-185 A-6s back to the Umm Qasr area, where the Iraqis were moving down Highway 26. As the strike package came into the area, a FAC told them to “Get in line and wait your turn.” While the Navy aircraft were waiting, A-10s and AV-8Bs went in, as did a flight of RAF Tornados, and in between, the crews saw the New Jersey, now off Bubiyan Island, tossing 16-inch shells not only against the Iraqis near Umm Qasr, but also against artillery on the Faw Peninsula. After an A-10 flight and the Tornados, did the Navy strike go in.

CDR McMurphy took the Hornets in ahead of the A-6s, with two of the Hornets with HARM and Maverick, while the other two had two Mavericks and four Rockeyes each. She took the FA-18Es in to go after any air defense assets, and found a brigade moving down Highway 26 past Khor Al Zubayr towards Umm Qasr.

This brigade was a reserve one that had come down from Kut, and as the Hornets went in, they noticed the old equipment: Chinese-made Type-69 tanks and YW-531 APCs, and AA gun trucks. The Hornets went in as several nearby SA-6 and SA-11 tracks came up, and HARMs went into the air. One of the SA-6 radars took a HARM and went off the air, as did an SA-11 track, and the others promptly shut down. Maverick shots then took care of the AAA trucks, which had twin ZPU-2 guns mounted, then the second element struck the convoy with Rockeyes, hitting the lead vehicles, then the trailing ones, trapping most of the brigade in the process. After that, it was the A-6s' turn to enter the picture.

VA-185's Exec, CDR Yoshida, led the Intruders in, and each had twelve Mark-82s and two Mavericks. The XO's lead element shot their Mavericks at tanks, then proceeded to lay their Mark-82s onto a battalion's worth of APCs, blasting several apart and flipping over others. The second element, led by LCDR Michelle Garnett, added their Mavericks, killing several tanks and APCs, before putting their bombs onto additional APCs.

Each element did draw fire, with machine-gun fire from both tanks and APCs, a surviving AA gun truck, and MANPADS. None of the A-6s was hit, and all strike birds cleared the area, just as a second Navy package came in.

This one was led by VA-115's CO, CDR John Compton, and they had four VFA-195 Hornets with them. The Hornets added to the SEAD picture, but this time, none of the SAMs the first strike had encountered came up. With no SAMs, the Hornets went in with either Maverick or Rockeye on the vehicles down below, and the A-6s followed.

Skipper Compton's A-6s had Maverick as well, though the Eagles had Rockeyes instead of Mark-82s. After killing tanks and APCs with Maverick, the A-6s added their Rockeyes to the armor down below, before egressing. They, too, drew fire, but the heavy SAMs held their fire, and all of the Navy strike birds were able to egress without incident.

The final mission of the day was another strategic strike, and it turned out to be a joint one as far as the A-6s were concerned, for both VA-115 and VA-185 contributed a pair of Intruders to the mission. The target was an underground fuel storage site west of the Tigris River, near Iskandiriyah and was designated Iskandiriyah NW Fuel Storage. The VA-115 Exec, CDR Wiser, would lead his element, while LCDR Michelle Garnett led the VA-185 element. LCDR Kathy Evison took the Dambusters' Hornets, and this time, two Tomcat elements went on the strike. Both female ace teams from VF-154 came, along with a VAQ-136 Prowler, with mission launch at 1500.

As usual for deep strikes, the ingress was via Saudi, and not only were the Navy strikers refueling, but an RC-135 came in to tank up, along with a joint USAF/RAF package of F-15Cs and Es, Tornados, an EF-111, and “Weasel Eagles.” Once refueled, the Navy package ingressed into Iraqi Airspace.

The strike ingress took the package west of Najaf, direct for Lake Milh, and once the package reached the halfway point over the lake, turned to the northeast, towards Baghdad. As they did, the first Tomcat element, LT Patterson and LT Bradley, with their wingman, established a BARCAP to guard against a MiG scramble out of either Habbiniyah or Taqaddum, while Mobley and Wade took their element east, and orbited northwest of Musaybb, watching for a scramble out of either Al Iskandiriyah New or from Baghdad. As they did, the Baghdad defenses began to light up, as not only did the Navy strike show up on the Iraqi radars, but the AF/RAF strike that had been taking with them had a target in the Baghdad area, and they, too, were going in.

Just as Patterson's element assumed their TARCAP, an SA-2 site only a mile from the target came up and fired three missiles at the F-14s. LCDR Evision reacted at once, sending a HARM after the SA-2, while the Prowler (and the Air Force EF-111) began jamming. The SA-2 shut down, but too late, for the HARM was still able to home in using memory mode, and killed the Fan Song radar. She then sent another HARM after an SA-3 site near the Al Qa Qaa complex at Iskandiriyah, and that site, too, shut down. Her wingmate then went after the SA-2 site with a pair of Rockeyes, killing the site for good.

The second element went after a pair of AAA sites near the target, using a HARM to knock out a Firecan radar for a 57-mm site, and sending another after a 100-mm battery near a minor bridge over the Euphrates River. Two additional AAA sites, one a 37-mm and one a 57-mm site with no radar, were hit by CBUs, and as the Hornets cleared the target to assume a TARCAP, the way was clear for the A-6s.

Each A-6F had two GBU-24I Penetrator laser-guided bombs, meant for hard targets, and the underground POL tanks clearly were. CDR Wiser took his element in, and even though most of the flak had been suppressed, there were still tracers coming up as the A-6s went in. His B/N, LT Porter, picked out a storage tank and designated it as the aimpoint, and the XO released his two bombs. Both LGBs struck home, and the tank erupted in a large fireball, sending an oily cloud of smoke up to 10,000 feet. Their wingmates, LT Rivers and LT Fisher, in 509, followed in trail and they, too exploded a tank. Both A-6s drew light- and medium-caliber flak on egress, and what may have been an SA-8 in optical mode from the defenses at Iskandiriyah, but both Intruders cleared the target area.

After VA-115's element had cleared, it was the Nighthawks' turn to come in. LCDR Garnett came in flying the CAG bird, 530 and her B/N was able to pick out a target, despite the smoke rising from the Eagles' handiwork. Two more GBU-24Is slammed into a fuel tank, sending another fireball into the sky, then LT Shoemaker and LT Nichols in the “new” 540 followed, putting their LGBs into another tank, leaving another fireball and smoke cloud in their wake. The Nighthawks, too, drew flak as well as MANPADS on egress, but the two A-6s were able to clear the target area without incident.

While the A-6s were going in, the Tomcats were busy, as MiGs became a factor. Two MiG-29s from Habbiniyah came in to face the Northern TARCAP, and as LT Patterson turned her element to engage, with LT Conway, her wingman following. She called out over GUARD “All the Tomcat girls are here, Saddam. Come and play,” then she had her RIO, LT Bradley, lock up the MiG leader with a Phoenix. After getting lock, Bradley shot a single AIM-54C at 55 miles, blotting the leader out of the sky. The wingman continued to close, and LT Conway took a Phoenix shot at forty miles, killing the MiG in a fireball.

Two more MiGs, this time MiG-21s, came up from Al Iskandiriyah New, and ran into the Hornets. LCDR Evision locked up the leader and fired a single AIM-120 at fifteen miles, killing the MiG and sending him down into the Euphrates River. The wingman turned, and came towards the second pair of Hornets, with RAAF exchange officer Flight LT Ron Fraser in Dragon 406 leading. He took a Slammer shot, sending the MiG down at six miles.

The air-to-air wasn't over, for two Mirages from a detachment that had come down from the 112th Fighter Squadron at Mosul, and flying out of Al-Rashid, came to challenge the second pair of Tomcats. Mobley and Wade in Blackknight 110 quickly locked up the leader, shooting a Phoenix at 45 miles, killing the wingman. A second shot at the leader missed, as did a single shot by their wingmates, O'Gara and Simmonds in 112. The leader tried to lure the F-14s into Baghdad's defenses, but as he made a series of turns, ran into the F-15s that were escorting the Air Force and RAF strike, targeted on the Baghdad South CBU Plant. The F-15s made short work of him, sending him down.

More MiGs came in, with two MiG-23s coming from Al Asad, two more MiG-23s along with two Mirages out of Al Rashid, even two MiG-25s out of Al Taqaddum entered the fray. The Foxbats came in fast at Mach 2.5, hoping to take their AA-6 Acrid missile shots, but O'Gara and Simmonds were faster, managing to take their last Phoenix shot at,what was to them, long range, 72 miles. That shot killed the lead Foxbat, just as he fired two AA-6s at one of the northern Tomcats. Those shots missed as the Tomcats broke, then they turned into the remaining Foxbat and each Tomcat shot their last Phoenix. It took a look at the radar tapes in the debrief to decide the kill, but ultimately, VF-154's Intelligence Officer awarded Conway and Freeman the kill.

The F-14s would have wanted to stick around, but a quick glance at the fuel gauges decided the matter. With the Intruders clear, and the Hornets also getting low, it was time to break off. Under cover of the Prowler's jamming, the Tomcats and Hornets turned for the border, following the A-6s. The strike package reformed, and headed back to Saudi, with the Air Force and RAF following. The MiGs orbited for a while, before returning to their bases, convinced they had “driven off” the attackers.

Egress to Saudi was without further incident, and after the post-strike refueling, the Navy strikers returned to Kitty Hawk. They had not been the last to launch, but were the last to trap, coming aboard the ship at 1845.

For the ships on the North SAR Station, the day had passed uneventfully. Though the Iranians had maintained their watch, with two F-4s or F-14s orbiting near Kharg Island at all times, and a solitary P-3F flight near not just the destroyers, but also the carrier group. The Iranians never challenged the Fifth Fleet's Exclusion Zone, and always turned away when warned they were getting too close.

That night, CVW-9 once again took the night watch, as CVW-5's aircrew ate, then hit their racks, while maintenance crews went to work. Things passed uneventfully aboard CV-63, and soon, it was 0430 and time for aircrew wake-up. After breakfast, the crews went to their ready rooms and prepared for the first missions of the day. As usual, it was 0600, with the first package ready on the cats, as CVW-5 went on with the war.

[Matt Wiser]

Part 22: 16 May, and the PGM shortage is starting to bite...


16 May's first strikes were a mix of the usual BAI and CAS, and with Allied Forces now in Iraq itself-even a small part at Umm Qasr, the Iraqis reacted violently. The Iraqis moved their 6th Armored Division down from the Iranian Border, leaving an armored brigade and two reserve infantry brigades to cover, and additional Saddam Fedayeen also came down from Basra, while the RGFC's 8th Special Forces Division sent a battalion from the 82nd Special Forces Brigade as well. That meant increased traffic on both Highway 26 from Zubayr and Freeway 1-and more targets.

The first package in was the 0600 launch, with VA-115's Skipper, CDR Compton, leading the strike, with four A-6s, four VFA-192 F/A-18s, with a pair of VF-21 Tomcats and a VAQ-136 Prowler. After launch, the package formed up and headed north, and as they passed the North SAR Station, the crews noticed an SH-60R and an Australian SH-2G on a SAR mission, looking for a VS-33 S-3B crew that had gone down overnight.As the SAR birds went on their business, the crews were treated to the New Jersey making a bombardment run, tossing two salvos of 16-inch shells against what turned out to be the reactivated Al-Faw SA-2 site.

