Low level, long range, undetected penetration into denied areas, Day or night, in adverse weather, For infiltration, ex-filtration and resupply of special operation forces. As a former pavelow guy it is awesome to see this story covered.
You have to kick down an enemy’s front door somehow, and in the case of Operation Desert Storm, a novel use of AH-64A Apache and MH-53J Special Operations Pave Low helicopters did just that for their fast-flying fighter jet comrades. The top-secret mission was dubbed Task Force Normandy, and it occurred 25 years ago today.
The thought that a critical portion of Iraq’s elaborate radar “fence” was blinded by helicopters seems strange in this day and age of stealthy standoff weaponry. But 25 years ago today, the choices for kicking open a hole in Iraq’s radar defenses weren’t so plentiful. The fact that these sites were located in the vast featureless desert along the border of Saudi Arabia and Iraq made the task even more challenging.
Originally, it was briefed to General Schwarzkopf, the larger-than-life four-star General that would head the war, that special forces would be deployed to the radar sites and take them out the old fashioned way by raiding them. Another plan had these operators laser-designate the sites for attack aircraft to strike. The General rejected these plans due to the inherent risk of ground forces being compromised by unforeseen factors.
Cruise missiles could have done the job, but nobody would have had eyes on the targets to make sure they were totally destroyed. It would have been disastrous if one of the sites were thought to have been destroyed, just for it to go back online while the skies were full of approaching coalition aircraft.
Instead, less traditional tactics would be required, ones where the strike force could make sure the radar sites were left in rubble. This new plan would be among the most tightly guarded secrets of the pre-war planning evolution.
At the time, there were few Global Positioning System units available in the field, and far fewer integrated into an aircraft’s navigational suite. The pinpoint navigation needed to find two Iraqi radar stations, located about 70 miles apart, without having the benefit of major landmarks or daylight, and all by surprise, left war planners to tap an unlikely team of helicopter crews to get the job done.
By the time planning…
“on a steel horse we rode.” Pavelow Leads!