22nd Fighter Squadron
Gangnung, Korea
July 30, 2002
In the combat debut of the F22 we have been extremely successful in bringing down enemy airplanes. Thus far we have been credited with 59 kill without loss. Currently the F15 holds the record for kill to loss ratio but if this war continues at its current pace we will eclipse that record in short order. The F22 is scheduled to replace the F15 Eagle which should be phased out following this war. Built with stealth in mind and flying characteristics unmatched by any other airplane in the world the F22 is truly the supreme predator in the skies. The North Korean Air Force has no answer for the type and the introduction of Chinese fighters into the fray have just given us more targets. The initial North Korean assault pushed our forces back to the perimeter of Seoul were US and Republic of Korea (ROK) forces where able to hold the line and we have now started to push the North Korean Army back just a bit. With a massive influx of Chinese men and machines the lines have stabilized somewhat but we have not lost any ground with the FEBA located in about the original 38th parallel. The Northern air force has suffered immensely at the hands of allied airplanes. Their planes, although numerous, are not up to western standards and even their first line fighter are operated by pilots that have not been trained to the level of western pilots. What the North does have is a significant Intergraded Air Defense system that has proven troublesome to many of the allied strike packages. Although the bulk of their surface-to-air missiles (SAM) are the Vietnam vintage SA2s, they are so numerous that they poise a serious threat. In addition to the SAM threat the enemy has amassed a massive anti-aircraft-artillery network the likes of which have not been seen since the Vietnam War. For us in the F22 community we have several advantages over most other planes in the theater, we are the fastest, we are the stealthiest (Almost, the F117 beats us in stealth), we can turn with anyone, we can out run every other plane flying.
Our plane was built for what is being called the “air dominance role” and true to that mission our squadron has been sent has been flying exclusively air-to-air missions. Because of our stealth ability we have been tasked with mission deep into enemy territory and we have been assigned the escort role for the F117 Nighthawks, and other strike aircraft. Our mission for this morning is the escort of an RAF flight of 4 Tornado strike aircraft that are being targeted against the enemy airfield at Teabukpo-ri.
It is anticipated that the enemy will begin a major push south with the intent to retake Seoul. In furtherance of our Offensive Counter Air (OCA) campaign the RAF Tornadoes will strike the Teabukpo-ri Airstrip with a two ship of Raptors flying escort. Impact targets at the target site will be the runway, the radar and the control tower. But our mission is to protect the Tornados so that they can deliver their ordinance without harassment from enemy airplanes. The flight will consist of two elements:
Hobby2 (OCA Strike) 4 Tornado ID Destroy Runway or other facilities at the target site
Lightning6 (escort) 2 F-22A Protect package elements from enemy aircraft
The threat analysis is that there will likely be enemy aircraft operating within the operations area. Know or suspected enemy air defenses along the flight path include KS-19 anti-aircraft guns 3 nm east of T’osan.
We will depart from our home station at Gangnung and climb to angles 30 as we ingress towards the push point. At that point we will rendezvous with the strike elements and take up a covering position for the remainder of the flight. If the strikers are engaged we will remain at altitude but the Tornado will use it terrain following radar (TF) and ingress at low level. Our estimated time over target will be 05:50:
1. Takeoff 05:35:00
2. Push Point 05:46:26 Rendezvous with package
3. Escort 05:47:36 Protect package elements from enemy aircraft
4. Escort 05:48:48 Protect package elements from enemy aircraft
5. Escort 05:50:00 Protect package elements from enemy aircraft
6. Escort 05:51:09 Protect package elements from enemy aircraft
7. Split 05:55:02 Depart from Package
8. Land 06:27:04
Ordnance:
Hobby2
· 10X 27mm-2X
· 2 X AIM9M
· 2 X GBU-24/B
· 225 Liter fuel tank
Lightning6
· 4 X AIM120Bs
· 4 X AIM9Ms
Weather:
Wind: 325 deg @ 4 kts.
Temp: 19 deg C.
Clouds: Overcast @ 3,000 ft MSL base
Con Layer: 34,000 ft MSL base
Support:
Chalis1 (AWACS) 1 E-3 Sentry will be operating 21 nautical miles South of Taegu.
Rules of engagement:
We are to visually identify unknown aircraft before engaging unless authorized by AWACS.
Friendly aircraft will be operating in the area.
Emergency Procedure:
Alternate landing strip will be Mandumi airstrip, 9 nautical miles west of Dongducheon. SAR helos are available within 30 km of the FLOT.
