The following transcript is derived from recordings made aboard
the two F-16 aircraft in Coffee 51 Flight.
This is the only recorded evidence of the radio calls that were
exchanged between and Coffee 51 Flight
between 21:22:38Z and 21:31:30Z, 17 Apr 02.
At the time of this report, no evidence was provided that could clearly
identify the exchanges that occurred via between and . Reference
to is made twice in the overall exchanges between
and Coffee 51 Flight indicating that there is command and control interaction between the AWACS and
the CAOC. All the testimonies reviewed by the Board confirm that fact.
For ease of interpretation, entries have been colour coded according to the transmitting unit:
| TIME (Z) |
FREQ |
C/S |
TRANSMISSION |
REMARKS |
| 21:22:38 |
|
51 |
Do you have good coordinate for a mark or do you need me to roll in? |
In the previous minute, Coffee 52 has made his initial contact
report. Coffee 51 is asking whether he has input the position into his
computer to allow aircraft-aircraft transfer, or whether he personally should
turn to identify the target coordinates. |
| 21:22:42 |
|
52 |
Euh, standby. I'll mark it right now. |
Coffee 52 tells Coffee 51 to wait; the requested info will be forthcoming. |
| 21:22:47 |
|
52 |
I'm in from the south-east. |
Coffee 52 attempts to update his position to preserve his lead's situational awareness. |
| 21:22:52 |
|
51 |
|
At 21:52:56, Coffee 52 recovers from his designation to mark the target. |
| 21:23:22 |
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| |
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| 21:23:29 |
|
|
Euh, I suppose we might as well make a left hand turn and stay in until 51 is ready. |
recognizes that this situation will delay the refuelling and manoeuvres to stay in his assigned area. |
| 21:23:34 |
|
52 |
Euh, Okay . This Coffee52. I've got a TALLY on the
vicinity. Euh, request permission to lay down some 20 mike-mike. |
Coffee 52 is in a shallow right hand turn, going through a heading of . |
| 21:23:42 |
|
|
Standby |
is likely making initial contact with to request information. |
| 21:23:45 |
|
51 |
Let's just make sure that euh, that it's not friendly, that's all. |
|
| 21:23:51 |
|
51 |
When you got a chance, put on the if
you got a good hack on it. |
Coffee 51 again requests the exact position to be transmitted
via air-air data link. |
| 21:24:39 |
|
52 |
I'm gonna flow down here to the south west. |
Horizontal range from the
target area to Coffee 52 is
slightly less than 2.5nm shortly after this call. |
| 21:24:42 |
|
52 |
from Coffee 52. Do you want us to push to a different freq?" |
|
| 21:24:48 |
|
51 |
Check my sparkle, check my sparkle to see if it looks good. |
Shortly after this transmission, sensors from both aircraft are synchronized by data link and
are looking at the same area on the ground. |
| 21:24:55 |
|
51 |
Yeah, I'm contact your sparkle as well. |
Coffee 51 confirms that both laser spot trackers are on the same target. |
| 21:25:00 |
|
|
Coffee 51. HOLD Fire, I need
details on SAFIRE.(the rest of the sentence unconfirmed)."for ." |
denies Cofee 52's request to open fire using 20mm
cannon with a call to the collective C/S og Coffee 51 Flight (Coffee
51). The AWACS clearly requires additional SAFIRE information to relay to and
the MCC is acting on a "hunch" to deny weapon employment until the situation clears up somewhat.
|
| 21:25:04 |
|
52 |
Okay, I have got some men on the road and it looks like a piece of artillery firing
at us. I am rolling in in SELF-DEFENSE". |
At 21:25:11, Coffee 52 initiates a sharp right hand
turn to initiate weapon delivery. Starting speed is starting altitude is |
| 21:25:04 |
|
|
copies |
|
| 21:25:17 |
|
51 |
Check Master Arm, Laser Arm, and check you are not in mark. |
Coffee 51 supports Coffee 52s attack by confirming his weapons release settings. |
| 21:25:23 |
|
52 |
I'm in from the southwest. |
Situational awareness call. |
| 21:25:37 |
|
51 |
Do you show him on a bridge? |
Coffee 51 is still trying to correlate what he sees on
his with what Coffee 52 is reporting. |
| 21:25:39 |
|
52 |
Bomb's away, cranking left. |
Bomb release time. The recovery is to level flight with no clear
attempt to get altitude separation from the ground. |
| 21:25:49 |
|
51 |
Check (unrecognizable term, "LIVE?"), deedle, deedle. |
|
| 21:25:52 |
|
52 |
I am fine. |
|
| 21:25:54 |
|
52 |
Laser's on. |
|
| 21:26:01 |
|
52 |
Shack ! |
Bomb impact time. |
| 21:26:07 |
|
52 |
.. |
|
| 21:26:11 |
|
|
Coffee 51, Disengage.
