US Airpower Keeps Enemy's Heads Down
Captain Craig Morrison tucks
himself into the bottom bunk around 0900 as the bright sunlight
bounces off the desert rocks and sand outside his dorm. The
29-year-old weapon systems officer sleeps almost 12 hours.
That evening, he reports to duty with the rest of the B-1B
Lancer crew from the 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron at the
squadron operations building.
The former finance officer meets up with aircraft commander
Major Mike Jason, co-pilot Captain David Grasso and fellow WSO
Captain Richard Kovsky for a mission brief. On this particular
mission, Captain Morrison will sit in the offensive systems officer
seat in the B-1, where he is responsible for the jet's basic
navigation. Captain Kovsky, will take the defensive systems
officer's seat. Both WSOs serve unique roles in the B-1.
"When I sit in the OSO (Offensive Systems Operator) seat,
I'm responsible for getting the jet to the target area on time,"
Captain Morrison said. "The OSO acts as a bombardier, managing all
the weapons while building the individual and group target sets for
CAS (close-air support) missions, and we manage the inertial
navigation system and operate the radar."
The late-night mission brief gives the crew an overview of the
sortie, and the locations and call-signs for the Joint Tactical Air
Controllers who are attached to Army or Marine units on the ground
in Afghanistan. The JTACs are the direct communication link between
the B-1 aircrew and the ground forces supporting Operation Enduring
Freedom.
The crew listens intently to their primary JTAC, a coalition
partner from Spain, who provides the specifics of the upcoming
mission.
Thirty minutes later, Captain Morrison and the rest of the
aircrew stop at the 37th EBS life support section to get their
survival vests, harnesses for the ejection seats, 9-mm pistols and
helmets. Their last stop is the grab 'n' go flight kitchen, where
the crew loads up on foodstuffs and water. From there, they head to
the flightline and jet off into the night.
Three hours later, the crew is flying in the dark sky, high
above Afghanistan. Using radios, they check in with the JTAC who
was attached to an Army unit guarding a village. As Army troops in
vehicles patrolled the perimeter, the B-1 crew circled the area
looking for enemy forces.
When the Spanish JTAC requested a "show of force," the B-1 crew
flew down near the suspected enemy activity.
"The B-1 is great for showing power," Captain Morrison said. "We
fly low, we fly fast and let the enemy know we are there."
Sometimes it is simple intimidation, and other times it is just
letting the enemy on the ground know airpower is ready to strike.
Regardless, B-1 crews contend a "show of force" helps keep the
enemy in check.
In some cases, the ground forces face life-or-death
situations.
"There are times we have no doubt we are saving lives on the
ground," said Lieutenant Colonel David Been, 37th EBS commander.
"Part of our mission is responding to 'troops in contact' requests,
supporting the JTACs with precise bombing or shows of force."
Colonel Been said when the aircrew receives a TIC request, it
means friendly forces on the ground need help immediately and
there's no time to spare. Typically, the ground forces are under
enemy attack.
"The B-1's wicked fast," the squadron commander said. "At Mach
1.2, it's faster than the speed of sound. So we sweep the wings
back, and a "Bone" can usually respond anywhere in Afghanistan
within minutes."
The B-1B's blended wing-body configuration, variable-geometry
wings and turbofan afterburning engines combine to provide
long-range maneuverability and high-speed while enhancing
survivability. Forward wing settings are used for takeoff,
landings, air refueling and in some high-altitude weapons
scenarios. Aft wing settings - the main combat configuration - are
typically used during high, subsonic and supersonic flight,
enhancing the jet's maneuverability in the low- and high-altitude
regimes.
"The B-1 is capable of creating a multitude of far-reaching
effects across the battlefield," Captain Morrison said. "It's a
highly versatile weapon system with an offensive avionics system
that includes high-resolution synthetic aperture radar, capable of
tracking, targeting and engaging moving vehicles on the
ground."
In addition, an extremely accurate global positioning system
enables aircrews to navigate globally without the aid of
ground-based navigation aids, as well as engage targets with a high
level of precision. All of these features are used in Operation
Enduring Freedom missions like the ones Captain Morrison flies into
Afghanistan.
By late morning, a KC-135 Stratotanker crew from the 340th
Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron arrives to refuel the B-1. As
the OSO, Captain Morrison coordinates the "electronic rendezvous,"
using the air-to-air mode of the radar to give the pilots headings
and airspeeds for a successful refueling. The crew then flies back
to support the Spanish JTAC for several more hours before leaving
Afghanistan. In all, the sortie lasts 11 and-a-half hours.
Once back on base in Southwest Asia, the B-1 crew talks with
37th Aircraft Maintenance Unit maintainers to discuss any
maintenance issues. Then they drop off their life support gear and
meet with 37th EBS intelligence Airmen and the mission planning
cell to discuss specific threats and findings associated with the
mission. The last thing the crew does is debrief the day's mission,
evaluating their successes and looking for areas to improve.
"We fly as a 'hard' crew," said Captain Morrison, explaining
that Major Jason, Captain Grasso and Captain Kovsky always fly
together during their OEF missions tasked to the 379th Air
Expeditionary Wing. "So it's important we discuss any lessons
learned and strive for continuous improvement as a team." Captain
Morrison said it's exciting to be part of the aircrew that flies
the largest payload of both guided and unguided weapons in the Air
Force inventory.
"We're the backbone of America's long-range bomber force," he
said. "At the end of the day, I know we are making a difference in
the War on Terrorism. I can't think of a better job to have in the
Air Force. Flying the B-1 definitely beats accounting."
ANN salutes Major Ann Peru Knabe of the 379th Air
Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs office.