As the package came in, a Marine ANGLICO team contacted the Eagles Skipper, requesting that they strike traffic along Highway 26. CDR Compton acknowledged, and let CDR Chad Runyan, the VFA-192 CO, take his Hornets in ahead of the A-6s. Due to the PGM shortage, only two Hornets had AGM-65s, and as the two Hornets went in, they drew fire from several gun trucks with either ZPU-4 14.5-mm quad machine guns, or ZU-23s. Four of the offenders were taken out with Mavericks, then all four Hornets went in with CBUs, despite a pair of SA-11s coming up. HARMs from one of the Hornets, and the Prowler, were in the air, and both SA-11s shut down to avoid the HARMs.

While that was happening, the Hornets went in on a mixed convoy headed south along the highway, with trucks, buses, and technicals all headed for Umm Qasr. CDR Runyan's Hornets hit them with both Mark-82s and Mark-20 Rockeye CBUs, wrecking numerous vehicles and sending some up in fireballs as either fuel or ammunition exploded. Then the A-6s came in.

CDR Compton's Intruders were all Rockeye-configured, with each A-6F having a dozen. When the A-6s went in, there was still a good deal of 23-mm flak and some MANPADS shot their way, but the Intruders pressed home, each putting Rockyes down on the convoy below, and as the last Intruder turned for home, they left numerous vehicles burning in their wake.

The package then split up, with the two Tomcats and the Prowler remaining behind to cover additional packages coming in, while the Intruders and Hornets returned to the carrier, trapping at 0740.

While that package was off, VA-185's Skipper, CDR Amanda Lowry, led the 0630 package, and that one took her to the Safwan-Kuwait border area. Like the VA-115 package, the A-6s were Rockeye-configured, while the Hornets, these from VFA-195, had a mix of CBUs, Mark-82s, and HARMs, for Safwan was still a high-threat area, with the RGFC's 1st Armored and 8th Special Forces Divisions both having their divisional rear areas in the vicinity, along with the helicopter operations at Safwan Airfield. Even with the two Tomcats and Prowler from the 0600 package in the area, two VF-154 Tomcats were included as strike escort, for Shoiabah AB was just to the north near Zubayr.

CDR Lowry led her package in, targeted for Safwan Airfield. As the package came in, two SA-6s and an SA-11 came up, and though the Prowler was actively jamming, the Hornets went in, led by VFA-195's CDR Colleen “China B” McMurphy. HARMs were off the rails as the two SA-6 sites launched, One of the HARMs scored on one of the SA-6s, while the other SA-6, along with the SA-11, shut down. The Hornets then went down on the flak sites, and there were numerous guns firing, as 23-mm and 37-mm opened up from the airfield, while several ZSU-23-4s were also shooting, but most likely in optical mode, as their radars stayed off the air. CDR McMurphy's Hornets put Rockyes on a ZU-23 battery and a 37-mm site, while Mark-82s tore apart another 37-mm site.

Then the Intruders came in, each packing sixteen Mark-82s, and the A-6s laid their bombs across the airfield. CDR Lowry's two-ship put their bombs on the runway and the ramp area, tearing up several parked Mi-8 and Mi-25 helos as well as the control tower. An added bonus was seeing an An-26 transport and two Su-25s going up in fireballs as well, They were followed by the second element, which put their bombs into the field's fuel depot as well as the revetted munitions storage, and both crews were rewarded with multiple secondaries as a result. Despite the flak, and several MANPADS being fired, the A-6s and Hornets successfully cleared the target area, and met up with the two Black Knights Tomcats, before heading back to the boat.

Though CAS and BAI strikes were the norm for the morning, strategic strikes were still on CVW-5's agenda, and VA-115 drew another one at midmorning. CDR Matt Wiser, the Eagles' XO, took four Eagles A-6s, four Dambusters Hornets, along with a Prowler and two VF-154 Tomcats, to the Diwaniyah area. There, two targets beckoned: the first being the Diwaniyah POL Storage west of Highway 8, just north of the junction with Highway 71, and the Diwaniyah Gas Plant, to the west of the POL Storage. Due to the PGM shortage, the A-6s would be carrying dumb bombs, and that meant going in at low level if their ordnance was to be delivered accurately, for there were civilian neighborhoods north and south of the POL Storage. Each A-6 would go in with six Mark-83s rigged with Snakeyes, and as usual for strategic strikes, ingress would be via Saudi. Despite some misgivings from the crews-and CDR Wiser shared those, the crews got on with the mission, launching at 0945.

The trip to the tanker track south of the Saudi-Iraq border was routine, and as usual, the crews noticed the RSAF F-15s and Typhoons handling the HVUCAP mission, along with both USAF and RSAF strike packages (led by F-15Es in the former, Tornado IDS in the latter), as they waited to tank up. After tanking, the Navy package ingressed into Iraq,

Dropping down to low level, CDR Wiser led his package in at 500 Feet AGL and doing 540 KIAS, keeping well clear of Al Salman Airfield, and after getting into the Euphrates River Valley, kept going north until they picked up the Euphrates River. They followed the river, skirting the An Najaf area, until reaching a dry lake known as the Hawr Ibn Najim. The strike package turned east until they picked up Highway 8, then the Baghdad-Basra Railroad before turning south.

After a climb up from 500 feet to 1200, LCDR Kathy Evison's Dambusters Hornets went in on their IRON HAND mission. An SA-2 site to the east of Diawaniya came up, but a HARM launch forced it to shut down, but the Fan Song radar ate the HARM anyway. Evison's Hornets then went after several flak sites, one between the gas plant and the POL Storage, and struck a 57-mm site near the military garrison.

With the way cleared for the A-6s, CDR Wiser took his two-ship in, with LT Bryan Rivers on his wing. The two A-6s came in at 750 Feet, releasing their Mark-83s right into the POL storage, and fuel tanks exploded in orange-red-black fireballs in their wake. Now skirting highway 8, the two A-6s cleared the target area and headed south.

As the XO went in, LCDR Tony Carpenter's two-ship went in on the gas plant to the west. Seeing the XO's strike go in, 115's Ops Officer led his wingman, LT Chris Knapp, in on their target. Again, Mark-83s came off the racks as the A-6s overflew the target, and several large fireballs resulted as Mark-83s struck home. Carpenter and Knapp, just as the XO and Rivers, followed Highway 8, then turned south.

After clearing the target, LCDR Evison's Hornets, along with the Tomcats and Prowler, joined up with the A-6s, and the package headed south, picking up the Euphrates west of Samawah. Only then did the package climb back high, and headed south to Saudi Airspace and the tankers. It was shortly after 1230 when the package trapped back aboard Kitty Hawk.


Further CAS and BAI missions went in as the day progressed, as did a serious fight for Umm Qasr and as the afternoon came, Abdali, south of the Iraq-Kuwait Border and Safwan. There, the British and Australians encountered not only elements of an Iraqi Army Infantry Division, but resupplied elements of the RGFC's 1st “Hammurabi” Armored Division, while to the west, the 40th ID and 278th ACR pushed back against another infantry division before encountering elements of II Guards Corps, most notably the 2nd “Medina” Armored Division.

While the CAS and BAI runs went in, strategic strikes continued. VA-185's CDR Amanda Lowry took four A-6s, four VFA-195 Hornets, along with two VF-21 Tomcats and a Prowler, to a first-time target:the Ramadi West Rail Yard. Again, due to the PGM shortage, the strike birds would be carrying dumb bombs-in this case, the lead element would each have six Mark-83 Snakeyes, while the second element packed a dozen Mark-82 Snakeyes each. The Hornets would carry one HARM and six Rockeyes for their IRON HAND mission, while the Freelancer Tomcats had their usual two Sidewinder-three AIM-120-two Phoenix load.

The package launched at 1030, and as usual, met up with the tanker track south of the Saudi-Iraq Border. Again, the crews watched as the RSAF F-15Cs and Typhoons handled the vital HVUCAP mission, and after refueling, the strike package went into Iraqi airspace at medium level. Only as they approached Lake Habbiniyah did the strike birds proper get down low, while the Hornets, Tomcats, and the Prowler remained up high. CDR Lowry took her A-6s west of Ramadi, before doing a 180 and coming in west of the Euphrates and popping up to 700 feet to deliver their ordnance. As the strike birds went in, the defenses at Ramadi, Habbiniyah, and Al Taqaddum AB began to react, with the Ramadi SA-2 and both SA-2s at Habbiniyah and Taqaddum. LT Toby Butler led the Hornets, and three of them put HARMs in the air, as the Prowler began jamming. The Ramadi SA-2 did launch two missiles before a HARM took it off the air, and a follow-up by one of the Hornets put a Rockeye on the site, neutralizing it. Other Hornets went after flak batteries near the Ramadi Military Complex, putting a 37-mm and a 57-mm site out of action.

As the Hornets did their think, CDR Lowry led the A-6s in on the rail yard. With no PGMs to do the job, LT Dana Verell, her B/N, put 531's Mark-83s right onto the Switching Station, blowing it apart, and taking some rolling stock with it as well. Right behind the Skipper was their wingmates in 535, LT s. Mason and Daniels, and they put their bombs onto a warehouse complex just south of the tracks, and they were rewarded with several secondaries as the contents of the warehouses disagreed with the Mark-83s deposited there.

Thirty seconds later came the second element, with LT John Collett and LT Joe Meredith in 537 going after more rolling stock, and cutting several in-yard lines in the process with their Mark-82s. LTJG Darlene Wilson and LCDR Trina Regan in 540 followed up, putting their bombs into additional rolling stock, and also taking out-quite by accident as it turrned out-a key switch on the west side of the yard. All four A-6s cleared the target and egressed to the south.


This time, the Tomcats had no immediate action as the Iraqi CAPs remained in the Baghdad area, though as the strike birds cleared the area, two MiG-21s lifted off from Al Asad AB to the west, and charged in. Both MiGs were from the 131st Fighter Squadron, which had been a joint Iraqi-Jordanian-Palestinian unit during the Iran-Iraq War and the Gulf War, but the Jordanians had left in 1995. Though the MiG-21s were no match for the F-14s, the MiGs-these two with an Iraqi leader and a Palestinian wingman, charged in anyway.

After getting the warning call from the AWACS, LCDR Trent Powers and LTJG Shannon Mitchell in 205 led 207's LT Shane Vansen and LT David “Taco Bell” into the fight. Both Tomcatters held onto their AIM-54s, taking AIM-120 shots from about 30 miles. 205's first shot missed, but Vansen and Bell's didn't, sending one of the MiGs down. Powers then locked the second MiG up, shooting at 14 miles, and this one scored. As both MiGs fell in flames, neither Freelancer crew saw chutes.

Both Tomcats turned back to reform with the package, and they formed up with the Hornets and Prowler south of Lake Habbiniyah, with the A-6s joining them soon after. The trip back to Saudi was uneventful, and after tanking, headed back to CV-63, trapping just before 1400.

