Guided Ordnance A Key to Coalition Success
Navy NewStand
Story Number: NNS030410-01
Release Date: 4/10/2003 10:45:00 AM
By Journalist Chief (SW) Aaron Strickland, USS Theodore Roosevelt Public Affairs
ABOARD USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT, At sea (NNS) -- The enemy forces are lobbing mortar at coalition special forces in northern Iraq.
Suddenly, the radio crackles inside an F/A-18 Hornet from Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8, deployed aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). The call, whispered to prevent detection by nearby forces, has coordinates and a few nearby landmarks easily seen from the air.
"I dropped the ordnance and the next thing I heard from the ground was 'Sweet!'" said Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Pothier, a pilot with CVW-8 staff. "We're providing that kind of coverage."
Scenarios like this happen almost daily during the strikes over Iraq, and it demonstrates the accuracy with which precision guided ordnance can hit a target.
Coalition aircraft predominantly use either JDAMs (Joint Direct Attack Munitions) or Laser-Guided Bombs (LGB) that literally fly conventional 500, 1,000 or 2,000 pound bombs to a target. The result is accurate bombing that minimizes civilian casualties and maximizes effectiveness per bomb, and allows them to be dropped in most any weather. What once took an entire squadron to destroy can now be knocked out with one aircraft in many cases, according to TR Commanding Officer Capt. R.J. O'Hanlon.
"Dropping JDAMs and laser-guided ordnance is one of the most satisfying missions for our pilots," said Capt. David Newland, commander, CVW-8. "They are told where to drop the munitions, and they get direct feedback from the troops after they're dropped."
According to Aviation Ordnanceman Chief (AW/SW) Steve Miller of TR's Weapons Department, JDAMs are a joint Air Force/Navy weapon developed to meet the need for an adverse weather, accurate strike ordnance. Developed after Operation Desert Storm, the weapon consists of a low cost, autonomously controlled, guidance set attached to a 2,000 pound or 1,000 pound warhead. A Global Positioning System (GPS) aided Inertial Navigation System (INS) gives guidance commands that move movable tail surfaces, steering the bomb from its release to its target. The JDAM weapon is designed to achieve accuracy on the target of 42 feet or less.
Sometimes the situation changes -- the enemy moves in too close or the coordinates are too difficult to pinpoint. Then, pilots must make the crucial decision on whether or not to proceed with a drop.
"We were all taught from day one that if you have any doubt about making drop, don't do it," said Lt. Michael Wilson, a pilot with Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 87.
"We might have a request to hit any moving vehicle we can see," Pothier said.
Cmdr. Doug Beale, a pilot with VFA-201, piped in, "From our vantage point (at altitude), we can see 20 miles while the guy on the ground can only see two or three, so sometimes, we might need more specifics before making the decision to drop."
Beale went on to say that, during their training last year at Naval Air Facility Fallon, Nev., pilots flew numerous day and night close air support bombing missions to train for situations just like Operation Iraqi Freedom.
"You hate it the first few times," he said, referring to conducting close air support missions at night. "Night flying is a lot more difficult, because you can't pinpoint things like you can during the day." But the night-flying pilots of CVW-8 would have it no other way.
"Say some troops are on the ground, in trouble," Pothier said. "If he gives me a good coordinate, I'm going to do everything I can to help him out."
JDAMs not only give the pilots the feeling that they are contributing more tangibly, but also that they can support the ground troops better than in past conflicts.
"Since we can drop ordnance in just about any weather, I think it's safe to say that we've made the conflict shorter," Beale said.
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