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Precision Engagement: A-10s make history in Iraq

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. D. Clare
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq --  When the Air Force received the first production A-10A in October 1975, few would have guessed that the affectionately nicknamed "Warthog" would make combat history more than 30 years later in the skies over Iraq.

Thanks to a comprehensive digital upgrade, newly modified A-10Cs are bringing a new level of accuracy and versatility to the close air support mission.

This evolution to precision engagement allows Warthog pilots to strike targets with pinpoint accuracy, eliminating the threat to American forces and non-combatants on the ground.

A new 'SADL'
The upgrades to the aircraft have taken an analog system and brought it into a digital era, said Lt. Col. Eric Mann, a 438th Air Expeditionary Group pilot.

A new hands on throttle and stick system improves pilot situational awareness, allowing the flyer to keep his or her "head on a swivel." The aircraft features fully integrated electronics and new avionics systems.

Through the Situational Awareness Data Link, or SADL, pilots are able to literally show fellow pilots and ground forces what they see from their cockpit in real time.

"Essentially, it shortens the kill chain," said Colonel Mann. By instantly sharing data and camera feeds, a process that took up to 30 minutes over the radio before happens in seconds.

"I can transmit my image from the advanced targeting pod to the ground forces who can confirm it," the colonel said. "I can transmit what I'm looking at to my wingman digitally without having to talk his eyes onto the 'red roof building' when there's hundreds down there. He can actually see it the same time I am."

JDAM combat drop
The JDAM is a precision-guided bomb that allows pilots to engage targets using global positioning system coordinates.

"With this munition, we're able to pinpoint a building," said Capt. Brian "Snap" Curland, a 438 AEG pilot. "Collateral damage is about zero. When the bomb impacts, it buries itself into the building and then detonates so you're looking at basically just taking the building out from the inside out instead of the outside in like before."

Captain Curland was the first pilot in history to drop the accurate Joint Direct Attack Munition from the A-10C in combat.

According to Chief Master Sgt. Terry Allen, 438th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron superintendent, the weapon is 100 percent more accurate than the conventional weapons previously deployed. What's more, the JDAM can guide different weights of explosives to further minimize the chance of fratricide or collateral damage.

Captain Curland was on his second sortie here when he came upon a former safe house that insurgents had established as a house-borne improvised explosive device. The building had been rigged to detonate when soldiers swept through the town.

"When I put that out and dropped it, it was basically two buildings away from a mosque. And we obviously don't want to damage any significant religious centers and people who aren't in the conflict," the captain said.

Despite the proximity of residential buildings and the mosque, structures immediately adjacent to the target suffered little more than a dusting from the attack. No coalition forces or noncombatants were harmed.

Flexibility
At the center of the A-10C's close air support mission is the elimination of IEDs. In some cases, they escort troops or convoys on missions and foot patrols, said Capt. Richard Hunt, 104th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron weapons and tactics officer.

The new capabilities of the aircraft reflect the complex nature of that mission. The A-10C has 11 weapons stations from wingtip to wingtip, in addition to its primary weapon, the seven barrel 30mm Gatling gun.

"I have no idea what situation I'll find myself in when I arrive in a target area," said Captain Hunt. "It's constantly changing on the ground, and the insurgency and the enemy is constantly changing. I need to have a huge variety of different weapons on the airplane so I can deal with a specific situation."

Case in point, the first time Captain Hunt engaged the enemy with the JDAM, he was called to a densely populated area. With freedom of movement outside of Iraq's urban centers, insurgents based in the locale were threatening local farmers and civilians.

Coalition forces swept through the area and found the enemy had carefully placed booby-traps and IEDs to slow their advance. The area was surrounded and Captain Hunt and his wingman were called to the scene. They eliminated the threats to the community and friendly forces.

"The accuracy was outstanding. It was a complete success. It's job satisfaction at its best."

Total Force at work
The A-10C's success in combat so far is the result of a Total Force effort. The Air National Guard, working with the Air Force Reserve and the active duty, provided funding, personnel and additional resources to support the developmental program that will keep Warthogs in the sky through 2028.

According to Chief Allen, the upgrades began in November 2005. The aircraft fighting in combat today weren't completely operational as A-10Cs until June 2007.

Within weeks, members from every component of the upgrade team found themselves in Iraq in combat launching the first JDAMs and bringing a whole new combat platform to the theater.

To date, the new system has performed in a "close to flawless" manner, according to Chief Allen. The squadron has not dropped a single Central Command Air Forces tasking -- a feat he credits to the successful implementation of upgrades and the hard work of maintainers before and throughout the deployment.

"We feel very, very proud," said Staff Sgt. Nick Draxler, a 438 AEG weapons loader. "It took thousands of man hours and lots of work to bring this aircraft to battle in a fully functional way. Now these aircraft performed as well as we have to get them here."
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