"Marine aviation have new devices, goals"

http://www.washtimes.com/world/20060...2135-3422r.htm

Marines have new devices, goals
By David Axe
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Published February 14, 2006

AL ASAD, Iraq -- Marine Corps aviators at this sprawling air base in
western Anbar province are adapting Cold War airplanes and traditional
tactics to a new kind of warfare -- snooping for insurgents and
terrorists who hide among innocent Iraqis, and taking out pinpoint
targets in hectic urban fighting.
"It's not just about dropping bombs anymore," said 1st Lt. Kevin
Lampinen, 26, a flier with Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron
332 from Beaufort, S.C., deployed to Al Asad to support Marines and
soldiers battling insurgents in contested towns such as Ramadi and Hit.

The squadron flies 12 two-seat Hornet fighter jets that were
designed for Cold War battles against other jets and modern armies. But
in Iraq, where the enemy is often unseen and the biggest killers are
improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, many old tools and tactics don't
apply.
To keep the traditional promise of Marines aviation to support the
men on the ground, aviators have adapted. Jets designed to jam enemy
radar now are jamming the radio signals that detonate IEDs. And bombers
are trading some of their ordnance for new sensors that can spot
insurgents in crowded cities.
"Our jets came out here with an upgraded targeting pod called
Litening that is a huge step forward," said Maj. Joseph Reedy, 36, of
the 332 Squadron.
Squadron commanding officer Lt. Col. David Wilbur said the pods,
which include TV and infrared cameras and can help guide bombs, enable
crews to switch easily between looking for insurgents and attacking
them, even in poor weather.
The sophisticated pods made their combat debut on Marine Corps jets
during the 2003 invasion of Iraq and since have become standard
equipment.
"There's no reason to take off without one," said Lt. Col. Wilbert
Thomas, 42, commander of Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron
224, also from Beaufort, which served in Anbar between January and
August 2005.
Maj. Reedy describes a November mission in which he and Lt.
Lampinen, in a section of two jets, responded to calls for help from
Marines participating in "Operation Steel Curtain" -- an offensive
intended as a "kind of cleansing" of western Iraq, in the words of 332
intelligence officer Capt. Jeremy Demott, 32.
The Marines on the ground "were ... taking fire from a lot of
different directions," Maj. Reedy said. "We ended up having to go below
the weather to visually seek out these targets ... and we actually
ended up emptying our guns. I felt we really helped those guys out."
After expending all their ammunition, Maj. Reedy and Lt. Lampinen
switched on their pods to give the ground troops a big-picture view of
the battlefield.
Steel Curtain and other recent operations "have caused the
insurgency to go underground," said Capt. Demott, the intelligence
officer. This and the continued use of IEDs means quick and detailed
reconnaissance is more important than ever, and the 332 Squadron has
adopted to the need.
Four of the squadron's jets can be equipped with nose-mounted
cameras that replace the standard gun. The cameras enable analysts on
the ground such as Sgt. Elizabeth Zakar, 27, to spot IEDs and report
them to ground units. New equipment is coming out to speed up this
process.
The Marine Corps is a relatively small force compared with its
sister services, and its size means many Marines in different units
know each other personally.
"I know that's my buddy down there," said Capt. Chris Arms, 29. "So
I'm going to do everything I can, squeeze every drop of gas out of the
airplane to stay on station as long as I can. With the Marines having
Anbar province, that's our responsibility."
"It's all about supporting the ground troops," Lt. Lampinen said.