Night Refueling Over Iraq

Came across this photo I liked and just wanted to share it as it's something you don't typically see. It's an F-16 from Joint Base Balad, Iraq getting refueled from a KC-135 during an Iraqi night sortie back on September 6. Not sure what town they're over in the picture but it's cool nonetheless.

(U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon II)

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Laser JDAM Gets First Kill

The two main types of precision guided bombs in the US arsenal today are guided by either GPS or lasers. But what if there was a way to combine the two on one bomb? That's exactly what the USAF did when it developed the GBU-54 Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition. The GBU-54 is essentially a 500-lb dummy bomb with a strap-on GPS guided tail and a laser guidance sight mounted to the tip. On August 12th this new munition scored its first kill when an F-16 from the 77th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron at Balad Air Base destroyed a "moving enemy vehicle in the Diyala province to support a combined Iraqi army and U.S. Marine operation." An urgent operational need for this type of munition was identified in 2007 and took only 17 months of testing and development before it was in theater for deployment. Lt. Gen. Gary L. North, the U.S. Air Forces Central commander and U.S. Central Commands Combined Force Air Component commander said, "The first combat employment of this weapon is the validation of the exacting hard work of an entire team of professionals who developed, tested and fielded this weapon on an extremely short timeline, based on an urgent needs request we established in the combat zone." While a regular GPS JDAM is perfect for hitting stationary targets, the new Laser JDAM allows the Air Force to strike mobile ground targets as well. This is especially crucial in the fight against VBIEDs. The footage from this engagement is allegedly depicted below.

[AF Link]

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The Dawn Of Robot Wars

No, I'm not talking about Battle Bots here. I speaking about full on unmanned system vs. unmanned system in actual combat. This new era got off with a real bang when an MQ-9 Reaper dropped a 500-lb laser guided bomb on a remotely controlled Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) in Iraq last week marking a historic first. The Reaper, which began combat patrols in Iraq last month is really proving its mettle to the battlefield commanders over there as it starts to assume the roles previously occupied by manned systems. 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance and Attack Squadron Commander Lt. Col. Micah Morgan, said that they "searched for, found, fixed, targeted and destroyed a [threat] with just one aircraft." The Air Force already has an entire wing of UCAVs, but I'm thinking that's just the start. It won't be long before unmanned systems outnumber manned aircraft and pilots are exiled to air conditioned trailers where they play war half a world away. Countries around the world are following suit with development of their unmanned systems as well. Perhaps it will be the Major League Gamers that help us usher in the robotic apocalypse. Can anyone say Skynet?

[Aviation Week via Gizmodo]

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Reaper Debuts In Iraqi Combat Patrols

The US Air Force's newest hunter-killer drone made it's Iraqi combat debut on July 18 as it slides into the routine patrol duty typically assigned to F-16s. The MQ-9 Reaper (formerly known as the Predator B) saw its first combat in Afghanistan last fall and quickly garnered respect for its capabilities. The British in Afghanistan even call the 5-ton Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) a "mini A-10." Defense Secretary Robert Gates' mandate to get "more surveillance systems into the fight" was a driving force in the Reaper's Iraqi deployment. By May of this year the Air Force had drones in 24 round-the-clock orbits to support the "War On Terror" and they anticipate meeting a goal of 50 orbits by year's end. There are only about a dozen Reapers in service now, so I'm not sure how they'll reach that number unless they deploy more Predators or other UAVs.


Essentially a Predator on steroids, the Reaper exceeds its predecessor in every way. Instead of a piston engine, the Reaper has a 600 shp turboprop pushing this killer to 200 kts, up a 130 kts from the Predator's top speed, giving it the ability to take out more time sensitive targets. The beefier engine also allows for a nastier payload of weaponry. Where as the Predator could only carry two Hellfire missiles, the Reaper can carry four...plus two laser-guided Paveway II bombs or two GPS guided JDAMs making this one mean robot warrior. And if the enemy is not out to play, no problem. The Reaper can loiter for quite some time up there at 50,000 feet. It has a range of 3,200 nautical miles. Each Reaper costs the Air Force $53 million a pop and it can be remotely operated by a pilot and sensor operator far from the actual fighting.



(Danger Room)

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C-130 blown up (by the good guys)

What's the best way to remove a stranded C-130 from a barren field in a hostile area North of Baghdad? Well, if you are the US Air Force, the answer to that question is simple, blow it up. That's exactly what the 447th Air Expeditionary Group did this week when it was decided that "dismantling by a series of controlled detonations would be the safest and most effective way to remove the remainder aircraft to a safe location" according to Col. David Pavey the Group commander. The aircraft made an emergency landing in the area on June 27 after the flight crew experienced an in flight problem after takeoff from Sather Air Base, adjacent to Baghdad International Airport. The remaining pieces were hauled back to Sather AB by truck. Check out the video below. Explosions start to take place around 2:00 minutes into the clip. Click on any of the photos for a larger version.

(photo taken prior to detonation during setup)

(via Air Force Link)
(video 447th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs)
(U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Allen)

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