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A (for Attack) C-130 gunship is low, slow, and ever so deadly. You
use them when you own the sky. They carry a 25-mm Gatling Gun capable
of firing 1,800 rounds per minute, as well as 40-mm and 105-mm cannons
— all side-firing. Out of a crew of 13, there are five gunners
on board. The aircraft carry sensors (infrared, low-light TV, and
radar) that allow them to find, fix, track, target, and kill at
night — and in "all weather." No building, garrison,
armored vehicle, or artillery site can survive an attack from one
of these aircraft. Two AC-130s are now flying missions, reportedly
out of Oman, on a daily (nightly) basis over Afghanistan. They only
go about 300 miles per hour, but they have an un-refueled range
of 1,300 miles.
AC-130s are
routinely used to support special forces on the ground, but the
Defense Department reports that has not yet been the case. The aircraft
have been used "on their own," attacking a variety of
Taliban targets — the so-called fielded forces. It should not
be long before we see some video of their work — there is a
spectacular stream of fire when they open up, always followed by
explosions.
The AC-130s
soon may be supporting special-operations forces reported to be
aboard the Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier (that's the one we saw on
TV leaving Japanese waters with no aircraft on board). Today, the
Kitty Hawk is likely carrying a large contingent of special-forces
soldiers, Navy SEALs, attack and transport helicopters, and supporting
gear.
It has also
been reported that the U.S. has established two "engagement"
zones in Afghanistan — one near Kabul and one near Kandahar
(headquarters of the Taliban). In these kill zones, pilots can fire
at emerging military targets under fairly flexible rules of engagement,
but they likely are not free-fire zones. There are procedures for
confirming targets ("Yes, that's a tank, not a bus."),
for controlling the strikes ("Come from the north, turn to
west, watch out for other aircraft to the east."), and for
allocating resources, as when you have three aircraft and five targets.
The establishment of kill boxes is another bad sign for the Taliban
and the al Qaeda. It means that the U.S. will routinely sweep the
landscape for targets, day and night.
The U.S. is
preparing to build a sophisticated reconnaissance-strike complex
in the skies of Afghanistan that will allow it near-real-time strikes
of targets within five minutes of identification. The system will
include E-8 JSTARS aircraft with airborne radars for ground surveillance,
RC-135 Rivet Joint electronic surveillance aircraft, U-2 manned
reconnaissance, and other unmanned reconnaissance aircraft —
all contributing to finding and identifying targets.
Next, the targets
will be turned over to F-15Es, F-117s, and attack helicopters for
quick-strikes from established orbits. Press reports say that an
Air Force general will be airborne in a command aircraft so as to
command and control (direct and enable) these operations. This system,
or one similar to it, can be set up and the kinks worked out, and
the pilots can gain situational familiarity and confidence flying
over Afghanistan, all the while attacking Taliban forces. Once the
system is in place, it will be a pretty-well-oiled machine when
fast reactions are needed against al Qaeda targets.
All of this
firepower for what? For destroying the Taliban military and isolating
the al Qaeda from the Afghan peoples. Once that's achived, it will
be time to dig them out. Recall the formula General Colin Powell
used for the defeat of the Iraqis: first cut them off, then kill
them.
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