Read Viper Pilot: A Memoir of Air Combat Online
Authors: Dan Hampton
SA-6 SAM
Cold War and, 54
in Desert Storm, 54, 83
in Iraq War, 242, 251, 265, 272, 273, 275, 281, 296, 301
Iraqi defense measures and, 146
SA-8 SAM, 54–55, 232, 265, 281
Saddam International Airport (Iraq).
See
Baghdad International Airport
Samarra, Great Mosque at, 293
SAMs (Surface-to-Air-Missiles)
air-to-air refueling and, 188
briefings about, 58, 83
CeeJay plane and, 141
Desert Storm and, 68–75, 88
difficulty of attacking and killing sites for, 245
history and development of, 15–29
improvement of Soviet, 26
Iraq War and, 168–75, 177, 178, 181, 182, 188, 212, 215, 217, 218, 220, 222–26, 232, 233–56, 259–65, 267, 268, 271–73, 275–77, 279–80, 281, 284, 285, 288, 291–92, 295–97, 301, 303
Iraqi defense measures and, 146
mentality in Air Force and, 304
methods for killing, 304–5
Mission Qual checks and, 129
mobile, 54, 72, 146, 235, 281, 305
shoulder-launched, 223, 224, 279–80
U-2 aircraft and, 17
UAVs and, 304
U.S. use of, 55
Vietnam War and, 19, 245
Wild Weasel missions and, 14, 290
Wild Weasel project and, 21–29
Wild Weasels mentality and, 301
See also
specific attack or type
of missile
sandstorm
during Iraq War, 2–3, 4–5, 9, 13, 185–88, 191–211, 215, 217, 220–22, 229
Hampton landing during, 191–211
Sardinia, air-to-air training in, 59
saturation bombing, 147
Saudi Arabia
alcohol in, 143–45
Desert Shield and, 144
Desert Storm and, 67, 147
Iraqi relations with, 144
Khobar Towers attack and, 149–53, 154
oil resources in, 147, 149
return from Iraq War missions and, 230
terrorism in, 149–53
U.S. relations with, 149, 152
as USAF base for NFZ enforcement, 143
See also
Dhahran Air Base
Scheduling Shop, 128
Schwalier, Terry, 151, 152, 153, 154
Scud missiles, 180
search-and-rescue missions, 228–29
second passes/re-attacks, 228–29, 248–49
secondaries, Iraq War and, 241
security
appeasement and, 145
at Beni Suef Air Base, 114
Khobar Towers attack and, 150, 151, 152
post–Cold War needs for, 153
Semi Active Radar Homing (SARH), 54
sensor management, 157
September 11, 2001: attack on, 158–64, 183–84
77th Fighter Squadron, 127, 164, 211, 261, 283, 301
78th Fighter Squadron, 127
79th Fighter Squadron, 127
Seville, Spain
antiwar protest in, 165–66
Hampton’s stopover at, 164–66
Shaw Air Force Base (South Carolina), 127, 161, 162, 305
Shaykh Mazar Air Base (Iraq), 225–26
Sheikh Isa Air Field (Bahrain), 193
“shock and awe,” 182–84.
See also
Iraq War
Shoe Clerks.
See
staff officers
Shops, 128–29, 130.
See also
specific shop
Sidewinder missiles
in Desert Storm, 77, 78
on F-16s in Egypt, 115
Fighter Weapons School instruction and, 135
Iraq War and, 220, 272
Situational Awareness display, 196, 263
Six-Pack, 245, 281, 282
“slapping the bull,” 281
“Slapshot,” 71
SLASH (call sign), 62
“Slewable Air Combat Maneuvering” mode, 76
Smart Pack, 194
SNOOP (Iraq War call sign), 280
Soesterberg Air Base (Netherlands), 86
Southern Watch deployment, 118
Southwest Asia, deployments in, 141–42
Space Command, U.S., 126
Spain
air-to-ground training in, 59–65
antiwar protests in, 165–66
F-16 flights to Dhahran Air Base and, 119
Hampton’s stopover in, 164–66
Spangdahlem Air Base (Germany)
Hampton at, 47–48, 49–53, 131
Hampton’s post-UPT choices and, 45
represented at Incirik officer’s club, 86
squadron commander at, 131
Special Operations Command, U.S., 126, 162–63
Spies Like Us
(movie), 39
“spin-up,” 133
SPOOK (call sign), 62
spotters, Iraq War, 281
squadron commander(s), 130, 131, 212
squadron patches, 85–86
STAB (Iraq War call sign), 291, 292, 300
“Stack,” 80–82
staff officers, at Incirik officer’s club, 90–97
“Stand Up” ritual, 36
Standardization and Evaluation Flight Examiner (SEFE), 129, 130
Standardization and Evaluation Shop, 128–29
“staple” weapon, 238–39
Stimulated Flameout Approaches, 129
STOIC (Iraq War call sign), 168–75, 181, 182
STORM’N (call sign), 62
Storm’n Norman (ELI 21 call sign), 184, 214–15, 280, 282, 283, 307
STRAIGHT FLUSH radar, 54
“sucker holes,” 260–61
The Sun Also Rises
(movie), 64
Super Sabre jets
as first anti-SAM planes, 22–23
in Vietnam War, 24, 25, 26
“Support the Troops” movement, 163
“Surface Attack.”