In order to maintain the stealth characteristics of our airplane we carry all weapons in internal weapons bays and as we begin our pre-flight I am struck by the clean lines of the F22. It is a beautiful plane and it looks like it is built for speed. The pre-flight is completed without incident and we are soon in our cockpits going through internal checks. The office space of the F22 looks more like a space ship than a fighter plane. The dials and gauges that you would expect have been replaced with liquid crystal displays that relay all necessary information to the pilot. The computers handle most of the self checks and the pilot’s workload, from the initial checks through engine start, all the way until the engine shut down, has been automated to a large degree. It is my opinion that the main limitations to this airplane are the abilities of the pilot to stay ahead of the jet and to withstand the physical demands that could be placed on a pilot in high g maneuvers. At the appropriate time I prepare my jet for engine start. Following the cues of the crew chief, I apply power to the number one engine followed by number 2. Once the engines are up, the avionics systems come on line I make one more quick scan of my systems. Contacting ground control for taxi instructions I bump the throttle slightly to start some forward movement. We are the only activity on the airfield this morning so we are free to taxi without delay. My jet settles in at about 15 knots as I follow the yellow taxi line towards the main runway. Holding short of the runway I switch my radio to the control tower frequency and my number two to guard where is will stay for the bulk of the mission. Once on the tower freq, I contact the tower and request permission to takeoff.
Pulling out to the main runway I settle my jet between the numbers and look over to my left as Lightning62 taxis into position. Turning my attention back to the front I push my head back into the head rest and push the throttle to full military power. No afterburner is necessary to get this plane off the ground. The acceleration is phenomenal for a plane not expending fuel in afterburner. The speed increases rapidly and I almost blow threw the safety zone with gear down. I quickly apply back pressure and retract the gear before I do any damage. Pulling into the vertical I climb straight up, just because I canJ. At angles 20 I pull level/inverted and pick up a heading towards the second steer-point. Rolling right side up, I call for Lighting62 to close up and form in line abreast. Flying at a little over 500knots I pull the throttle back to allow my wingman to catch up. Once Lightning62 is in formation we close up and head for the rendezvous point. We continue to climb and level off at angels 30. Once at altitude and on heading we remain silent as we approach the rendezvous point. At about 10 miles from the rendezvous point we receive a call from Hobby2 that they are approaching the rally point. I respond that we will be on station in 2 minutes. From approximately 10 miles out we can see, what we believe are the contrails of our assigned flight. As we close on the second steer point we are clearly able to make a visual ID on the Tornados. We turn into position about 3000 feet ahead of them. We sprint ahead about 3 miles and maintain our altitude. We continue across the border and head to steer-point, which will serve as the pre-IP for the strikers. As we cross the border the strikers report that they are being pinged by enemy radar and that they are going to drop a few thousand feet with music on. This call brings our attention level a little higher as the ECM will be like a magnet for enemy fighters. I extend the look of my radar from 40miles to 80 miles and order Lightning62 to scan another chunk of the sky. The sky seems clear of enemy airplanes but below us we can see that the enemy has a very definite look at the strikers. Puffs of black smoke fill the air below us and we are concerned for the Tornados as they are in the midst of the flying hot mettle that we know is intermixed with the smoke below. We receive a surprisingly calm call from the lead of the strikers saying that they are going to take it down to the deck and ingress the rest of the way using TF radar. I acknowledge as I kick Lightning62 out and we sit above the battle waiting our turn to participate.
We do not have to wait long as Chalis1 calls out a pair of
bogeys heading to our area from the north at 100 60 miles. Pointing my radar in
the direction of the contacts I am finally able to get a good radar look at the
bogeys. 62 and I extend away from the strikers in the direction of the
contacts. After a few more miles of closure Chalis call them hostile and clears
us to engage. With the deadly combination of the APG** radar and the AIM120B
Amraam the bandits, now identified as
MIG23s, really have no chance. We are several thousand feet above them and
they have no idea that we are hunting them. Once the leader comes into range I
give 62 the order to attack. Before I finish my sentence an Amraam falls from
the weapons bay of 62 and starts to race toward target. One missile is enough
so I order 62 to hold his remaining weapons as I continue to track the trailer.
