Courtesy Photo | Lt. Col. John Sloan, an F-16 pilot, congratulates 1st Lt. Dhya Mualel Chabeb for...... read more read more
Subscribe
By Staff Sgt. Nathaniel G. Johnson
3rd AAB, 4th Inf. Div., Public Affairs Office
NASIRIYAH, Iraq — Nine Iraqi army officers from the 10th Iraqi Army Division graduated from a basic joint fire support course taught in a combined effort by the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army and the 70th Iraqi Air Force Squadron, Feb. 8.
During the course, known as the Iraqi Fires Observer Course, Iraqi officers learned what Iraqi air force assets are available to them, the capabilities of these assets, and how to use the Iraqi air force to support the Iraqi army’s mission.
Lt. Col. John Sloan, an F-16 pilot and Capt. Kenneth Howell, an ordnance officer, both with the 321st Air Expeditionary Advisory Wing, Iraq Training Advisory Mission-Air Force, taught the material with assistance from airmen and a soldier from 3rd Advise and Assist Brigade, 4th Infantry Division.
“This is the third class we’ve taught,” said Master Sgt. Edward Day, 321st AEAW, ITAM-AF, from Ratcliff, Ky. “We teach some of the strategic stuff like when to request air assets, how to request them, and how to integrate them into ground operations.”
The students learned basic tactics, techniques and procedures for controlling aircraft from the ground such as terminology to quickly and effectively communicate with pilots, radio procedures, and how to brief pilots on the situation on the ground. They also learned the importance of communicating with their higher headquarters’ operation center.
Traditionally, joint fires observers control aircraft, artillery and mortar fires. The Iraqi Fires Observer course was focused on the basics of controlling aircraft.
“We’re not trying to make them joint fires observers right now,” said Sloan, “Right now we are laying down the foundation, giving them a chance to grasp the basics. Then we can follow up with joint fires observer training.”
The course focused on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft such as the King Air 350 ER-ISR and CH 2000, which are the two most readily available ISR platforms in the Iraqi air force’s fleet, according the Staff Sgt. Joshua Swan, joint fires observer, 3rd AAB.
“We’re letting them know what they have available and teaching them the basics of ISR,” said Swan, from Wellington, Fla. “ISR is important to ground forces and is the easiest to use while learning the basics of controlling air[craft].”
Maj. Asaad Farhan, a pilot with the recently activated 70th IAF Sqdn., gave the students a brief from an Iraqi pilot’s point of view. He spoke about the use of aircraft for surveillance and how to integrate the air force into ground operations.
Farhan, who has logged over 2,000 hours of flight time in a CH 2000, spoke specifically on the capabilities of that particular aircraft and how it is being used along Iraq’s border with Iran and on the pipelines that run through southern Iraq.
“I think this is an important class,” said 1st Lt. Dhya Mualel Chabeb, intelligence officer with the Intelligence Battalion, 10th IA Div., through an interpreter. “Airplanes can cover more distance and give us more information. I think we will have less casualties with this information.”
During his briefing, Farhan displayed pictures and spoke about a recent mission in which the CH 2000 was instrumental in capturing looters attempting to steal oil from a section of pipeline in Basrah Province.
“The pilot spotted the thieves and reported this sighting to the Basrah operations center which dispatched the police. From sighting to arrest was approximately 35 minutes,” said Farhan who is stationed at Ali Air Base, near Nasiriyah.
During the 10-day class, the students were attentive and were willing participants in the exercises. But their attention really peaked upon hearing Farhan’s brief about the missions that the 70th IAF Sqdn. has been conducting. Afterward, during a break, the students flooded him with questions.
“It was really good for them to hear this,” said Sloan, a resident of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base near Tucsan, Ariz. “It’s a real mission that puts everything they’ve learned so far into perspective. And it demonstrated the importance of communicating with their higher headquarters.”
The students also learned land navigation skills, how to utilize helicopters and medical evacuation procedures. Additionally, they learned how to operate the type of radio needed to communicate with aircraft.
Tech Sgt. Justin Murner, a joint terminal air controller, 82nd Expeditionary Air Support Operations Squadron, attached to 3rd AAB, gave a briefing on the Rover-5, which is a device used to see the video feed provided by aircraft. According to Murner, from Rapid City, S.D., the Rover-5 is similar to what the Iraqis have available to them.
During a hands-on exercise, the students conducted a communications rehearsal using hand-held radios. Sloan played his natural role as a pilot, while Swan played the role of a radio operator in an operations center.
Howell, a native of Trenton, N.J., walked the Iraqis through a scripted scenario in which they practiced communicating with pilots and operations centers, exercising the procedures that they learned during the course.
“As basic as this may seem, it’s a necessary step, because these guys don’t get to talk on radios a lot,” said Sloan. “It’s good to get the mistakes out of the way before they talk to aircraft. It’s very valid to do this.”
During the ninth day of the course, the students were able to see a live demonstration of what they had learned. A King Air 350 ER-ISR, assigned to the 87th IAF Sqdn., Al Muthanna Air Base and a CH 2000, assigned 70th IAF Sqdn., Ali Air Base, supported the exercise.
The presence of the CH 2000 was an unexpected event that Farhan coordinated. The pilots put on an air show for the students, demonstrating the aircraft’s maneuverability and ability to fly at high and low altitudes. Farhan explained this to the Iraqis as it was happening.
“This is good for them to see,” said Farhan, who spends a lot of time instructing Iraqi officers. “Hopefully this demonstration will help them understand what the aircraft can do for ground forces.”
The 10th day of the course started with a review of the course material and a question and answer session. Afterward, the nine students were awarded certificates in an informal graduation ceremony.
“As a soldier on the ground, I’m glad our new army is receiving this training,” said 1st Lt. Ahmed Kahtan, a commando officer assigned to the 10th IA Div.’s commando company. “I think the Iraqi air force will improve our abilities with these machines. They will help us track the bad guys.”
| Date Taken: | 02.09.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 02.16.2011 09:01 |
| Story ID: | 65516 |
| Location: | NASIRIYAH, IQ |
| Web Views: | 160 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Iraqi army officers learn to integrate Iraqi air force into ground operations, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