See
bomb-dropping
Surface Attack Tactics (SAT), 138
Surface-to-Air-Missiles.
See
SAMs;
type of SAM
survival training, 40–42
Syria
Iraqi-Israeli relations and, 180
SA-6s and, 54
T-37 jet trainers, 34, 36, 37
T-38 jet trainers, 37, 39, 40
Tactical Air Command (TAC), 39
Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS), 39
Tactics Officers, Desert Storm veterans as, 155
Taji (Baghdad suburb), 242, 243, 247, 251, 256
Taliban, 124
Tallil Air Field (Iraq), 280
tanker pilots, at Incirik officer’s club, 86
tankers
in Desert Storm, 67, 76, 79–80, 81–82
F16s flight to Dhahran Air Base and, 118–19
Iraq War and, 7–8, 12, 186, 187–91, 192, 216, 228, 235, 242, 267, 281, 289, 290, 291, 300
9/11 and, 158
no-fly zones and, 142
See also
refueling
tapes and mission planning materials, sandstorm landing and, 208
Target Arm.
See
Weapons Officers
Target Designator (TD) box, 77, 78, 239, 246, 251, 255
Target Management switch, 269
targeting
Iraqi defense measures and, 146
See also
HARM
Tartar Lake (Buhayrat ath Tharthar) (Iraq), 249–50, 291, 292, 294
TARZAN (Desert Storm call sign), 81
technology
and anticipation of battles with Iraq, 145–46
Iraq-U.S. relations and transfer of, 177–78
Iraq War and, 170
missile, 245
TENDON (Iraq War call sign), 187, 188, 191, 192, 193
10 Percent Rule, 87
terrorism
Hampton’s views about, 163–64
U.S. invasion of Iraq as act of, 184
See also
Khobar Towers;
specific
person or organization
Tet Offensive (Vietnam War), 27
Texas A&M Corps, 42
Texas Instruments, 156
3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, 2, 213.
See also
Iraq War: Nasiriyah attack during
3rd Infantry Division, 183, 210, 229, 232, 280
33rd Fighter Wing, 136
Thorsness, Leo, 29
Threat Warning Receiver (RWR)
Desert Storm and, 70
EWO talents and, 52–53
Iraq War and, 6, 182, 217, 219, 223, 226, 233, 234, 236–39, 252, 256, 259, 262, 272, 275, 277, 284, 285, 294, 296
325th Fighter Wing, 136
363rd Air Expeditionary Wing, 211
363rd Expeditionary Operations Group, 211, 212, 284
363rd Operations Group, 284
388th Fighter Wing, 115–20
Tikrit (Iraq), 282, 290, 291, 298, 299, 303
Tikrit South Air Field (Iraq), 295, 296
Time Over Target (TOT), 84, 138
TITUS (Iraq War call sign), 250
TOGA (Iraq War call sign), 250, 290
Tomahawk missiles, in Iraq War, 173, 180
Tonkin Resolution (Vietnam War), 18
Toogood, Ian “Notso,” 219–20, 228, 229
Top Gun
(movie), 48
TORCH (Desert Storm call sign), 66, 69, 70, 71, 72, 74, 76, 81
Torrejón Air Base (Spain), 68, 86
TOXIC (Iraq War call sign), 280, 281
tracers, in Iraq War, 11, 173, 222, 223, 225, 232, 233, 237, 247, 285, 298
training
Advanced Survival Training, 40–42
centrifuge, 39–40
during Cold War, 59–61
“dual,” 120–23
of early Wild Weasels, 23–24
for F-16CJ “CeeJay,” 157
as fighting the last war, 42–43
LIFT, 39
post-UPT training programs for, 39–45
RTU, 43–45
UPT, 31–39
See also
type of training
Training Shop, 128
TRON (Desert Storm call sign), 68
TU-16 bombers “Badgers,” Russian, 114
Turkey
return from Mosul flight and, 76–80
See also
Incirik Air Base
Turkish Air Force, 79, 83
TV bombs, 137
20th Fighter Wing, 127, 147–48, 159–60, 212
20th Operations Group, 127
23rd Tactical Fighter Squadron “Fighting Hawks,” Hampton’s assignment to, 47–48, 49–53
27th Fighter Squadron, 126
TWO DOGS (call sign), 62, 71, 74, 86, 93–94, 282
Tyndall Air Force Base (Florida), 136
U-2 reconnaissance aircraft, 16–18, 20
UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle), 290–91, 300, 304
Umm Qasr (Iraq), attack on, 183
Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT)
advanced phase of, 37–38
beginner’s phase of, 31–36
Drop Night for, 38–39
graduation from, 45
instructors for, 34–36, 37–38
ranking for, 38
selection of students for, 32
United States
impact of 9/11 on, 163–64, 183
resilience of, 163
Upper Heyford Air Base (England), 86
U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), 127
U.S.S.
