Military

401st Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

MEDITERRANEAN REGION (USAFENS) -- The flight line is busy once again after being quiet for several days, but this time it's a different kind of 'busy'. This time it's busy with maintenance crews getting aircraft, cargo and passengers ready to fly home.

Things are starting to wind down here at a deployed location in the eastern Mediterranean as people pack up and return to their bases. The high-speed pace that members of the 401st Air Expeditionary Wing kept up during Operation Iraqi Freedom has slowly died down. This high-speed pace was worth it according to members of the

401st AEW, as they played an integral part in the success of the global war on terrorism.

Flying more than 1,250 combat sorties and logging more than 5,700 flight hours, KC-135 Stratotankers from the 401st AEW offloaded more than 48 million pounds of fuel while refueling more than 4,400 aircraft ranging from Navy FA-18s to the Air Force's own F-15s.

Besides the refueling mission, the 401st Airborne Warning and Control System from Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., controlled more than 7,200 air strikes, directed airdrops of U.S. personnel and ensured the successful suppression of Iraqi SCUD missiles, according to Col. Cathy Clothier, 401st Expeditionary Operations Group commander.

But, while the AWACS took control of the skies, the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System from Warner-Robins AFB, Ga., also stationed with the 401st AEW, took control of the ground.  According to Clothier, the Joint STARS surveyed more than 50,000 square kilometers per sortie, detecting 373 critical ground targets including aircraft, tanks and vehicles.

Throw in the fact that this deployed location was not originally going to house this many aircraft and it makes the success even more amazing.

"We weren't able to establish bases in Turkey and it slowed down the air support to the ground forces in northern Iraq, so operations were moved here," said Col. Terry New, 401st AEW, commander.

But, once the decision was made to move operations here, it was down to business.

"The 401st formed the largest concentration of KC-135 air refueling assets in the war on Iraq, producing a phenomenal 99.8 percent mission effectiveness rate," Clothier said.

The feat is even more remarkable when noted that the 401st tankers maintained a 92 percent mission capable rate throughout the entire operation according to New.

"We were the largest KC-135 tanker unit in all of Operation Iraqi Freedom," New said.   

But, with a large number of tankers stationed here, maintenance crews had to overcome new obstacles. With restraints on how many aircraft could be parked on the various tarmacs, maintainers were forced to play an elaborate game of chess trying to strategically park the aircraft to maximize the limited space.

"We had to work like the Navy, almost like we had a constrained carrier deck. We only had so many parking spots for aircraft and we had to use every inch of space to its fullest capacity," New said.

Maintenance crews worked 'round the clock to make sure all tankers were serviced, parked and ready to fly.

"Not a single bomb would be dropped, not a single air-to-air target would be engaged, and not a single AWACS or JSTARS mission would be successful without tankers," Clothier said. "The tankers are the lynch pin in air operations."

But, the 401st job didn't stop there. While refuelers were flying day and night, AWACS and JSTARS were providing support to the air and the ground in northern Iraq.

"In addition to the refuelers, the 401st provided the primary AWACS command and control and JSTARS intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability in the northern war," Clothier said.

According to New, the JSTARS and AWACS crews were a critical link to the war's success.

"JSTARS supported the special ops ground troops, and made sure SCUDS were not fired at them or our other coalition partners," he said.

Sometimes taking on further missions while still in the air, a JSTARS crew on a 13-hour mission was asked to stay in the air to keep surveillance over a certain region. The determined crew, nicknamed the Sitting Ducks, stayed in the air more than 20 hours just to compete their mission, adding to their already long list of accomplishments during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

While JSTARS kept an eye on the ground, AWACS watched the skies over Iraq.  According to the 401st AEW commander, the Navy fighters depended on the AWACS and JSTARS to be able to support the troops on the ground.

"Having that command and control was key in northern Iraq," he said.

This is an accomplishment that all members of the 401st AEW should be proud of, said New.

"We played a significant role in the operations. After Turkey wasn't an option, the Navy carriers and the 401st stepped up operations," said Col. Tony Mauer, 401st AEW, vice commander.

"Just like the whack-a-mole game in the arcades, we were there with our hammers every time the Iraqis popped their heads up," he said. "When the book on Operation Iraqi Freedom is written, the chapter on the 401st will be a very significant one."

-- USAFENS --