More CAS and BAI packages went in as the afternoon went on, but there were additional strategic strikes being tasked. VA-115 drew the next one, with a strike into the MEZ, targeted for the Al Mammoun (Musaybb Southeast) SSM Production Facility, which was one of two plants producing the Iraqi copy of the FROG-7. CDR Compton took four A-6s, four Hornets from the Golden Dragons, two VF-21 Tomcats, and an VAQ-136 Prowler, with launch at 1245, just after the Eagles XO had trapped.

Ingress was via the usual route in Saudi, hitting the tankers just south of the Iraqi Border. The strike package remained at Medium altitude until just west of Lake Milh, when the Intruders went down low, while CDR Chad Runyan's Hornets, went in to clear the way for the A-6s. The EA-6B and two Tomcats orbited over the Lake, with the Prowler jamming the numerous air defense radars that were now active, as the Iraqi Central Air Defense Sector was now fully active.

The strike birds threaded the needle between the Musaybb missile facilities to their north, and their defenses, and the Karbala area to the south, before popping up to deliver their ordnance. With the PGM shortage biting, each A-6 carried ten Mark-83 Snakeyes along with a fuel tank, and that would have to do. CDR Compton picked up the Euphrates, then the town of Musaybb, before making his “In hot” call.

As he did, the defenses around the target began to react, and CDR Runyan's Hornets-and the Prowler-began putting HARMs in the air. An SA-2 site and an SA-3 site both came up, with the SA-2 eating a HARM just after it fired two missiles, while the SA-3 shut down to avoid the HARM. In addition, the flak batteries in the area began shooting, with a 57-mm radar-guided site taking a HARM, and a 100-mm site also took a HARM as it tried to zero in on two of the Hornets. Follow-up runs with Rockeyes on both sites-and a 37-mm site just south of the target proper-put the offenders out of business, clearing the way for the A-6s.

CDR Compton's lead element went in, targeted on one of several production buildings, and both the Skipper in 501 and his wingman in 511, LTJG Todd Lowell, putting their bombs right on target, blasting the building apart. They drew light flak from ZPU-4 and ZU-23 sites, but the Intruders were too fast, and they easily avoided the flak.

The second element wasn't so lucky as LCDR Brad Morris and LT Dave Carroll in 507 took LTJG Travis Cooper and LCDR Andy Mathews in 510 on another of the production buildings, but the defenders were now fully alerted, and a 57-mm site that had not turned on its radar did so as the second pair came in. Morris and Carroll came in, and despite the flak, put their Mark-83s on top of another production building, blasting it apart, but as they cleared the area, both aviators glanced to the rear, and saw a fireball in the air as they pulled away. “They got bagged,” was the sentiment of both as they egressed.

Both were right, for as the IRON HAND Hornets watched, 510 was hit a few seconds after bomb release, and as one Hornet fired the flight's last HARM onto the battery, the A-6F fireballed. Though a beeper was heard, no one saw a chute.
Enraged, two more Hornets went in on the site and each dumped their remaining Rockeyes onto the site-having previously expended some. CDR Runyan then called off his Hornets, and after marking the crash site, egressed.

It wasn't known until after the war that both aircrew on 510 were killed in action. Though one crew member tried to eject, it was unsuccessful, and both Cooper's and Mathews' remains were returned after the war, being listed as MIA for the present. .

While the A-6s went in, the TARCAP Tomcats were challenged by two MiG-23s that came out of Shayka Mazar AB to the Northeast. The MiGs turned for the Hornets, but LT Darrell Rogers and LT Chris Collins in Freelancer 206 took 210's LTJG Brian Grant and LCDR Sean Baker into the fight. The MiGs were lit up by APG-71 radars, but the Floggers bored in anyway. Again, the need to conserve Phoenix meant that AIM-120 was the weapon of choice, and 206's crew fired first, shooting at 27 miles, and 210's crew followed. Both Slammers found their mark, sending both MiG-23s down. Although both kills were documented by TCS cameras, no chutes were observed.

More MiGs, these -29s from Al-Muthena in Baghdad, and -23s from Al-Rashid, scrambled, and a MiG-25 CAP between Taqqddum and Habbiniyah also responded, but the MiGs were too late as the Tomcats, low on fuel, declined to engage as the A-6s and Hornets were now clear, and the Prowler joined them south of Hillah.

The crews were subdued as the package headed south and then exited Iraqi airspace, meeting up with the tankers. They returned to the ship at 1555, having suffered CVW-9's first loss in several days, and having a reminder that strikes into Iraq were not Milk Runs.

Another deep strike launched just after 1400, with VA-185's CDR Adam Yoshida leading four Nighthawks Intruders, four VFA-195 Hornets, and two Blackknight Tomcats against the Amarra Ammunition Depot. This one would be a mixed PGM/Dumb bomb mission, as there were both bunkered storage as well as numerous warehouses in the complex. The target had been visited several times by both Navy and Air Force aircraft, but the extensive bunker and warehouse complex was still a going concern. Though there was no Prowler along, an Air Force strike against Amarra New Airfield would have an EF-111 in support, with that strike timed to go in just before the Navy effort.

CDR Yoshida's strike package launched, and as they headed in, noticed not only the ships on the North SAR Station, but also the New Jersey as she made another bombardment run, throwing 16-inch shells into Iraqi positions north of Umm Qasr. On Coast-in, the crews also noticed that they had company, as two Iranian AF F-4s followed along, but careful enough to stay within Iranian Airspace as the strike package flew past Basra. Though the package was well within range of Basra's defenses, they only drew scattered flak, along with a single SA-2 radar that tracked, but did not fire. As they passed Qurna, then Qalat Salih Airfield, the defenses there stayed quiet, as the strike force was coming in at medium altitude, well below the range of the 23-mm and 37-mm sites, and the 57-mm at both chose not to fire.

It was 1500 when the package arrived to see F-15Es and F-16s going in on the airfield, and flak coming up to meet the strikers. With the defenders concentrating on the Air Force, CDR Yoshida led the package past Amarra, then did a 180 to come in from the north. Then newly-promoted LCDR Dave Crenshaw took the Hornets in, as the AAA and a nearby SA-3 site turned their attention to the Navy birds coming in.

The SA-3 site, despite the EF-111 jamming, fired two missiles, but these appeared to be in optical mode, and the Hornets broke into pairs and dodged the SAMs, only to see a 57-mm radar-guided site come up. Crenshaw sent a HARM down on the site, which ate the missile and went off the air, before depositing two Rockeye CBUs on the battery knocking it out of commission. The other Hornets went after a pair of 37-mm sites-one of which had been hit by F-16s doing flak suppression-and a 23-mm site just north of the airfield.

While the Hornets went after the AAA, CDR Yoshida brought the A-6s in. His element had the the LGBs, and LTJG Laura Patterson, 532's B/N, picked out a bunker for their GBU-10Is. Both weapons found their mark, and 532's crew was rewarded with a large explosion in the bunker itself and numerous secondaries following as the A-6 cleared the target area. Their wingmates in 539, LTJG Duncan Ellis and LCDR James Houston, followed suit, putting their two laser bombs into another bunker, and got much the same results.

The next pair of A-6Fs came in, and these had six Mark-83s instead of LGBs. They were targeted on a series of warehouses north of the bunkered storage, and LCDR Michelle Nichols flying the CAG Bird, 530, and her B/N LTJG Mark Pope put Mark-83s right in the middle of one cluster of warehouses. Several of the bombs struck warehouses, and the contents evidently disagreed with the bombs, for there were four large explosions, tearing the buildings apart, and producing multiple secondaries. Right behind them in 542 were LT Richard Shoemaker and LT Torie Nichols, and they put their bombs on several undamged warehouses just to the west of where 530's bombs had been deposited. They, too, had large detonations and multiple secondaries as their bombs found targets. All four A-6s easily cleared the target area, and met up with the Hornets for the trip south.

The only ones disappointed were the Black Knights Tomcat crews, for no Iraqi fighters tried to scramble, either from Amarra or from Kut to the Northwest. Depsite the disappointment, the Tomcats formed up with the rest of the package, and followed the Air Force out, noting that the EF-111 was the last to depart. As with ingress, the Iranians monitored the package as it egressed out of Iraqi Airspace, with the same two F-4s following the outbound packages all the way to the Faw Peninsula, before turning back to their base. The AF package then split up to return to their bases, while the Navy birds soon found Kitty Hawk, trapping just after 1545.

One final strategic mission was laid on, with VA-115 taking the mission. CDR Wiser took four A-6s, four Dambusters Hornets, two VF-154 Tomcats, and this time a VAQ-136 Prowler, to the Shayka Mazar Military Logistics Center, to the southeast of the airfield of the same name, and within the Baghdad MEZ. To help out, two RAF Tornados, each with a pair of ALARMs would join the package at the refueling track. Unlike previous strikes into the area, this one would also go up the Tigris, and they would take advantage of the easternmost tanker track near Khafji on the Saudi-Kuwait Border, before penetrating.

Just as with the Amarra mission, it would be a mixed PGM/dumb bomb load for the A-6s. The lead element had two GBU-10I laser bombs, while the second one had six Mark-83s. LCDR Kathy Evison's Hornets had the usual mix of HARM and Rockeye, while the Tomcats, led by the ace team of LT Jacqui Patterson and LT Debbie Bradley, would pack a 2-3-2 load of Sidewinder, Slammer, and Phoenix. The Prowler would pack a single HARM and three ECM pods, along with a fuel tank, while the Tornados had two ALARMs and two Sidewinders apiece. The Navy strikers launched at 1530, before the Amarra mission returned, As the package headed north, it encountered the Amarra package as it was returning, and met up at the tanker track with the Tornados.

Ingress was via the Shatt-al-Arab, east of the Faw Peninsula, and as with the Amarra mission, two Iranian F-4s followed along as the strike package before breaking off as the package turned south of Kut. On the way in, the defenses at Qurnah, Qalat Salih, and Amarra didn't react, nor did the SA-2 and fighters at Kut. Only as the package approached the MEZ did the Iraqis begin to react.

As the package came into the Shayka Mazar area, the Baghdad defenses came up, with numerous radars lighting up. Both Tornados went in first, launching their ALARMs in loiter mode, then the Hornets went in. LCDR Evison found an SA-2 and two radar-guided AAA batteries, both 57-mm, and her Hornets soon had HARMs off the rails. The SA-2 launched two missiles before eating a HARM, and one of the 57-mm radars also took a HARM, while the other shut down, but continued shooting in optical mode. After she shot her first HARM, LCDR Evision found the SA-2 site, and followed up with a pair of Rockeyes, putting the site out of action. Other Hornets went after the two 57-mm sites, while one took down a 37-mm site north of the target area.

As the Hornets went in, the Tomcats were orbiting, and AWACS warned them of MiGs inbound. Two MiG-29s that had been on a CAP over Baghdad came in, along with two MiG-23s that scrambled out of Al-Rashid, and both flights headed south. LT Patterson in Blackknight 107 picked them up, and after making a call on GUARD “Tomcat girls ready to play,” to taunt the Iraqis, locked up one of the MiG-29s at 40 miles. LT Bradley had a Slammer locked, and at 35 miles, fired. The AIM-120 went straight and true, spearing the MiG, and this time, the wingman turned back towards Baghdad. The two MiG-23s continued in, and after locking one up, was shot by Patterson at 20 miles, just as the MiGs' own radars were picking up the F-14s. The leader broke, but the wingman didn't, and he was speared by Patterson's second Slammer. The leader turned back in, and this time, it was now within visual range as Patterson maneuvered 107 behind the MiG, before firing a Sidewinder.

