Panama 2003  

The Panamanian Communist Forces have battled hard but we are slowly gaining the upper hand.  We have taken down the forward bases and our ground forces are moving north and holding to the south.  The southern airbases are at 100 percent operations and we are receiving some harassment by the MIG-23s, MIG-21s, and MIG-29s that are based in the south.  The Floggers and Fishbeds constitute no real threat as they are just drones for our guys to practice on.  We are all fattening up our numbers on the poor bastards.  That being said, the MIG-29s have lived up to their fearsome reputation.  The Panamanian pilots are good but beyond an occasional lucky kill the have proven no match for our guys.  However, the MIG-29s are flown by their best and they have bloodied our noses just a bit.  More worrisome then the Fulcrums are the newly arrived Sukois.  They showed up in theater, much to everyone’s surprise, just a week ago and have been really wrecking havoc.  An unsuspecting flight of F-15Es was first to encounter this new, more deadly, threat.  They were  jumped last week in route to their target, in a clean configuration they would have their hands full with the SU-27s but loaded with bombs, and caught unsuspecting the Es had no chance.  Needless to say, the SAR team was busy that day.  

We have determined that the SU-27s are operating out of the furthest Northern base owned by the enemy (Captain Manuel Nino Airbase).  Today I am scheduled to lead a BARCAP mission this morning but I have been given some latitude and I will take advantage this morning.  Before breakfast I call down to the Armory and instruct them to load our planes for a different sort of mission.  I will take three Durandal runway denial bombs, a pair of HARM missile to take down the search radar, and some Rockeyes to clean up the ground threats.  Hell, maybe I can get some Flankers sitting on the ground.  I will keep my wing loaded with a pure air-to-air load out of Amraams and Sidewinders.  We will be arriving at the airfield just after 9:30am , the enemy should be in full operation by that time but, they should not be expecting us.  There is another BARCAP, Python, scheduled to take off just before our flight.  I ask for, and receive, permission to alter this flight.  I push its way points and patrol area just over our target.  This should give us a little help once the enemy rises to challenge us.  I also notice a flight of F15Cs should be in the area just prior to our arrival.  Feeling pretty confident that if any Flankers get up they will be too busy to worry about us, I go over to have a quick bite before the flight.

I will push our flight out over the Caribbean Sea.  Our original flight path was set for a straight in suicidal approach.  Out over the water we can get low and stay low.  Further, we will be coming in from the east, where they should not be looking for us.  

Following breakfast Cpt. Smith and I discuss the upcoming mission.  I will be loaded down for ground attack as previously described so it is incumbent on Smitty to keep me alive, at least from any enemy airplanes that the other flights might miss.  During the briefing we discuss the rules of engagement regarding the attack of targets, the hard deck, which for this flight will be the ground, the engagement of enemy aircraft; we discuss alternate landing strips, and SAR procedures.  Pretty simple mission really, we head down to the flight line and complete our pre-flight checks.  Both planes check out OK and we climb aboard to proceed with the startup procedure.  

Pre-start

·        Parking brake set

·        Anti-collision light on

·        Master Fuel on

·        Fuel pumps set to normal

·        Fuel readout switch to normal

·        EPU switch normal

·        Air source normal

·        Avionics all off

·        Sensors off

·        Main power off

o       Batt: check lights

o       FLCS relay on

Engine start

·        Throttle set to idle

·        JFS start 2

·        RPM check increasing

·        Throttle advance when RPM passes 20%

·        Idle detent toggle

·        RPM check increasing above 25%

·        Throttle back to idle

·        JFS switch off with RPM at 50%

·        RPM 55% Main generator online 

After engine start

·        D/link power on

·        GPS on

·        UFC/DED on

·        MFD on

·        SMS on

·        Left/right hard points on

·        FCC on

·        FCR on

·        RALT on

·        HUD on

·        ADI-WI-AoA reset

Engine Check

I sit for a few minutes as the engine spools up.  It is impossible to describe the feeling of power that comes from sitting on a running rocket.  I stage my radios and prepare to depart on the mission.

"Fury51 to ground, request permission to taxi to the active runway”  “Fury51 clear to taxi hold short runway 16R contact air traffic control for takeoff instructions.”  With that I bump the throttle forward.  Dumping a bit of fuel into the engine my viper lurches forward.  I pick up the taxi line and pull out of my parking position.  Canopy up I move at a brisk pace but not so brisk that I do not have time to go over my intel and maps one more time.  I continue to move forward, bringing my canopy down and locking it into place.  We fall in line sandwiched between a pair of BARCAPs flights, one that should cover our attack.   