Because the 120Bs burn smoke less it is hard for us to gauge their track. On
the other side of that it is virtually impossible for the enemy to see and react
to the missiles. I keep my nose pointed my target and keep him locked up
waiting for my missile to go autonomous. By now we can see the contrails of
the MIGs off in the distance. They are closing in for, what they think will be,
easy kills of the Tornados. The MIGs appear to be in about 20 degree dives when
the leader blows up in an enormous fireball. The second MIG immediately pulls
up. I am not sure if this was to avoid the incoming missile or to avoid the
debris that was his leader. In any event it was too little to late. Now down
to 20,000 feet I could see the missile strike the MIG just forward of the left
intake and rip the left wing off by its root. Belching flames from the left
wing root the MIG rolled inverted and slammed into a hill just north of the
target airfield. The pilot had no time to eject.
We spiral climb as the strikers lay waste to the airfield below. We can hear the Paveway calls as the bombs are dropped in quick succession. We can see the flashes and the concussion rings as the bombs impact the target. From our altitude it is impossible to determine the effectiveness of the strike but it sure as hell looks impressive. Before we can get back to our patrol altitude Chalis calls another pair of bandits closing from the same direction as the first pair. Breaking off our climb we punch into re-heat and head towards the MIGs. Closing at just under mach1 the MIGs come into view at about 5 miles. Again they are at relatively low level and they have their fangs out thinking that they have unescorted strikers at pray. The reality is that the Tornado without bombs would be more than a match for them but an even more serious problem that they have is a pair of Raptors turning in on them without their knowledge. I order 62 to hold his weapons and snooze his radar as not to give any indication of our presence to the bandits as we close in from their 6. Bringing up the sidewinder as the active missile, I un-cage the radar and let the missile seeker head do all the work. The targeting diamond floats and bounces all over my HUD as I plug the burners back in and close to 3 miles of the trailing bandit. By this point the smoke from the Tornados attack is visible just over the hill. As I continue to close my missile head seeker fixates over the trailing MIG. I continue to close to 2.5 miles before I pickle off my first missile. I watch as my sidewinder corkscrews toward the exhaust of the trailing MIG. The missile appears to be tracking so I do not take another shot but I do release 62 to engage. 62 fires a sidewinder as my missile hits the right rear quarter of the trailer. The MIG belches out a long stream of black smoke but continues to fly. The pilot of the MIG does not eject, instead he climbs and attempts to perform a defensive scissor move…mistake. A fully functional MIG23 would have little chance against a pair of F22s but a wounded MIG has no chance. The MIG breaks high and right but from our seats we have a perfect view of 62s sidewinder matching the MIGs move and plotting an intercept course. I second later the MIG erupts in an enormous fireball. By this time the leading MIG has given up on the Tornados and is trying to make a break for home, too late for him. With 62 and I crawling up his exhaust pipe the MIG jinx back and forth as we 20mm in his flight path. The MIG breaks left and then right. I put my piper just in front and to the right of the MIG and when he breaks right he flies right through my bullet stream. I can see the sparkles down the spine of the enemy plane as my round impact. Now braking back left the MIG is belching smoke and appears to be leaking fuel. I call 62 off and pull back on the throttle. A little more separation and this bandit will make a nice snack for one of my remaining sidewinders. I watch as the MIG separates but struggles to maintain level flight. Just as I am preparing to send another sidewinder at the MIG its canopy flies into the air followed quickly by the rocket powered seat of the enemy pilot. I pull up to avoid ingesting the pilot and watch as the MIG noses dives directly into the ground below.
Calling for a picture from Chalis1, we climb back to altitude looking back at the smoking holes that used to be a flight of Floggers. By this point the Tornados are already several miles ahead of us. Although we are confident that they can defend themselves and we know that they are heading for friendly territory we would hate to lose one at this point so we sprint ahead to a good position to provide cover for them. Approaching the 7th steer-point, the Tornados thank us for our efforts and we separate for home.
Joining the traffic pattern at Gangnung we are number 3 and 4 for landing. Once I am on final I throttle back to idle and pop my breaks out. Dropping below 180knots, I drop my gear and maneuver along the center line of the runway. Coming in a little below the glide slop I add a touch of power to gain the needed altitude. I cross the threshold of the runway at 150knots and touch down gently just beyond the numbers.
Following the parking procedure we all meet in the briefing room and discuss the results of the mission. The mission was a success as the strike aircraft were able to attack and destroy both their primary and secondary targets without molestation from enemy airplanes. The icing on the cake is that Lightning62 and I were each credited with 2 Flogger kills. Another great for Falcon 4.0 mission
LTC. Arnold “Puma” Bell
Gangnung, Korea
July 30, 2002