The AIM-9R went off the rail, then flew straight into the MiG-23's tail, smashing it. This time, 107's crew saw a chute.

Blackknight110 was covering their lead when two MiG-25s charged in from the west at Mach 2.3. These came out of Al Taqaddum, and LT s Conway and Freeman in 110 targeted the lead Foxbat, shooting a Phoenix at 55 miles. This Phoenix scored, and as the MiG fireballed, the second MiG dropped out of the Mach and turned around.

With the way clear, CDR Wiser brought the A-6s in. His trusty B/N, Madge Porter, picked out a bunker for their GBU-10Is, despite some 23-mm and 37-mm flak, along with MANPADS. Ignoring the fire, the Eagles XO put 505's two laser bombs on target, blowing the targeted bunker apart, and producing a very large sympathetic detonation. Their wingmates in 509, LT Bryan Rivers and LT Sarah “Indy” Fisher followed suit, targeting a bunker for their LGBs with similar results.

The second pair, led by the Eagles' Ops Officer, then came in. LCDR Tony Carpenter's two Intruders went after revetted storage on the south side of the target area, and both released their Mark-83s despite the flak, which was light in terms of size, but “there was a lot of it.” Again, there were sympathetic detonations as the contents of some revetments disagreed with the Mark-83s going off, as the A-6s cleared the target. All four Intruders cleared the area without incident.

As the Tomcats turned back south, two MiG-21s scrambled from Shayka Mazar AB.Unlike the MiGs splashed earlier in the day, these were being flown by IrAF Cadets in the type's war reserve interceptor role (unknown to the Navy crews, let alone CENTAF Intelligence). One of the MiGs was locked up by Conway and Freeman in 110 and shot at ten miles with a Slammer, and the MiG fireballed as the AIM-120 speared the MiG just behind the cockpit. The second one turned to try and confront the F-14, only to cross the nose of LCDR Evison's Hornet. The Dambusters Ops Officer promptly locked the MiG-21 up with a Sidewinder and shot him from close range, turning the MiG into a fireball. As the Fishbed tumbled down, Evision was surprised to see the seat fire and a chute deploy just before the MiG crashed.

With the A-6s and Tornados clear, the Tomcats and Hornets joined up with the strike birds and the Prowler south of the target. The birds skirted the An Numiniya AB area, before picking up the Tigris south of Kut. Just as on ingress, two Iranian fighters, this time F-5s, monitored the package as they egressed south, skirting Qurna, then Basra, as they did so. Only after the Navy package cleared the Faw Peninsula did the Iranians turn east.

After a quick post-strike refueling, the Tornados headed for their base at Al-Udaid in Qatar, as the Navy found CV-63. This strike, the last major one of the day, trapped just after 1630, though several CAS and BAI strikes were still out, but all airborne aircraft returned to the ship, with flight ops closing just after 1730.

That evening, a serious discussion took place in Admiral Freeman's cabin, as the Admiral, CAG, and the A-6 and F/A-18 squadron commanders debated how to handle the PGM shortage and still get bombs on target. After some back-and-forth, with the Admiral refereeing the arguments, it was decided that low-altitude strikes would still have to go in, especially in the MEZ or against other targets as ordnance dictated. How low, though, would be left to the discretion of Squadron COs, to balance the need to get bombs on target, minimize collateral damage, and still get results at the lowest possible cost in aircraft and aircrews.

While CVW-5's strikes went throughout the day, the ships on the North SAR Station passed an uneventful day. Several days had passed since the Iraqis last tried to attack the ships, and yet, no one was taking chances. The ships were at Condition-II readiness throughout, and though an Iranian P-3 and an RC-130 both got close to the ships on several occasions, the Iranians continued to respect 5th Fleet's Exclusion Zone around the ships. Nightfall brought no change, and no Iraqi attempt to go for the ships by sea, even though one Neustrashimmy-class frigate and at least four Tarrantul-class FAC (M) were still at Basra.

Aboard the carrier, the night passed uneventfully, with the occasional CAP or SUCAP to back up CVW-9 on Nimitz as their colleagues maintained the night schedule.

Soon, it was 0430 and time for aircrew wakeup. The crews ate and got ready, for the first strike on the ATO was an 0600 launch. And CVW-5 got on with the war.

[Lordroel]

As CVW-5 still using this lady, i post it here.

[jemhouston]

Still one mean bird. Grumman Ironworks lived up the name.

[Lordroel]

Still one mean bird. Grumman Ironworks lived up the name.

Think they will feel at home in World War III, they can do what they where build for.

[Wolfman]

Indeed.

[Wolfman]

By the way, Kitty Hawk’s nickname was Shitty Kitty…

[Bernard Woolley]

And Hermes was Herpes. Made worse by the fact that she was a carrier.

[jemhouston]

If you can't say something nice, at least make it funny.

[Wolfman]

And Hermes was Herpes. Made worse by the fact that she was a carrier.

True. What sparked my comment was a YouTube video of Kitty Hawk arriving at Brownsville for scrapping and her passing by South Padre Island with various vets who’d served aboard her giving her a final salute as she passed.

[Matt Wiser]

Part 23: And for the first time since sinking an AGI on D-Day, CVW-5 faces the Soviets....



17 May dawned, and with it brought the second day of having the Iranians as “semi-allies.” Not quite all the way in, but still getting involved to a degree. For CVW-5's aircrews, and the rest of CENTAF, it meant that the Iranians were another CAS customer, via airborne FACs instead of ground FACs or SOF. And for aircrews, it also meant that if one had to eject or force-land in Iran, their stay would only last a few hours, maybe a day, at most.

Such concerns were on the minds of the crews as the 0600 package launched, with four VA-115 A-6s, four VFA-192 Hornets, along with two VF-21 Tomcats and the usual Prowler from VAQ-136. CDR Compton, the Eagles' Skipper, lead the package off the cats, headed north. As the package headed north, the crews passed the ships on the North SAR Station, then noted the battleship New Jersey as she tossed 16-inch shells into the Faw Peninsula, helping to break up an Iraqi attack on the Iranians now in the town of Faw proper. When the package arrived over Faw, an OA-10 FAC directed the Navy strike onto the Basra-Faw Road, where Iraqi armor and infantry were heading towards Faw.

As the strike package went in, numerous SAM and AAA radars came up to the West, as the strikers were close to the I Guards Corps, and their divisional and corps-level air defense assets. Several SA-11 vehicles came up, along with Firecan radars for 57-mm and heavier AAA, and CDR Colleen McMurphy's four Hornets went in to suppress the threats. HARM missiles were soon in the air, along with more “Magnum” calls on the radio than had been missiles launched. Most of the Iraqi SAM and AAA radars shut down, but at least one SA-11 and a Firecan didn't, and ate HARMs for their trouble. While that was happening, two Hornets went in on the Iraqis in the open, looking for any mobile AAA. They found several BTR-152 APCs with ZU-23s or ZPU machine-gun mounts, and four of those vehicles ate Mavericks. With the air-defense threat suppressed, the A-6s came in.

Skipper Compton took the A-6s down on what was later found to be lead elements of the Iraqi 29th Infantry Division, a reserve formation from Basra, which had been “stiffened” with several company-sized units of Saddam Fedayeen. Each A-6 had sixteen Mark-82s, and the Iraqis scattered as the Intruders came in on the divisional tank battalion and a battalion of mechanized infantry. Though all four A-6s came away from the target area unscathed, each had several MANPADS-either SA-7 or SA-14, shot at them on egress, while a number of tanks and APCs had been blasted apart or tossed aside like toys. Then the Hornets came in with Rockeyes to continue the job, wrecking several more tanks or APCs, before they, too, egressed. The package reformed southeast of Faw before retuning to the boat, minus the Prowler, which orbited over Southern Bubiyan Island to provide standoff jamming support to strikes inbound to the Umm Qasr-Faw area. About the only aircrew disappointed were the Freelancers, who missed out on any MiG action.

It was the Knighthawks' turn to take the next package, and VA-185's CO, CDR Lowry, took the squadron's first mission as usual. This one had VFA-195 provide the Hornets, and VF-154 two F-14s to fill out the package. The 0630 package went in north of Umm Qasr, where the Marines and Australians were having a tough fight in clearing the port of its Iraqi Navy and Saddam Fedayeen defenders. The crews on this one were also treated to the New Jersey's bombardment of the Faw area as they went in, and after CDR Lowry contacted a FAC, she was directed onto Highway 26, just north of the crossroads at Al Jabjud. There, the strike package found a full brigade moving south to Umm Qasr, which turned out to be the well-equipped 440th Marine Brigade from the RGFC's 8th Special Forces Division.

Again, the I Guards Corps and their air-defense assets reacted, with SAM and AAA radar coming up, and CDR Chad Runyan's Golden Dragons went in to shut them down. This time, an SA-11 did launch, and unfortunately for the Iraqis, this one ate two HARMs, along with another Firecan AAA radar. Runyan's Hornets then went down on the Republican Guard below, picking out a pair of ZSU-23-4s and a pair of SA-13s for their Maverick shots, before the A-6s came in.

CDR Lowry's Intruders each had a dozen Rockeyes, and she took 531 in down onto the mass of vehicles down below. Ignoring some tracers coming up from a ZPU-4 site at the crossroads and several SA-7s, 185's Skipper put her dozen Rockeyes down on what turned out to be the lead battalion, wrecking a number of BMD airborne infantry vehicles, several EE-9 armored cars, and trucks. Her wingmate, LT Melissa Daniels in 535, followed the CO in, putting her CBUs onto a number of undamaged vehicles close to where Lowry's CBUs had made their mark.

After the Skipper's element went in, LT John Collett and LTJG Joe Meridith in 537 came in on another battalion, which, alerted by the strike on the lead elements, had begun to disperse off the highway. They put their Rockeyes down on a company's worth of vehicles, as did LTJG Darlene Wilson and LCDR Trina Regan in 540. Once the Intruders were clear, the Hornets went in with some unexpended Rockeyes to add to the carnage, before heading out to the Gulf. None of the birds in the package took damage, and all recovered aboard CV-63 without incident.

Further CAS and BAI strikes went in throughout the day, but strategic strikes were also on the agenda. First up was the VA-115 XO, CDR Matt Wiser, who took a package “Up North.” Not just Baghdad, but past it, for their target was the Samarra East Military Logistics Center, only a few miles from Samarra East AB. That field had not only two Iraqi AF MiG-29 squadrons, but the Soviets were there as well-those who had been ordered out of Syria, as well as being their MAAG Headquarters. The Soviets were expected to have not only CAP elements airborne, but were also expected respond aggressively to any attack in the vicinity. Thus, there would be two additional F-14s to handle the expected MiG threat, all from VF-154, while the Dambusters Hornets were joined by two from the Golden Dragons, with HARM and either Rockeyes or AGM-65s. For the EW mission, not only would the strike package have a Prowler, but also an EF-111 for additional ECM and SEAD, while two RAF Tornados would also join the package configured as ALARM shooters. The actual strike birds from VA-115 would have two HARMs as well, along with six Mark-83s.

