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| PAF air controllers sent to Basilan | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Aug 30 2007, 10:03 AM (1,413 Views) | |
| Frenzy | Aug 30 2007, 10:03 AM Post #1 |
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http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/...rticle_id=85439 Air Force controllers thrown into Basilan operations By Tarra Quismundo Inquirer Last updated 09:52pm (Mla time) 08/29/2007 MANILA, Philippines -- To avoid a repeat of the July 10 Basilan debacle blamed on the lack of air support, the Philippine Air Force is sending its highly trained officers to the battlefield to boost the military campaign against Moro rebels by enhancing air-to-ground coordination during combat operations. PAF chief Lieutenant General Horacio Tolentino told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that the Air Force would deploy a “sufficient number” of highly trained airmen to Basilan to serve as ground guides for pilots providing air support to the military offensive. Tolentino declined to reveal further details for security reasons. “We will be sending Air Force officers and enlisted personnel to be embedded with the ground troops. They will work as forward air controllers on the ground, directing our pilots to the target,” Tolentino said. Forward air controllers are tasked to guide pilots to their target by accurately giving the location of the enemy. Usually, however, pilot guidance is provided also from the air by aircraft buddied with assault planes and choppers. Feedback from those on the ground, usually from the Army and the Marines, is also crucial for target confirmation as required under the military’s rules of engagement. This time, PAF has decided to put its men on the ground to do the direction from there. “Tactically, it will help because these officers can give positive information on the target immediately,” said Tolentino, a helicopter pilot who led air support and resupply missions during the Mindanao battles in the mid-70s. It was a tactic rarely done but deemed worth employing this time as a lapse in air-to-ground coordination was among the suspected reasons for the pull-back of air support during crucial operations in Basilan on July 10. Fourteen Marines were killed that day. Tolentino had said pilots called to drop munitions on enemy territory that day made some contact with troops on the ground, but communication was fuzzy. Gunships decided to turn back as they could not spot the target clearly, lacking proper guidance from the ground. Friendly troops were also too close to the enemy that dropping bombs without target confirmation was too risky. On top of expert air control, PAF men on the ground will also help operation commanders assess the efficiency of air support, the official said. |
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| cyklonmetal | Aug 31 2007, 01:31 AM Post #2 |
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I remember in the late 80's PAF in mactan conducted training for Air/Ground Opns. This was designed to improve ground troops abilities to request for air support. more specifically, it was hoped that directions like "kaliwa ng malaking manga, bandang itaas ng barangay x" would be eliminated in favor of more specific coordinates. these soldiers and officers were taken aboard hueys and t-28's to illustrate the problems with these kinds of directions. hope the situation hasnt regressed to this level. I also heard from an old soldier who had the unfortunate experience of being hit by spent casing from a fast jet on a strafing run. calling for air support is a science all by itself. it needs to be learned well. |
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| saver111 | Aug 31 2007, 01:58 PM Post #3 |
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Isn't it this kind of skills are one of those taught to special forces units since they are the ones often behind enemy lines?
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| cyklonmetal | Sep 1 2007, 03:33 AM Post #4 |
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the first classes in mactan were rangers and PC RSAF's, iirc. but eventually included officers and radio ops from infantry units since they would regularly call in air support. imo, it shouldnt just be spec ops who should learn this. everyone who may need to call on air support should know how to call them in. |
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| flipzi | Sep 1 2007, 11:30 AM Post #5 |
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That is correct. BTW, all units sent out have radiomen. How come they are faced with such problems? Is it because of the deteriorating training program provided to the radio officers? As I see it, the military is focusing too much on marksmanship and tactics but they may have forgotten that even radio officers should be trained continiously to ensure readiness and effectiveness. |
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| adroth | Sep 1 2007, 01:19 PM Post #6 |
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How did you come to this conclusion? Did you know that in other armed services, becoming a forward air controller requires specialized courses that go well beyond radio operation? Its reportedly like a separate MOS. |
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| flipzi | Sep 1 2007, 01:54 PM Post #7 |
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Because this is the first case that such incident happened. Well, maybe. In most operations before there were no Forward Air Controllers from the PAF joining the ground troops, but still their operation ran smoothly. Now, why did this failure in communication in Tipo-Tipo happen? Was there a deterioration in training? |
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| adroth | Sep 1 2007, 02:06 PM Post #8 |
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Which operations? How smoothly? Have you heard of stories of pilots complaining about being given instructions to "bomb the house beside the tree" instead of being given coordinates? This was long before Tipo-tipo (training programs reportedly came out of it) Are you saying dead radios had nothing to do with the issue? In the book, Kauswagan to the Fall of Abubakar, Col Querubin's recounted how his radios died in mid-battle. Who is to say something similar did not happen? |
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| cyklonmetal | Sep 1 2007, 04:34 PM Post #9 |
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this actually is not the first time PAF deployed officers to act as FAC's. in the early 70's Basa boys were sent out with the infantry units to provide accurate target coordinates for the fast jets. most, if not all were combat rated line pilots.
lets hope not... |
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| flipzi | Sep 1 2007, 04:54 PM Post #10 |
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Then in considering Adroth's perception, it's more of a device malfunction than skills training, though some say it was really a miscommunication or so. Ok. Let's all hope that it isn't really a deterioration in training but a mere device failure. Probably, the Tipo-Tipo incident will remind the military not to ignore that concern. |
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