The Boston Globe March 23, 2003
US forces have learned to weather sand
By Ross Kerber
Sandstorms have hit US-led forces in the Kuwaiti desert, raising memories of past tactical problems, but new equipment and practices should minimize the impact of weather on the Iraqi war, military analysts say.
During the Gulf War of 1991, allied warplanes often didn't drop their smart bombs, for instance, because they were aimed with laser targeting devices that couldn't penetrate thick dust.
But few analysts expect heavy sand to matter as much this time. For one thing, the United States recently brought into service a new generation of satellite-guided bombs designed to function in all weather. Tank and helicopter crews have learned to change their air filters and other parts more often, reducing shutdowns.
Iraqi troops, meanwhile, have less access to advanced navigation systems and could be more restricted by high winds and reduced visibility, said Michael Rip, an air-power analyst and professor of security studies at Michigan State University.
On balance, ''sand might be a slight blessing'' in the campaign, Rip said. That assumes that logistics officers have brought enough spare parts like air filters and helicopter rotor blades, which can be seriously damaged by the heavy sand in the southern Iraqi desert. ''Unless the weather is something outrageous, this shouldn't be a problem,'' he said.
Blinding sandstorms are common in Iraq during spring, which is often marked by the southern wind known as the sharqi, with gusts as fast as 50 miles per hour, according to GlobalSecurity.org, a military research group based in Washington, D.C. Dust storms sometimes rise to about 10,000 feet and often close airports. On Feb. 25, high winds contributed to the crash of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter in Kuwait. All four of its crew were killed.
Eight British Royal Marines and four American Marines died when their CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter crashed before dawn in southern Iraq on Friday. US officials said the crash was the result of mechanical malfunction, rather than Iraqi fire, and sand was being assessed as a contributing factor.
To penetrate dust storms, the US military will rely heavily on new smart bombs such as its joint direct attack munition, or JDAM, a guidance kit with tail fins and sensors that is bolted onto traditional bombs. Using the Global Positioning System of satellites, pilots can drop these bombs from great heights without needing to see targets on the ground.
Helicopter operations, on the other hand, would be more restricted by sandstorms or high winds. Although US Army doctrine stresses mobility in all weather, sand often can ground its powerful fleet.
''The greatest concern is whether you're flying in too much sand,'' said Pat Sweeney, a professor at the Naval War College in Newport, R.I., and a retired Army officer who served in the Gulf War.
During sandstorms, ''it's nearly impossible to conduct significant helicopter operations,'' he said. ''Your pilots lose what's up, and what's down.'' Fliers also lose the advantage of the long-distance antitank missiles they carry, Sweeney said.
It's also difficult to plan for every contingency. Tanks and other heavy armor would seem ideally suited for desert conditions, such as during the fierce fighting in North Africa during World War II. But complicated modern tanks have many new ways to fail.
During the Gulf War, sandstorms forced crews of the Army's heavy M1 Abrams tank to frequently change air filters to keep sand out of their turbine engines.
But it doesn't always help to change filters frequently. In 2001, nearly half of the Challenger tanks deployed in a British training exercise in Oman ground to an early halt after sand clogged their air filters and shut down their engines. A report by Britain's National Audit Office attributed the problems to an unusually fine sand the British Army hadn't encountered before in tank operations, and the report recommended new seals, skirts, and other fixes to shield moving parts.
Copyright © 2003, Globe Newspaper Company.