Things were tense at the brief. All aircrew knew that for the first time since the war began, apart from VA-185 sinking a Soviet AGI, CVW-5 crews would be facing Russians And the aircrews mounted their aircraft knowing that, while the Iraqis had been-and still were-determined opponents, the Russians would be more so.

Launch was at 0930, and the meetup over the Gulf Tanker Track with the EF-111 and the RAF went as expected. CDR Wiser led the strike package “Coast in” and ingressed into Iraq along the Iranian Border. As usual, the Iranian AF monitored the inbound package, with two F-4Es following just inside Iranian airspace, until the package was past Amarra. As the strikers continued to the northwest, the Iranians pulled away, knowing that the target now was nowhere near Iran.

The inbound strikers skirted the Baghdad MEZ, as numerous radars to the west were active, and despite the jamming from both the Prowler and the EF-111, the Iraqis knew a major strike was inside their airspace. However, the Iraqi Air Defense Command did not respond at once, as the package's target was still not known. But as they closed in on their actual target, two MiG-29s were scrambled from Samarra East, and two Soviet MiGs were also scrambled.

AWACS gave warning, and two Tomcats were vectored in onto the two Iraqi MiGs. Blackknight 111 with LT Paula Mobley and LT Kara Wade led 112 with LTJG Pat O'Gara and LCDR Darrell Simmons in. Saving their Phoenixes for the Russians, Mobley locked up the MiG leader at 35 miles and shot a Slammer. The AIM-120 ate the distance, and just as the MiG leader gained a lock on 111, the MiG fireballed. Their wingmates in 112 locked up the wingman at 30 miles and also shot, That Fulcrum, too, took a Slammer, and at that range, no one knew if the pilot got out.

The two Soviet MiGs (both MiG-29SEs from Naval Aviation) came in, only to face Patterson and Bradley in 106. Patterson called out on GUARD, “Tomcat girls here, Ivan. You want to play?” as Bradley in the back seat locked up one of the MiGs and fired a Phoenix at 45 miles.

The Soviet MiG drivers had faced F-14s before: over the Med in the war's early days. Both MiGs broke and scattered as their RWRs picked up the Phoenix radar, doing a Doppler break. Though they broke lock at first, when they turned back in, Simmons in 110's back seat locked up the wingman and shot two more AIM-54s at 25 miles, which tracked down that MiG and exploded him in a fireball. The MiG leader then turned back in, trying to lock up one of the F-14s, only to have Mobley and Wade shoot their second Phoenix at near point-blank range, 16 miles. The MiG pitched over to the right and tried to dive, only to have the Phoenix's proximity fuze go off, shredding the port wing and horizontal stabilizer, along with both engines. Mobley and Wade watched as the canopy fired, the seat fired, with the hapless MiG pilot hanging in a chute shortly thereafter.

While the F-14s were dealing with the MiGs, the Hornets went in. Seeing numerous radars coming from the area, LCDR Kathy Evision's four Dambusters came in, and all four took single HARM shots. Two of the missiles found Soviet-manned SA-11s, exploding them, while another found the Iraqi SA-3 site south of the air base, taking it out. At almost the same time, the two Tornados launched their ALARMs in loiter mode, hoping to catch gun and short-range missile radars as they came up. They were rewarded when an Iraqi-manned SA-8 came up, and one of the ALARMs found the missile track and exploded it. The others waited, searching for priority targets.

A second salvo of HARMs came, exploding a second SA-8 and an SA-11, while an ALARM found another SA-11 as well. The two Golden Dragons Hornets then led the other four in, and they took Maverick shots, killing a pair of Tunguska gun tracks, a Pantisr gun/missile truck, and what appeared to be a command track for those assets. The Hornets then went on their Rockye runs, taking down an Iraqi-manned 57-mm battery, a ZU-23 site close to the supply center, and at least two of the Pantisr gun trucks.

When LCDR Evision called it clear, CDR Wiser led his A-6Fs in on their runs. All four A-6s were ready to shoot HARMs in self-defense mode, and both the Iraqis and the Soviets did not disappoint. The strike lead shot two HARMs, one at a Tunguska that came up, and the other found a Firecan 57-mm radar. CDR Wiser then lined up on the target, and sent his six Mark-83s down on a cluster of warehouses. As the Eagles XO pulled up and away, he and his B/N, Madge Porter, were rewarded with the sight of secondaries as the contents of the warehouses disagreed with the Mark-83s. Their wingmates in 509, LT Rivers and LT Fisher, also came in, and they shot a HARM at a Tunguska as well, before calling a “Double MAGNUM” and forcing some of the radars to go off the air. They, too, found warehouses for their Mark-83s, and were also rewarded with secondaries as their bombs found their targets. Both the XO and his wingmate egressed safely, heading back southeast.

The second element came in, with LCDR Tony Carpenter and LT Chris Knapp taking their Intruders in. Their approach was just as contested, with Carpenter's B/N, LT Karla Jefferson, launching two HARMs at a Tunguska along with an Iraqi SA-8, before going in onto the target area. LT Jefferson picked out some revetted munitions storage for their Mark-83s, and they, too, were rewarded with secondaries as their ordnance made its mark. Knapp and Shelton in 511 then went in, shooting their two HARMs at a Tunguska and an SA-11, while watching an ALARM pick out the same SA-11 and both weapons combined to explode the launcher just seconds after it launched two missiles, both of which “went dumb”. They found some additional revetted storage, along with a truck park for their Mark-83s, and also had “multiple secondaries” as they pulled away.

After 511's crew called clear, that was the signal for the Hornets and Tomcats to follow. The F-14s had an uneventful TARCAP, but the Hornets had been busy, making Rockeye runs on flak sites, but as the Intruders cleared the area, the Hornets, ordnance expended, followed. Unfortunately, not all of them egressed, for as LT Dale Brewer pulled away in Dambuster 409, two Soviet SA-11s fired in optical mode. He avoided both missiles, but as he did, another of the Soviets' SA-11s launched, also in optical mode, and those two tracked down 409 and the Hornet became a fireball. No one saw a chute or heard a beeper, and low on fuel, the remaining Hornets cleared the area. Brewer was listed as MIA, though his body was later recovered postwar.

The strike package reformed, minus one, and headed back south, skirting the MEZ as they did. Once they reached the Amarra area, the Iranians picked them up, with two F-5Es this time, and followed the package until clearing the Iranian border area. After the post-strike refueling, the Tornados and EF-111 headed for their bases, while the Navy birds returned to Kitty Hawk, trapping after some four hours in the air.

While the Eagles were going to Samarra, the Knighthawks had a strategic strike of their own. CDR Adam Yoshida led four A-6Fs, four Golden Dragons Hornets, two Freelancer Tomcats, and a Prowler to the large Karbala-Al Ukaydir Ammunition and Missile Storage. This sprawling storage area had been hit a few times, but the few bunkers or warehouses hit had hadly dented the quantity of the stored munitions, large explosions notwithstanding. So it was the Knighthawks' turn to see if the supply could be “further depleted,” with the lead element carrying GBU-10I LGBs targeting bunkers and the second with Mark-82s for warehouse storage. This package launched at 1000, just a half-hour after the Samarra mission.

Ingress was via Saudi, and as the package met with the tankers, the tanker track was a busy place. Not just inbound and outbound USAF and RSAF aircraft, but there were the usual AWACS and Rivet Joint ELINT birds, and the HVUCAP from both the USAF and RSAF. The way in past As Salman at medium altitude went without a hitch, but the crews noticed that the runway there had been repaired, though the SA-2 site was occupied-with wreckage from previous strikes. As the strike package approached the target, with Lake Milh in the distance, the sprawling depot became visible, with some of the bunkers having been blasted apart, but there were still plenty to go around, with the same for the warehouses and revetted storage.

The Prowler began jamming as LCDR Mark Brazleton took his four Golden Dragons Hornets in on several 23-mm, 37-mm and 57-mm sites. However, there were no SAMs other than MANPADS. That, however, didn't discourage the gunners below, for there was plenty of flak coming up.When at least two Firecan radars came up, HARMs promptly shut them down, and the missile shooters cleaned up with Rockeyes. Once the flak subsided, the A-6s came in.

CDR Yoshida took 532 in, and his B/N, LTJG Patterson, picked out a bunker for their GBU-10s. One of the bombs “went dumb”, blasting a hole and crater in the security fence, but the second bomb found its target and still produced a large secondary explosion after impact, with the smoke cloud rising at least several hundred feet in the air. Their wingmates in 539, LTJG Ellis and LCDR Houston, came in right behind them and also picked out a bunker, which took both laser bombs and also produced a large secondary after impact. Both the strike lead and his wingmate cleared the target area, though chased by some flak and several MANPADS.

The second pair, LT Collett and LT Meridith in 533, and LTJG Wilson and LCDR Regan in 540, had warehouses for their Mark-82s. Both A-6s came in, releasing their bombs despite the flak, but the two Intruders put the ordnance in the warehouse area, and both crews were rewarded with several secondaries as the warehouse contents disagreed with the bombs going off. Once the second pair of A-6s were clear, two Hornets, with unexpended Mark-82s or Rockeyes, also dropped on the warehouses, before joining the rest of the package on the way out.

The only crews disappointed were the two Tomcat crews from the Freelancers, who found no MiGs coming, though AWACS did warn of several MiGs on CAP in the Baghdad area, along with Mudaysis, west of the target. With the Nukhayb IOC down, the MiGs remained in their CAP areas, and did not engage.

Once reformed, the package headed back south, meeting up with the tankers over the Saudi border, before heading back to the ship. Recovery aboard Kitty Hawk was uneventful, with the package trapping before the Samarra mission returned.

CAS and BAI strikes continued throught the afternoon, but there were still two more strategic strikes on the schedule as morning turned into afternoon. VA-185's Skipper took the first one, leading four A-6s, four Hornets from the Golden Dragons, two Freelancer F-14s, and a Prowler into the MEZ, going after the Salman Pak Palace C3 site. This was one of the Iraqi dictator's palace complexes, and though he rarely used this site as a residence, it was often made available to selected cronies and key advisers along with being used for secure conferences. With the package penetrating the MEZ, the strike was coordinated with an Air Force mission going for a target further north-the Baghdad South Military Camp, which was the prewar home for the Hammurabi Armored Division of the RGFC.

Launch was at 1330, just as the Samarra mission showed up in the traffic pattern, and as with previous MEZ strikes, ingress was via Saudi. After tanking up, the Navy strike followed an inbound RSAF strike aimed at the Najaf Military Logistics Center, with the Air Force strike just ahead of them. As both packages penetrated the Baghdad MEZ, skirting numerous radars came up, with SA-2, SA-3, SA-5, and even one SA-10 appearing. Both the Prowler and the EF-111 began jamming, while both AF F-15Fs and the Golden Dragon Hornets began shooting HARMs. The SA-5 site did launch, but the blast of ECM from both the Prowler and the EF-111 easily decoyed the two missiles launched, while HARMs put the radar out of action, and doing the same to the SA-10 and two SA-2s and the Salman Pak SA-3.