We continue down the taxi way stopping periodically to keep our distance from the flight in front of us.  I watch as Python rolls onto the active runway.  I switch over to the tower frequency to receive take off instructions.  Looking forward and watch as the exhaust fairing from Python11 and 12 burn bright orange.  Python hurtles down the runway in full burner both planes leave the ground simultaneously.  I just watch and enjoy the front row seat.  As the planes clear the runway, they peel off to the left, vortices swirling from their wing tips.  The only thing more beautiful than a Viper taking to the air is a pair of Vipers taking flight.  Back to the business at hand, “Fury51 Howard tower, you are cleared for take off runway 16R, winds are out of the west at 12 knots, it 27 degrees Celsius, good day sir” With that I steer out onto the runway.   I line up along the center line and scan my instruments one more time.  Fury52 enters the runway just behind me.  Pushing the throttle to full open I release the brake and accelerate rapidly down the runway.  My head is pushed back into the headrest; I keep an eye on the airspeed tape that is scrolling by quickly, in just a matter of seconds I am through 150 knots.  I start to apply gentle back pressure at 160 knots and my plane lifts into the air a few moments later.   Continuing my climb I retract the landing gear before initiating a left turn out to sea.  “Fury52 airborne” is the call from my wingman.  I call on him to close formation which he does.  In a tight echelon right formation we go level at 3000 and head out to sea.

We continue on our course but we are a little behind schedule so I punch up the speed a little bit to make up some time.  This mission puts at the end of our fuel range and we have no external tanks and no tankers in play, for this reason I stay off the burners.  I have confidence that the BARCAP boys will do their job but I want to save some burner fuel just in case.  Keeping our radios quiet we hear nothing of the BARCAP missions.  Well, no news is good news, I think as we approach the third steer-point.  Crossing the third steer point I drop the flight down to 300 feet.  As we dive down to the waves the RWR lights up with indications that SU-27s are pinging us.

“Damn” I think as AWACS calls out the enemy.  My radar is showing two groups of two.  I target the closest group and give the order to attack.  I then quickly lock up the leader of the second group.  “Fox one medium” Fury52 calls just as I pickle off my first Amraam. I watch as my missile tracks but always with an eye on the airfield.  Once my missile goes active I quickly switch to air-to-ground.  I pull up my HARMs and lock on the search radar at Cpt. Manuel Nino airfield.  “Swoosh” the missile flashes past my canopy illuminating the cockpit.  I lock onto another radar source and fire off my second missile.  The smoke trails arch high into the sky and burn out as the missiles bend earthward and hone in on their targets.  “Fox one” Fury52 calls, confident that Fury52 has the enemy air occupied; I make the Durandals the active weapon and close on the runway.  I am a little surprised at the lack of enemy anti-aircraft fire but no time to worry about it, my death dot crosses the threshold of the runway I pickle off my bombs one at a time.  Getting a little trigger happy, I drop a rockeye cluster monition by mistake…oops. Well I am sure it will do nothing to the runway but what the hell it might keeps the bad guys heads down while I make my escape.  I look back at the two charred holes right down the center of the runway.  I am satisfied that the mission is accomplished.  Coming off the runway I fly out a few miles and turn right.  I see puffs of smoke and wonder if any of those puffs represent Fury52.  I call for him to check which he does.  Heading back out to sea   I will be crossing over the airfield on my way out.  Probably not a good idea but I have two more bombs so I go to full military power and close on the main hanger of the airfield.  Again using manual release, I pickle my bombs off perfectly…one on either side of the hanger.  “I can’t freaking believe it” I don’t think, I could have done that if I had tried.  My bombs sparkle on the ground one in front and one behind, completely missing the hanger.  “Well hopefully I got a loader or something” I sigh in the intercom.  “Fury52 close up lets get the hell out of here” I call as I head out to sea,  now the enemy has decided to put up a flack barrage but my HARMs must of really hurt them as they are not well directed and seem to be firing blindly.

 

Fury52 joins me just as I go feet wet.  Staying low we fly out to sea leaving a cratered runway and some Flanker wreckage behind.   The rest of the flight is uneventful and we land at Howard with the minimum of fuel.   Back in the briefing room we find that the airfield is now operating at 78%.  Damn, I go over the imagery and see that the runway is not cratered.   Hmmm, it sure looked cratered when we left.  I guess the Panamanians have some super repair mechanisms.  Wait, before I give to much credit to the Panamanian engineers, a look at my debrief shows that I missed with all my Durandals.  I guess I dropped them to low...OK now I am pissed.  I configure a four ship of F15Es to revisit the airfield.  At the end of that mission the airfield was at 0% operations.

 

Puma - Out

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