Time on the ground in Iraq pays off for naval aviators.

• Author: Erwin, Sandra I.
• Position: UPFRONT

The aviators of Carrier Air Wing Three--just back from the Persian Gulf--found that, when it comes to flying close-air support missions, there is no substitute to spending time on the ground.

During a six-month deployment consumed by long hours flying over Iraq, fighter pilots who typically stay airborne until they land back on the carrier deck decided that, in this conflict, they needed to interact more closely with U.S. soldiers and Marines on the ground, said Navy Capt. Patrick F. Rainey, air wing commander.

Although they were not threatened by enemy surface-to-air missiles, the pilots had to contend with a much-dreaded urban landscape, where friends and foes mix together. The cluttered environment of cities like Fallujah and Mosul can be nightmarish for a pilot trying to pinpoint small groups of insurgents scurrying in and out of buildings, and darting down dark alleys.

"Urban close-air support is an extremely difficult mission," Rainey said in a telephone interview from the USS Truman as it returned to the United States.

Rainey concluded that the best way to tackle the problem was to spend time on the ground, face-to-face with the "joint tactical air controllers," whose job is to spot a target and guide the pilots to it. These JTAC teams often are composed of Marines, Army soldiers or Air Force special operations troops.

While supporting Army troops in Mosul, for example, aviators familiarized themselves with the tactics and patrol routes of the Stryker brigade of the Army's 25th Infantry Division. They also figured out techniques to recognize friendly vehicles, based on their physical characteristics and tactical maneuvers.

"We became fairly confident, within a matter of weeks, that we knew where their forward-operating bases were, their patrol routes ... We could very easily identify their Stryker vehicles on the ground, even in the urban environment in Mosul," Rainey said. "We went to great lengths to ensure we would not drop weapons on friendly forces."

Despite improvements in sensor technologies and precision weapons, there is no easy way to fight, from the air, a dispersed enemy that blends with civilians. "That was our most difficult challenge--to find the people on the ground they asked us to look at," he added.

Strike aviation duties in Iraq also come with a lot of "dead time" flying over an area, waiting in case a call comes in from the ground for air support. But to make better use of those hours, the pilots under Rainey's...