With the SAMs at least suppressed, the Golden Dragons went in on the flak sties. LCDR Pat Grey in Dragon 302 led the Hornets in as the Tomcats assumed a BARCAP to block any response from Shayka Mazhar or Al Iskandariyah New, with F-15Cs from the 116th TFW doing the same to prevent a response from either Saddam IAP or Al-Rashid AB. Two Hornets went in on at least two heavy sites-85-mm or 100-mm, fortunately not radar-guided. Rockeyes rendered the sites out of action, while the second pair Hornets found a 57-mm and a 37-mm site, taking out both with Rockeyes as well.

CDR Lowry then led the A-6s in, and though there was still flak from at least one 23-mm site and a 57-mm site east of the target, the flak was not radar-guided. Each A-6 had six Mark-83s, and the Knighthawks Skipper put her bombs right on the palace proper. Her wingmate in 535, LT Daniels, also put down her half-dozen Mark-83s on the palace, and both A-6s were able to get clear of the target, heading south, out of the MEZ.

The second pair of Intruders, Collett and Meridith in 537 and Wilson and Regan in 540, saw that the palace proper had been smacked, and both crews accordingly put their bombs on other buildings in the complex, with 537's crew wrecking what was briefed as guard quarters and security operations, and 540's doing the same to the vehicle park. Despite the flak, and now MANPADS from a nearby Saddam Fedayeen Training Center, both A-6s cleared the target and headed out.

Once the A-6s were clear, the Hornets, which had assumed a TARCAP in case of MiGs coming from Al-Rashid, followed them out, joining the Prowler and the Freelancer Tomcats. The F-14 crews were disappointed that the MiGs didn't come up, but they had done their job, and the Navy package formed back up for the haul back to the border. The Air Force, though, did have MiGs come in, with a pair of MiG-25s and a pair of MiG-23s coming to the party. The Georgia F-15s downed the two Floggers, both of which, it turned out postwar, had been handed to the Iraqis after being flown from Syria by Soviet “flight instructors” with the Syrian AF. They also got one of the two Foxbats, and the one who escaped tried to lure F-15s into the teeth of the capital's defenses, but the AF crews didn't bite. Unilke the Navy, the AF lost aircraft and aircrew, with one F-16 flak suppressor taking a SAM hit and an F-15E going down due to flak with all three aircrew captured.

Egress for both was straightforward, and after hitting the tankers back over Saudi, both headed for their respective bases, with the Navy package arriving back over CV-63 just after 1700.

The last strategic strike for CVW-5 fell again to the Eagles, and with the CO leading a package into the Basra area, the Eagles XO drew the mission. CDR Wiser would take four A-6s and four Dambusters with two VF-154 Tomcats and a Prowler to the Al Furat SSM Facility on the southern outskirts of Musayyb. It had been hit in 1998's DESERT FOX strikes, but had been rebuilt. Formerly engaged in building centrifuges for Iraq's nuclear program, it had been converted to SSM work in 2002. Unlike 185's strike, the four Eagles Intruders would be packing a mixed loadout. The lead pair would have two GBU-10 LGBs targeted on the former centrifuge assembly building, despite the PGM shortage, while the second element would have ten Mark-83s targeting the rest of the facility

Lauch was at 1400, with ingress to the target area via Saudi. The aircrews found that the tanker track was a busy place, with inbound and outbound strikes lining up for the tankers' attention. After tanking up, the Navy strike proceeded into Iraqi airspace, and as they approached Hillah, the Prowler warned of numerous radars coming up as the package closed on the MEZ. At least two SA-2s came up, along with an SA-3 near Shayka Mazhar AB, and an SA-5 as well.

As the Prowler began jamming, the Tomcats moved in on a BARCAP, as AWACS warned of a number of IrAF aircraft on CAP stations in the Baghdad area. Two MiG-21s came out of Baghdad, while two MiG-23s scrambled out of Shayka Mazhar. Again, the redoubtable pair of LT Patterson and LT Bradley led the Tomcats. With the MiG-23s closing with radars on, the duo in Blackknight 107, with their wingmates LT s Conway and Freeman in 110, turned into the threat, locking both MiGs up at 40 miles, then AIM-120s came off the rails.

Both MiGs tried to evade, with the wingman taking a Slammer from 110, and the leader managed to avoid the missile. He did a Doppler Break, then after breaking lock, turned back in. The MiG leader tried to lock on his own AA-7 Apex missiles despite the EA-6B jamming, but took a second AIM-120 shot from Patterson at 17 miles to become a fireball. Both Tomcats turned to face the two MiG-21s, which continued to close. Patterson in 107 took her last Slammer shot at 16 miles, turning the MiG into a fireball, while Conway in 110 similarly dispatched the seond MiG at 18 miles.

While the Tomcats were dealing with the MiGs, the Hornets went in on the ground defenses. One SA-2 site near the target came up and fired two missiles, followed by another, before eating a HARM from LCDR Kathy Evision's Hornet. The Dambusters then went in on at two radar-guided 57-mm sites, killing the radars with HARM, before finishing the sites off with Rockeyes. A 37-mm site also got the Rockeye treatment, while the Dambusters' Ops Officer finished off the SA-2 site with her own Rockeyes.

The A-6s then came in, and CDR Wiser in 505 noted that while the medium-caliber flak had been taken care of, there was still some 23-mm tracers coming up. He ignored it, concentrating on the bomb run, as LT Porter expertly placed the cursors on what had been the Centrifuge Assembly Building. The XO planted both GBU-10s onto the target, as did Rivers and Fisher in 509. The four laser bombs tore the building apart, with both crews reporting secondaries as they egressed.

After the XO came LCDR Carpenter's two A-6s, packing ten Mark-83s for the bulk of the facility. Both Carpenter and Knapp drew 23-mm fire along with small-arms fire as they got down into the flak to ensure their ordnance landed within the factory complex. The Eagles' Ops Officer winced as a MANPADS flew past his left wing, but the crews concentrated on the bomb run, planting their Mark-83s on several buildings within the factory complex. As they pulled clear, one of the Hornets came in on one of the 23-mm sites, wrecking it with a single Rockeye drop, and both A-6s successfully cleared the target.

The package reformed south of Hillah, before heading back to Saudi. Again, the tanker track was busy, and the Navy crews noticed empty missile rails on two of the Saudi Typhoons doing HVUCAP. They drank enough fuel to get back to the carrier, arriving back over TF-77 just after 1800. After the last bird trapped aboard Kitty Hawk, most flight ops for CVW-5 ended as CVW-9 on Nimitz took over. Still, CAP and SUCAP sorties to help with CVW-9 were still flown until Midnight.

The day was also notworthy for a coming and going. CAPT Bryan Fuller, the DCAG, left CVW-9 to return stateside to take command of CVW-19 as it formed up. His relief was CAPT Mark Gardner from a staff job at Medium Attack/Electronic Attack Wing Pacific at NAS Whidbey Island. His arrival quite a bit of grumbling in various ready rooms, the A-6 and EA-6 squadrons especially. While he was admired for his aggressive flying and his squadron command at VA-52 winning the McClusky Award, he was not so respected for his people skills. At the top of the list was a lack of respect for AOCS alumni, along with being distant towards enlisted sailors. As one B/N in VA-185 put it,”He was the kind of guy that you respected, but didn't admire, to put it mildly.” CAG was made aware of the concerns expressed by those who had known the new DCAG, and informed him that those attitudes needed to be chucked overboard, as CAG would not tolerate them in wartime.

The night passed uneventfully, and it wasn't long until Aircrew Wakeup at 0430. The first packages were prepped and ready, as the crews for the first missions of the day were briefed. The Sun would dawn bright over the Gulf as the first missions were sent off the cats for another day in CVW-5's war.

[Matt Wiser]

And this is Al Furat: the building with the arrow pointing to it is the former Centrifuge Assembly Facility:

[James1978]

Good to see a new chapter!

[Matt Wiser]

Thanks!

This target had an appropriate choice of ordnance: Laser bombs (though now not as common as previous strikes) for the (former-or was it) Centrifuge Assembly Building, and Mark-83s for the rest of the complex.

[jemhouston]

Both sides are chewing at other. Who topples first is the question.

[Matt Wiser]

The Allies in the KTO still have stuff to draw upon in-theater, but the next convoy will start to replenish CENTCOM's inventory. Since it's shaping up to be a long war, the USK (U.S.-Kuwait) convoys are now going to be on a regular schedule. Though the Iraqis are cut off from external resupply, they still have quite a lot left.

[Jotun]

Just as an aside, al furat means "Euphrates".

[Matt Wiser]

The next one-and Bernard (for the first time in quite a while) is actually ahead of this in terms of the main story!


18 May dawned clear and hot, as CVW-5's deck crews got the first two packages ready. The 0600 launch was led by VA-115, with Skipper Compton taking four A-6s, four VFA-192 Hornets, two VF-154 Tomcats, and a Prowler from VAQ-136 on a CAS/BAI run to the Basra area. The Iraqis were moving to contain the Iranian landing at Faw, moving a Reserve Infantry Division down from Basra, and the Skipper's package was to put the hurt on that.

As the package came in via Bubiyan Island and over Warbah Island, the main road into Faw from Basra were seen to be full of Iraqi vehicles.The 25th Infantry Division's three brigades were pushing to seal off the Iranians, and though the Iranians were not full-fledged allies, CENTAF was treating their air-support requests as if they were full partners. However, Iranian airspace was still off-limits except in emergencies.

Setting that aside, Skipper Compton led his birds in. While VFA-192's LCDR Mark Brazelton took the Hornets in to kill any air-defense assets, finding two SA-6s and several AAA gun trucks. The SA-6s launched, only to shut down when HARMs were in the air, but at least one of the HARMs scored anyway. The gun trucks drew AGM-65 or Rockye CBUs, and the way was clear for the A-6s.

CDR Compton took the Intruders in to plant sixteen Mark-82s each, and as the A-6s went in on the vehicle traffic, they did draw both 23-mm and 37-mm fire from several batteries that had been set up, only revealing themselves when the Intruders rolled in. Careful to stay above the effective altitude of both, CDR Compton's four birds caught a battalion's worth of infantry and some armor, wrecking numerous trucks and several T-55 tanks. With the road blocked, It would take some time to clear, and it attracted attention of airborne FACs, who proceeded to direct strikes into the area. Once the A-6s had left, the Hornets expended their remaining Rockeyes before the package reformed over Bubiyan Island, and, apart from the Prowler-which stayed behind to provide standoff ECM for a number of packages due in, returned to CV-63.

VA-185 had the next package, and CDR Lowry, the Knighthawks' skipper, took her four A-6s, four more Golden Dragons Hornets, and two more Freelancer F-14s into the Shoibah-Zubayr area. This time, the Iraqis were much better prepared, as I Guards Corps was moving forces in to counterattack the 40th ID and the Multinational Division, and the Iraqis, as everyone was soon quick to find out, were still very much full of fight.