Maddox,
18
U.S.S.
Turner Joy,
18
V Corps, U.S. Army, 213, 215
Vance Air Force Base (Oklahoma), 32, 39, 40
“The Vault”
function of, 57, 131–32
at Incirik Air Base, 82–83
Vic (sargeant at Costa Brava), 63
VICTOR (Iraq War call Sign), 219
Vietnam War
air campaigns in, 18
beginning of, 18
end of ideology of, 164
fighter pilot veterans of, 47
“graduated escalation” in, 26, 27
Incirik colonel’s missions during, 96, 97
missile technology during, 245
Operation Linebacker in, 28
retirement of pilots from, 155
survival training and, 42
Tet Offensive in, 27
U.S. casualties in, 27
U.S. pullout of forces in, 28–29
Wild Weasel project and, 21–29
Wailing Bench (Nellis Air Force Base), 139
war
Hampton’s views about, 307–8
See also
specific war
WARDOG.
See
ROMAN (Iraq War call sign): sandstorm landing and
Wasserfall SAM, 16
Weapons Officer
Desert Storm veterans as, 155
flight lead as, 220
Mission Commanders as, 84
9/11 and, 158
as Patchwearer or Target Arm, 132, 133, 137
requirements for, 132
responsibilities of, 132
SEFEs as, 130
selection of, 133
Vault as responsibility of, 132
See also
Fighter Weapons Instructor Course; Fighter Weapons School
Weapons and Tactics Shop, 128
Weasels/weaseling.
See
Wild Weasels
weather
Iraq War and, 215, 218–19, 229–30
See also
sandstorms
Westinghouse, 26
WICKED (Iraq War call sign), 216, 217, 218, 219, 226–27, 228, 229
wild-porpoise maneuver, 255
“Wild Weasel Song,” 93
Wild Weasels
awards and honors for, 29
battle cry of, 14, 24
CAS and, 2
casualties among, 25, 29
changes in planned missions of, 290
characteristics of, 304–5
code words and, 282
creation of, 19–20, 21
Desert Storm and, 65, 72
development of anti-SAM weapons and, 21–29
diversity in attacks by, 251
EWOs as heart of, 53
first combat mission of, 24
Fobair death and, 21
as focused on hunting and killing SAMS, 2, 21–29, 272
in Germany, 49
impact on Iraq War of, 215, 301, 305
importance of, 29, 304–5
Maverick missiles and, 292
mission of, 73
Mission Qual checks for, 129
mottos of, 75
night flying and, 176
post-Iraq War concerns of, 303–4
roaming of, 282
role of environment in attacks by, 279
rotation to Dhahran of, 147
unknown threats and, 236
in urban areas, 279
in Vietnam War, 19–20, 21–29
YGBSM as battle cry for, 14, 25
See also
specific fighter wing
or mission
Williams Air Force Base (Arizona), 32
Wing Commander, Khobar Towers attack and, 152
wings, U.S. Air Force
commanders of, 127
groups in, 127
Within Visual Range (WVR) Air Combat Tactics, 135
WOOKIE (call sign), 62
World Bank, 27
World War I, 15, 75, 126, 279
World War II, 15–16, 126, 155, 173, 215
YGBSM (You’ve Gotta Be Shittin’ Me) battle cry, 14, 24
Yom Kippur War (1973), 54
Zaragoza Air Base (Spain), 59–65
Zero, Japanese, 16
ZING (call sign), 62