"Friendlies Kandahar". |
By thies time has issued clear direction
for Coffee 51 Flight to clear the area due to their proximity to KAF and
friendly troops. |
| 21:26:16 |
|
52 |
Copy. euh. Disengaging south. |
|
| 21:26:18 |
|
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Coffee 51, . How copy? |
Is not sure whether Coffee 51 Flight has
received the last call. |
| 21:26:21 |
|
51 |
Copy euh. Can you confirm that they were shooting at us? |
This question does not
make sense; Coffee 51 knows that is distant from
the action and in any case has no sensors that would be able to corroborate
his picture of the tactical situation. |
| 21:26:31 |
|
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Coffee 51, . You are cleared Self-Defence. wants you to work south
.(some unrecognizable words).Kandahar. |
This call reflects the confusion in the AWACS over what has transpired since the "self defence" call
- it is worth noting that none of the communications surrounding the weapon
setup or release was transmitted on .the primary AWACS controlling frequency. |
| 21:26:42 |
|
51 |
Okay. One is coming back left, steer 82. |
|
| All times extrapolated from this point on. |
| 21:26:44 |
|
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Coffee 51, Scram south! |
|
| 21:26:47 |
|
51 |
, Coffee 51 scramming. |
|
| 21:27:15 |
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Coffee 51, . I need coordinates when able and I to know if any rounds were fired. |
|
| 21:27:23 |
|
51 |
Go ahead. |
|
| 21:27:25 |
|
52 |
Yeah, I had one bomb dropped. in the vicinity of euh, 31 24 N, point 78, 65 43
point 522. That's an estimate euh, if you are our general vicinity. |
The coordinates repeated in this transmission correspond to a point approximately 5 to 6 miles away
from the Tarnak Farm area. |
| 21:27:45 |
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| 21:27:55 |
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Coffee 51. Repeat east coordinate. |
|
| 21:28:01 |
|
52 |
Yeah. I am not so sure it's that accurate. I don't have an accurate coordinate right
now. Do you want me to go back and get you one? |
|
| 21:28:07 |
|
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, negative. |
|
| 21:28:13 |
|
51 |
Let's go back safe. |
|
| 21:28:26 |
|
52 |
Yeah! They were definitely shooting at you. |
|
| 21:28:29 |
|
52 |
It sure seemed that they were tracking around and everything, and euh, trying to lead. |
|
| 21:28:35 |
|
51 |
Yeah. We had our lights on and it wasn't helping I don't think. |
|
| 21:28:42 |
|
52 |
I had a group of guys on a road around a gun and it did not looked organized
like it would be our guys". |
|
| 21:28:49 |
|
51 |
It seems like it was right on a bridge. That's kind of where I was at. |
|
| 21:28:52 |
|
52 |
Yeah, not quite. (pause) I hope that was the right thing to do. |
|
| 21:28:53 |
|
51 |
Me too. |
|
| 21:29:02 |
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Coffee 51 |
|
| 21:29:03 |
|
51 |
Go ahead. |
|
| 21:29:04 |
|
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Yeah> I need type of bomb dropped.
Result, and, type of SAFIRE |
Even this late in the engagement. Coffee 51 Flight has
still not completed the requirements for the SAFIRE report. |
| 21:29:10 |
|
51 |
That was a single GBU-12 dropped. It was a direct hit on euh the artillery piece that
was firing. As far as the SAFIRE,
Coffee 52. 51, what do you have on that. |
|
| 21:29:27 |
|
52 |
I'd say the same. It was euh, sort of
continuous fire, and euh. it appeared to be leading us as we were flying by
and then as we came back around. |
|
| 21:29:46 |
|
|
Do you get a top altitude of the SAFIRE? |
|
| 21:29:52 |
|
51 |
Negative. They were burning out before here. |
|
| 21:29:55 |
|
52 |
I would estimate the top a approximately 10,000 ft. And just to let you know.
We split in azimuth, sending 51 to the south and 52 went to the
northeast. And euh, one of the guns turned back around to the east firing at
52, euh, as well. |
|
| 21:30:15 |
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copies. And if we could, could you give me a routh longitude. |
|
| 21:30:24 |
|
52 |
Yeah. I did not take a mark at the time. |
|
| 21:30:29 |
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| 21:30:36 |
|
52 |
Was that definitely the airfield that was closer? |
|
| 21:30:40 |
|
51 |
Yeah. |
|
| 21:30:40 |
|
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Coffee 51. Could you just repeat the coordinate that you passed earlier? |
|
| 21:30:43 |
|
51 |
He wants the coordinate again. |
|
| 21:30:45 |
|
52 |
Yeah. I do not have the proper coordinate for that |
|
| 21:30:49 |
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| 21:30:52 |
|
52 |
Would
you estimate. I'd estimate about 3 miles to the south, maybe a 150. |
|
| 21:31:00 |
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Coffee 51, |
|
| 21:31:05 |
|
51 |
Yeah euh. There was no
effective in that area tonight as far as our brief was concerned? Do you concur? |
Only now is the possibility of a missed being considered. |
| 21:31:12 |
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| 21:31:19 |
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agrees that there is no but in the time interval between
the question and the response, it is doubtful that he had time to check the paper copy of the ATO.
|
| 21:31:28 |
|
52 |
Yeah. Standby for the microscope huh! |
|
| 21:31:30 |
|
51 |
Yeahhh. |
|