CDR Lowry in 531 got in touch with an airborne FAC, who directed the package onto a brigade-sized force moving down Highway 8 towards Safwan, with another one right behind them. This was the 53rd Armored Brigade, with a Reserve Infantry Brigade right behind them. As the package came in, the crews saw two A-10s finishing up a run, before the FAC cleared the Navy in. While the two Tomcats orbited to block anyone from Shoiabah coming to crash the party, CDR Colleen McMurphy's Hornets went down onto the air-defense tracks below, finding both ZSU-23-4s and SA-9 vehicles. Saving their HARMs, the Hornet drivers put AGM-65s into both gun tracks and SAM launchers, clearing the way for the A-6s.

Skipper Lowry led her A-6s in with a dozen Rockyes each onto the advancing armor, and as she did, an SA-6 came up. Just as it fired two missiles, the offender ate a HARM, and the Skipper was able to make her run, covering a company's worth of armor with her Rockeyes. LT Melissa Daniels, her wingmate in 535, did the same, and both crews were rewarded with a number of secondaries as tanks and APCs fireballed. As they pulled clear, several MANPADS-either SA-7s or SA-14s, came up, but both A-6s got clear and headed southeast towards Bubiyan Island.

The second pair, Collett and Meridith in 533, and Wilson and Regan in 540, followed their CO in, and though they were above most of the small-arms fire, there was enough light flak and one surviving SA-9 that did shoot. The missile flew harmlessly by, and both A-6s put bombs on the trailing tank battalion, wrecking a number of tanks and APCs in the process. They, too, cleared the area and headed for Bubiyan.

Once the A-6s cleared, both the Tomcats and the Hornets followed suit, and as they did, the crews saw the New Jersey fire off a pair of salvos into the Faw Peninsula, helping to break up another Iraqi counterattack onto the Iranians in Faw City. Once clear of the island, the package formed back up, and returned to the carrier and another trap.

Strategic strikes were not neglected, even as BAI and CAS runs continued. The first strategic strike fell to VA-115, which drew a strike into Diwaniyah. CDR Wiser, the Eagles XO, would lead four A-6s, four VFA-195 Hornets, two VF-154 Tomcats, and a VAQ-136 Prowler on the strike, and the crews were surprised to find there were actually two targets, with the lead pair taking the Radio Relay Station in the town itself, while the second pair going after the Diwaniyah Military Garrison.The two crews in the lead pair were told that due to collateral damage concerns, the usual GBU-10s would be replaced by GBU-16s, while the second pair had no such worries. They would have sixteen Mark-82s for their part of the strike. Though the crews had flown a BAI run to the Basra area, they had a decent turnaround, launching from Kitty Hawk at 0915.

Ingress, as usual, was via Saudi, and as the package waited for their turn at the tankers, the crews saw two additional packages headed in-one USAF and the other RSAF. Once refueled, the Navy birds headed for the Euphrates, passing to the east of As Salman AB. Though the MiGs once based there had been flown out, the AAA batteries at the base were still active, and the Navy package drew some 37-mm and 57-mm flak as they passed by.

Continuing on course, they crossed the river, and soon saw An Najaf to their Eleven O'Clock, and Diwaniyah to the One O'Clock. Passing Najaf, the package found the dry lakebed at Ibn Najim, where they turned east. Picking up Highway 8 for their IP, that was the cue to get things rolling.

The Tomcats, with the redoubtable team of LT s Patterson and Bradley leading, climbed to assume a TARCAP, ready to block a MiG scramble from Shayka Mazar or Al Iskandariyah New, or the Baghdad CAP coming in, while LCDR Evision took her Hornets in on the IRON HAND run. The SA-2 site had taken a HARM the last time the Navy paid a visit, but it was now active again, and despite the blast of ECM from the Prowler, locked up one of the Hornets and sent two missiles up. A HARM from Evison shut down the Fan Song, and the Dambusters Exec followed up with Rockeyes, putting the site out of business-for the duration, she hoped. Two other Hornets took HARM shots at radar-guided AAA sites, one a 57-mm site north of the railroad bridge over the Hillah River, and another 57-mm site at the Military Garrison. Though other sites-including several 23-mm, 37-mm, and additional 57-mm-kept shooting, their radars went off the air once the others were hit. Hornets went in on the two sites hit by HARM to finish them off with Rockeyes, while another 57-mm site, right on the egress route for the A-6s, also ate Rockeye.

With the way clear, the A-6s went in CDR Wiser and LT Porter in 505 picked out the Radio Relay Station's tower on the south bank of the Hilah, releasing their two GBU-16s from 8,000 Feet. To the crew's horror, one of the bombs failed to guide, landing in a neighborhood several blocks north of the river, casuing au unknown number of casualties. Their second bomb did guide straight and true to the tower, smashing it. Rivers and Fisher in 509 were right behind them, and they planted both GBU-16s into the control building, wrecking it. As they cleared, both A-6s drew not just AAA, but several MANPADS came their way, but both Intruders got clear without incident.

The second pair of A-6s, led by LCDR Carpenter in 504, went for the Military Garrison. They drew flak on the way in at 5,000 feet to put their Mark-82s on the barracks area and the vehicle storage, but they were too fast for the guns to track. Carpenter and Jefferson in 504, with LT s Knapp and Shelton in 510, put their bombs onto the target area, wrecking a number of buildings and smashing up the vehicle storage and maintainance area as well. The second pair also drew flak and MANPADS on the way out, but they, too, cleared the target area.

After the Intruders cleared, the Hornets went in onto the garrison area, with two of the Hornets expending Rockeyes as yet unusued. When the Hornets cleared, the Tomcats-who had not drawn MiGs-and the Prowler headed south as well. The package reformed south of the Euphrates, west of Samawah, then climbed back to altitude and egressed to the Saudi tanker track. After the post-strike refueling, they headed back to the ship, trapping just after 1230.

Further CAS and BAI packages flew as the day progressed, but strategic strikes continued as well. VA-185 took the next one, with a return trip to the Al Furat SSM Plant. That target had been hit the previous day by the Eagles, but a follow-on strike was laid on by CENTAF. CDR Lowry, the Knighthawks skipper, took a package of four A-6s, four Golden Dragons Hornets, two Freelancer Tomcats, and a Gauntlets Prowler. This time, everyone had the same loadout: ten Mark-83 Snakeyes, and the Skipper told the A-6 crews to “Hit any building that isn't rubble.” The package was on the cats and away at 1100.

Ingress, as usual, was via Saudi, and the Knighthawk package met the Eagles as they were returning to the boat. After tanking, the strike birds headed north, dropping down low once past the Euphrates east of Najaf. Heading past Hillah to the east, the package penetrated the MEZ, which had numerous radars operating, which the Prowler began to jam. Just short of Musaybb, CDR Chad Runyan took his IRON HAND Hornets in, while the two Tomcats and the Prowler climbed, the former assuming a TARCAP, while the Prowler began intense jamming of the now numerous radars coming up.

This time, the Iraqis responded, as AWACS warned of MiGs inbound, with MiG-29s that had been on CAP west of Baghdad, another CAP of Fulcrums to the east, and more immediately, two MiG-21s and two Mirage F-1s that came out of Al Iskandariyah and Shayka Mazar, respectively.

The Freelancer Tomcats took on the two MiG-21s, with both flown by ace teams. LCDR Trent Powers and LTJG Shannon Mitchell in Freelancer 205 led LT Shane Vansen and LT David “Taco” Bell in 208 into the fight. Saving their Phoenixes for more important prey, Powers and Mitchell in 205 quickly locked up the lead Fishbed with AIM-120, shooting a Slammer at only 14 miles, killing the MiG. His wingman turned, and as he did, he rolled left, presenting the underside of his aircraft to the APG-71 radar in 208. Vansen quickly locked him up with a Slammer, sending him down at only ten miles.Both shots were BVR, though caught on the TCS system, no one saw any chutes.

With Fulcrums inbound, that left the Hornets to take on the Mirages. CDR McMurphy and her wingmate LTJG Bryan Ellison went into the fight leaving the second element to focus on the IRON HAND mission. Skipper McMurphy noted that the two Mirages were being flown very aggresively, doing Doppler Breaks to prevent AIM-120 lock-on before turning back in. The Mirages closed to visual range before she managed to get a lock on the wingman, shooting a Slammer at only five miles. Only then did the Mirages break, but it was too late for the wingman, caught in the Slammer's “No escape” zone, for he took the missile and fireballed.

The leader turned, facing both F/A-18s in a 1v2, and as he did, the Hornets broke. It was Ellison in 309 that got in behind the Mirage, locking him up with a Sidewinder and shooting close-in. The Mirage leader took the AIM-9R up the tailpipe and exploded. This time, as Ellison flew by, he saw a canopy come off, an ejection, and a pilot in a chute.

While the MiGs were being dealt with, the two remaining Hornets went in on their IRON HAND mission. The Musaybb SA-2 site had been knocked out the day before, but two SA-2s from Al Iskandariyah came up, along with the Shayka Mayzar SA-3, the same as the previous day, along with several radar-guided AAA sites, from 57-mm up to 85-mm. One of the SA-2s ate a HARM as it fired two missiles, and it went off the air, while the SA-3 fired, then almost immediately shut down as a HARM came after that site. CDR McMurphy's element then came back in, shooting two HARMs at a 57-mm site and an 85-mm one, before she and Ellison finished off the two sites with Rockeye drops.

The was was clear for the Knighthawk A-6s, and CDR Lowry led her Intruders in at only 750 Feet AGL. Though the Intruders drew light flak from 14.5-mm quad machine guns along with 23-mm and 37-mm, none of it was guided, and the crews noticed that the gunners, while accurate in altitude, were not leading their targets. Skipper Lowry ignored the flak, concentrating on the bomb run with her B/N LT Dana Verell laying their ten Mark-83s onto one of the production buildings-one that hadn't been hit earlier. Her wingmates, LT Paul Mason and LT Melissa Daniels in 535, came in right behind the Skipper and walked their bombs across another intact production building, but also one that had been hit by the Eagles' strike. Both A-6s cleared the target area and headed south, headed for Highway 8 and then the Euphrates.

As the second element came in, it had LT s Collett and Meridith in 533, and LT Mason and LCDR Regan in 540. Both A-6s drew the same flak as the Skipper's pair, and both crews ignored it, concentrating on their bomb runs. They picked out several warehouses that hadn't been hit earlier along with a production building that had some damage, and the crews walked their ten Mark-83s each across those buildings. Several secondary explosions rewarded them as they cleared, leaving them to wonder what they had hit. As with the Skipper's element, the second pair was able to clear the area and head south, with the Prowler following them.

The Tomcats, meanwhile, had been orbiting, waiting for the MiG-29s that had been approaching to close in. However, the fuel gauge decided the issue on both sides, for the MiGs turned back, and the Tomcats also headed out, picking up the Hornets and following their charges out.

Just as with the Eagles, so with the Knighthawks, for the package reformed south of the Euphrates and west of Samawah. They climbed to altitude and cleared Iraqi airspace, hitting the tankers for their post-strike refueling and the trip back to Kitty Hawk. The trip back was routine, but as they headed east to the Gulf, the crews met another package from the ship, outbound to the tanker track. It was 1400 when the package returned to the boat and began trapping.

