Air War

Team Infidel

Forum Spin Doctor
NBC
February 3, 2008
NBC Nightly News, 6:30 PM
LESTER HOLT: And in Iraq there are concerns about the critical air cover for U.S. and Iraqi missions. Some U.S. commanders are worried about the toll these missions are taking on American jets. NBC’s Richard Engel reports from the U.S. airbase in Balad, Iraq.
RICHARD ENGEL: On the busiest military airbase in the world – Balad, 40 miles north of Baghdad – Captain Joe 'Flint' Markoski (ph) suits up, checks his respirator, as wing man, Captain Sean 'Rip' Loomis (ph) inspects his F-16. As night falls, they’re off to Mosul, where Iraqi troops are massing to fight al Qaeda militants. Their mission is to destroy IEDs. There are always at least two F16s in the skies over Iraq at any one time, and this constant use is putting a tremendous strain on these fighters. They’re flying five times more than they were designed to.
GEN. BARRY MCCAFFREY (Ret.) [NBC News Military Analyst]:I think the Air Force and naval air power are right on the verge of crashing on us. We have not made the investments. The technology is old. We’re running them into the ground.
ENGEL: Keeping them in the air are maintenance crews called “Eagle Eyes.”
MAINTENANCE MAN: What I’m looking for is any missing fasteners, cracks, any damage to wires.
ENGEL: Commanders say about 10 to 15 percent of the fighters have cracks, which they patch over. In the U.S., F-16s have this full service every two years. Out here, it’s every four months. The main problems: overuse, Iraq’s heat, and age.
BRIG. GEN. BURTON FIELD [U.S. Air Force]: At the end of the day we have airplanes in our Air Force fleet that average about 25 years old. That’s older than some of our pilots.
MAJ. GEN. DAVID EDDINGTON [U.S. Air Force]: But it’s not of a concern that the Air Force is saying these things are going to fall out of the sky if we pursue the war in Iraq for another year. That is not the issue. The issue is the long-term effect and how long these aircraft will ultimately last.
ENGEL: Commanders say they can last Iraq, but warn they might not be prepared for future conflicts. Richard Engel, NBC News, Balad, Iraq.
 
Back
Top