Axe wrote a very interesting story on the A-10 at Green Flag that recently occurred at JRTC, FT. Polk, La.
He buried the lead though. Read the entire thing but check this part out...
The March 9 to 26 exercise pitted Army units and the supporting Air Force squadrons against JRTC’s highly-trained Opfor. Firing lasers instead of live rounds, the two sides battled on the ground and in the air. Opfor uses Lakota helicopters painted to represent Russian-style gunships.SOCOM is big enough to handle the unconventional warfare role worldwide solo. Time for the conventional force to swing back to dealing with the conventional threat. It'll take about 4 years of hardwork to reorient the force to fighting the conventional fight....tons of rotations through JRTC, NTC and Steel Knight (or whatever the USMC is calling it these days) but it can be done.
The Opposing Force quickly gained the advantage. “The Army got it handed to them,” Waring said. “No other way to put it.” Opfor “killed” the entire Army force twice, forcing it to “regenerate”—like getting extra lives in a video game.
This is a wakeup call.
I hope HQ Army and HQMC are listening.
Sidenote: One other thing I find interesting but can't know the details of till I can get my hands on the order of battle for this exercise, but did the OPFOR use or imitate fast attack aircraft? Something like the SU-25? The OPFOR Lakota's point to a glaring weakness. The belief that we will have air superiority. Even if the USAF, USN and USMC win the deep fight, if the enemy can gain even local air superiority over our forces then we're screwed...and we still don't have viable, mobile anti-air systems that can keep up with our armored formations.
AH-64 crews should probably start training for some extremely low level aerial combat against enemy helos. If nothing else the Apaches could find themselves pulling the UAV fly-swatter mission.
ReplyDeletei don't think that will be enough. the Army Apache's use stinger missiles. they're short ranged and the Mi-24/35 have a speed advantage AND a reach advantage with their organic weapons. additionally we're not even talking about the KA-52 which according to old info on it was designed with an anti-air mission in mind against our attack helicopters.
Deletebut the bigger problem to me is this.
you're taking another air support asset and retasking it to air defense. what happens to your unit in contact when one of your heavy hitters is fighting simply to stay alive and not provide support?
When you have to use Javelins to fend off OPFOR helos, then what happens when you run low and need to use them on enemy tanks or IFVs?
ReplyDeletePerhaps Army might learn they need to take anti-air more seriously.
Exactly. The U.S military has been fighting beneath uncontested air space for so long they've forgotten how to operate a conventional Air Land Battle. It's the same with all the stock people seem to be putting in UAV's these days, not realizing that they are largely useless against an enemy with even modest air defence's.
Deletegood points gents.
Deletei wonder how a Stryker Brigade will be affected when the OPFOR can swat their UAVs out of the sky with anti-air weapons and then sends SU-25's, MI-28's and KA-52's after their armored formations.
i wonder how these units would operate against a modern day Russian force being modeled at JRTC.
Add AIM-9X to the Apache armament ( at the wingtip, instead of four stingers ) and everything should be fine .
ReplyDeleteExamlpe early graphic.
img.wp.scn.ru/camms/ar/70/pics/3_23.jpg
The good thing about the Apache was that it was designed with growth capabilty in mind, unlike the Tiger attack helicopter.
yeah but even your graphic says that the upgrade was to Stinger missiles. for the Army the Sidewinder would be a step back. a necessary step in my opinion but i wonder how Army Air would react to that.
Deletei wonder if Army Air is even studying air to air helicopter action.
Well, i supose they choose the Stinger because of comonnality with the Avenger and Bradley Linebacker.
DeleteBut the important thing is that the Apache can handle larger and heavier air to air missiles, i bet they could integrate even a MICA-IR .
As for AIM-9X its not a step back, for example the AA-11 ( R-73 ) missile has been integrated in the KA-52 , i suppose if there is a URGENT NEED they can even figure out some kind of booster for the AIM-9X being used from helicopters to extend the missiles range.
They put a R-73 on a Kamov ?......thats news to me. Choppers firing AESA head missiles.....wow.
DeleteGetting it handed to you is indeed a wake-up call and is intended to be a cathartic experience for the unit under evaluation. I would expect an OPFOR/Aggressor/ADFOR to do its best to demonstrate the flaws in the BLUEFOR performance, and emphasize proper tactics and corrective measures.
ReplyDeleteAxe synopsized an Air Force puff piece on the Idaho ANG Green Flag experience written by MSgt Becky Vanshur, USAF. Lt. Col. Waring's quotes were meant for consumption by an Air Force audience. In other words-the Army was getting it handed to them, and the Air Force came in and saved the day. We should investigate the BCT CDR's assessment of the exercise as well. It might be somewhat different perspective. The story is written to further the narrative that the Army can't succeed without the A-10, and that platform needs to be retained.
I don't know of any fixed wings at JRTC that represent Frogfoots, but I haven't worked with them in a while. The Save The Warthog campaign has been valiant, but, in Sailor speak, I believe that ship has sailed, or will in the next decade. The Army would do well to consider how it is going to provide organic CCA, air defense, and leverage whatever Joint fires are available.
well you touched on something that i'd love to see. the US Army getting proactive and inviting a few Super Hornet squadrons to participate at JRTC.
Deletethey want to make a move to the Pacific right? well if thats the case then they need to get used to working with Navy and Marine Air and naval guns.