As the day progressed, CAS and BAI missions continued, though additional strategic strikes were on the agenda. The package that CDR Lowry's people met on their return to the ship was the first, a strike led by CDR Compton from VA-115.

This strike was headed for the Karbala NE Airfield, adjacent to a large Iraqi logistical center. The supply base had been hit several times, but this would be a first for the airfield. A number of Iraqi aircraft had been spotted using the field, and CENTAF decided the field deserved attention. CDR Compton took four Eagles A-6s, four Hornets from the Dambusters, and two VF-21 Tomcats. Though the package lacked a Prowler, an Air Force strike going in on the logistics center had an EF-111, and the Spark Vark would also cover the Navy.

Launch was at 1300, and as the package headed over Saudi for the tanker track, met the returning Knighthawks strike. The meetup with the tankers was routine, and as the crews penetrated Iraqi airspace, they got down low before reaching Najaf. The package skirted Najaf to the east, and kept going north, reaching Lake Milh. At a point halfway across the lake, the package turned east for the run on the airfield. As they did, flak bursts indicated the Air Force had arrived.

With that, the Tomcats climbed for their TARCAP role, while the Hornets went in for their IRON HAND mission. As they went in, numerous radars came up from the MEZ, with the Musaybb SA-2 and the defenses around the Al Iskandariyah lighting up. A HARM from LCDR Mark Schmidt, leading the Hornets, caused the SA-2 to shut down, while another HARM went after an SA-3 at Al Iskandariyah, which shut down after firing two missiles. A 57-mm site that didn't shut down ate a HARM, before one of the Hornets hit the site with a pair of Rockeyes. Another 57-mm site near the Logistical Center that had shut down as the Air Force's F-15Es came in also took a HARM, before one of the F-16s providing flak suppression for the blue-suiters laid a pair of Rockeyes on the site, knocking it out.

The way was clear for the A-6s, and CDR Compton took the Eagles in. As the Intruders went in, they saw at least six Su-22 Fitters, two An-24 transports, and several Mi-8 Hip helos on the field. Skipper Compton in 501 with Lowell and Everson in 511 each had a dozen Rockeyes, and they picked out the aircraft. Rockeye bomblets rained down on the ramp area, which was just bare concrete, and parked aircraft erupted in fireballs. Despite the small arms, 14.5-mm, and 23-mm fire that came up, both A-6s got clear scot-free and headed south.

The second pair was led by LCDR Don Cole in the CAG Bird, 500, with Morris and Carroll in 507 as temporary wingmates. Unlike the Skipper's element, this pair had sixteen Mark-82s to crater the ramp area and the runway, and blast the fuel storage. LCDR Cole went in and his B/N, LT Kala Jefferson, walked their bombs across the ramp and put multiple craters in the runway. Right behind them was 507, and Morris and Carroll found the fuel dump. Mark-82s landed amongst the fuel drums and trucks, with multiple fireballs coming up as a result. Cole's two birds also drew the light flak and small-arms fire, but they, too, cleared the area without taking hits.

After the A-6s cleared, two of the Hornets still had Rockeyes unexpended. They went down onto the runway, putting their CBUs onto the runway among the craters that now marred its surface. The Hornets then followed the A-6s out, as did the F-14s, who were not challenged by Iraqi aircraft, though AWACS did warn of MiGs on CAP in the Baghdad area. The package reformed south of Najaf, and headed for the tankers.


After climbing up to altitude and meeting the tankers, the package set out to return to the ship. About halfway across Saudi, just like their Knighthawk bretheren, CDR Compton spotted another Navy package headed their way, and a glance at the tail markings showed it was another Eagles-led mission. When they got back the ship and debriefed, the crews were told that the Iraqis had been pulling aircraft back from airfields in Southern Iraq, and Karbala had been one of the fields used to disperse those aircraft.

CDR Wiser, the Eagles XO, took the last Eagles Alpha for thet day. He had four A-6s, four Dambusters Hornets, two VF-154 Tomcats, and this one also had a Prowler. Their target was the Ramadi North Palace Complex, and though the Iraqi Dictator was not expected to be there (he was still in Baghdad, as it turned out), the complex was still used as a C3 Site, and was viewed as another monument to Saddam's vanity. Which meant taking it out would be another poke in his eye. This time, LGBs were authorized due to the target location on the north side of the Euphrates River, and in the city of Ramadi proper, west of the Ramadi Dam.

Launch for this package was at 1445, and as the package ingressed through Saudi to link up at the tanker track, they passed the Skipper's mission headed back. The XO waggled his wings, and the Skipper did the same. Apart from that, there was no communication between the packages.

The meetup with the tankers went like clockwork, and as the Navy birds cleared the tanker track, the crews saw both a USAF package and an RSAF package coming out, and a glance to the rear saw another USAF package coming in.

This time, the package had to get down low just prior to reaching the Euphrates Valley, to the west of Najaf. After getting down to their penetration altitude, 550 Feet AGL, the strike birds kept going north, hitting Lake Milh and flying along the western lakeshore. Once clear of the lake, it was only a minute before reaching Lake Habbiniyah, and as the crews flew along that lake's western shore, the Blood Coast, that some had seen from satellite photos, came into view. Once clear of the lake, Ramadi appeared at their One O'clock, and the package bypassed Ramadi at first, reaching a bend in the Euphrates River before turning around and climbing.

As they climbed, the MEZ radars lit up the various threat receivers, and the Prowler began actively jamming them, and also taking HARM shots at the Ramadi SA-2 and another SA-2 near Habbiniyah. As the Prowler did, the Tomcats shot ahead to block any scrambles out of either Habbiniyah or Al Taqaddum, while the Hornets went in on their IRON HAND strikes.

LCDR Evison's Dambusters went in on the Ramadi SA-2, hitting it with Rockeyes after it ate the HARM from the Prowler. The Hornets also went in on several AAA sites, with mulitple 37-mm and 57-mm sites opening up due to not just the presence of one palace complex, but two-with the other on the south side of the river, as well as the Ramadi Military Garrison, the Ramadi Dam/Bridge, and the Highway 11 bridge over the Ramadi Canal. Several were radar-guided, and HARMs were soon off the rails, knocking out two of the radars, while another AAA radar was double-targeted by separate shooters. The Hornets then followed up with Rockeyes on the sites that most threatened the A-6s, knocking out a site adjacent to the target complex, another next to the second palace, one on the canal bank, and another next to the Highway 11 bridge. With their CBUs expended, LCDR Evison took her Hornets upstairs to back up the Tomcats.

The way was clear for the A-6s, and after making the “In Hot” call, CDR Wiser brought the Eagles in. Coming in at 1,000 feet, the Eagles XO and his B/N found the target, which LT Porter designated, then the XO relased their two GBU-10s. Both bombs slammed into the palace, just as 509 with LT s Rivers and Fisher in 509 released. Their wingmates' bombs also smashed into the palace, turning it into a wreck, and both A-6s headed out, skirting the southern palace, and heading in the general direction of Lake Habbiniyah.

Right behind the XO was LCDR Carpenter's element, and with the Palace now a smoking ruin, the B/Ns in the respective aircraft picked out other buildings in the Complex. Carpenter and Jefferson in 504 selected a building that had numerous antennae, which appeared to be a C3 facility. That building took their GBU-10s and became rubble, while Knapp and Shelton in 510 found what had been shown in the brief as “Possible Guard Quarters/Support.” Two GBU-10s turned that building into rubble. They, too took the same egress as the XO's element, heading south for Lake Habbiniyah.

While the A-6s were making their runs, the Tomcats and Hornets found what they were looking for-as in MiGs. Two MiG-29s that had been on a CAP northeast of Habbiniyah came in, while two more Fulcrums scrambled out of the same base, while two MiG-25s scrambled out of Al Taqaddum. AWACS vectored the Tomcats onto the Foxbats, which did a 180 as soon as they climbed out and clear of that base, while the Hornets went for the Fulcrums.

The Tomcats this time were Blackknight 111 with LT Mobley and LT Wade, leading 112 with LTJG O'Gara and LCDR Simmonds. Both Tomcats found the MiGs as they were still turning, and the RIOs waited until the MiGs had finished their turn before locking them up.

Both Foxbats were right over Lake Habbiniyah when 111's RIO, LT Wade, launched a Phoenix at 40 miles, and Simmonds in 112 did the same at 42 miles. The MiG leader ate 111's Phoenix, becoming a fireball that plunged into the lake, while 112's shot at the wingman failed to score. That MiG turned to the right and climbed out on burner, but he presented a very large radar target to 112's RIO. A second shot at 49 miles did score, sending the wingman down into the lake.

While the Tomcats were engaged with the Foxbats, LCDR Evison took the Dambusters in on their largest fight since the war began. Confronting the inbound Fulcrums, the Hornets split into pairs and engaged. Evision locked up the CAP leader as that pair of MiGs came in, and at 20 miles, took an AIM-120 shot. Her Slammer scored, turning the leader into a fireball, and as that MiG plunged down to earth, the wingman continued in. Though on the wrong side of the 1v2 equation in the fight, he continued in, even with the Prowler now jamming the MiG radars. That MiG managed to lock up Evison in 403, launching two AA-10 Alamo missiles just as LT Chris Roberts, Evison's wingmate, shot a Slammer at ten miles. The MiG had to break lock to try to avoid the Slammer, but failed, for the AIM-120 connected, fireballing the MiG and sending him down. Both Hornets joined back up and headed south to cover their squadron mates .

That turned out to be unnecessary, for RAAF FLT Ron Fraser in 406 locked up the lead Fulcrum of the two that had scrambled. The MiG was trying to lock onto 406 when Fraser fired a Slammer at 21 miles. The first shot missed, but a second at 14 miles did score, sending the lead MiG-29 down into Lake Habbiniyah. This time, the MiG wingman didn't press the issue, instead turning back and trying to lure the Hornets into the still-dangerous SAM and AAA defenses in the Habbiniyah-Al Taqaddum area. The Hornets didn't bite, and after the A-6s made their “Off target” calls, they disengaged, as did the two Tomcats and the Prowler, all following the A-6s southbound and out.

The package reformed over Lake Milh, but didn't climb back up until past Najaf. Once out, they headed for the tankers. There, the crews saw another inbound package, this one of both USAF and RAAF F-111s with their own supporting F-15s and F-16s, while an RSAF package had finished tanking prior to heading for their own base. With all of this under the watchful eye of RSAF and USAF F-15s and RSAF Typhoons.

After tanking, and the sun beginning to set, the package headed for the ship. They made CV-63 at 1845 after some four hours in the air, the longest strike of the day. Though Nimitz and CVW-9 took over night ops, Flight operations didn't close on CV-63 until after midnight, as CAP and SUCAP were still going on a low-tempo basis.

All aircrew got several hours of well-deserved sleep, before aircrew wakeup came at 0430. The first packages were briefed, and were soon on the cats, for flight ops began as usual at 0600, as CVW-5 got on with the war.

[jemhouston]

What do the Arab side of the Gulf think about the Iran going the party?