The List 6122 TGB
Good Tuesday Morning June 7
I hope that your week has started well.
A long read but there is no test at the end
Regards,
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On This Day in Naval and Marine Corps History
June 7
1898
During the Spanish-American War, USS Marblehead (C 11), along with auxiliary cruisers USS Yankee and USS St. Louis, engage the Spanish gunboat Sandoval and the shore batteries at Guantanamo, Cuba for 2 1/2 hours.
1917
During World War I, U.S. submarine chasers arrive at Corfu, Greece, for anti-submarine patrols.
1942
Just after dawn, USS Yorktown (CV 5) sinks after being torpedoed the previous day by Japanese submarine (I 168).
1944
The construction of artificial harbors and sheltered anchorages, also known as Mulberries, begins off the Normandy coast.
1944
USS Mingo (SS 261) torpedoes and sinks Japanese destroyer Tamanami, 150 miles west-southwest of Manila while USS Skate (SS 305) attacks a Japanese convoy in the southern Sea of Okhotsk and sinks destroyer Usugumo, 160 miles north of Etorofu, Kuril Islands. Additionally, USS Sunfish (SS 281) attacks Japanese fishing boats en route from Matsuwa to Uruppu, Kuril Islands, shelling and sinking No.105 Hokuyo Maru, No.5 Kannon Maru, Ebisu Maru, and Kinei Maru while USS Flasher (SS 249) sinks Japanese transport No.2 Koto Maru off Cape Varella, French Indochina. Lastly, USS Bonefish (SS 223) shells and sinks Japanese guardboat Ryuei Maru at the mouth of Tarakan Harbor, Borneo.
1945
During the Okinawa Campaign, while serving with the Third Marine Battalion, Twenty-Ninth Marines, Sixth Marine Division, Pvt. Robert M. McTureous's company suffers casualties after capturing a hill on Oroku Peninsula, and the wounded can't be evacuated due to heavy Japanese fire. Waging a one-man assault to redirect enemy fire away from the wounded, McTureous attacks numerous times and suffers severe wounds in the process. He crawls 200 yards back to safety before asking for aid. His actions confuse the enemy and enable his company to complete its mission. He dies on June 11 on board USS Relief. For his "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity" on this occasion, McTureous is posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
1987 USS Antietam (CG 54) is commissioned at Baltimore, Md. The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser is named after the 1862 Battle of Antietam in Baltimore during the Civil War. The cruisers first homeport is Long Beach, Calif.
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Today in History June 7
1498 Christopher Columbus leaves on his third voyage of exploration.
1546 The Peace of Ardes ends the war between France and England.
1654 Louis XIV is crowned king of France.
1712 The Pennsylvania Assembly bans the importation of slaves.
1767 Daniel Boone sights present-day Kentucky.
1775 The United Colonies change their name to the United States.
1863 Mexico City is captured by French troops.
1900 The Boxer rebels cut the rail links between Peking and Tientsin in China.
1903 Professor Pierre Curie reveals the discovery of Polonium.
1914 The first vessel passes through the Panama Canal.
1932 Over 7,000 war veterans march on Washington, D.C., demanding their bonus pay for service in World War I.
1942 The Japanese invade Attu and Kiska in the Aleutian Islands.
1968 In Operation Swift Saber, U.S. Marines sweep an area 10 miles northwest of Da Nang in South Vietnam.
1981 Israeli F-16 fighter-bombers destroy Iraq's only nuclear reactor.
1994 The Organization of African Unity formally admits South Africa as its fifty-third member.
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Very cool….
Thanks to Dr. Rich
Darkstar and the Skunk Works ...
"Mayday ... Mayday ... low on fuel, permission to land"??
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear … Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post
… For The List for Tuesday, 7 June 2022… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED (1965-1968)… From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 7 June 1967… A look back to the heroics of CDR Paul Speer and his F-8 Crusader pilots in May 1967…
This following work accounts for every fixed wing loss of the Vietnam War and you can use it to read more about the losses in The Bear's Daily account. Even better it allows you to add your updated information to the work to update for history…skip
Vietnam Air Losses
Access Chris Hobson and Dave Lovelady's work at: https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com.
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Thanks to Robert
We all should heed this warning.
There is little in the news about battery fires because the media and many politicians want batteries to be the most perfect product you can buy, nothing could be farther from the truth. Once in a while you see a small article on house fires caused by batteries from charging scooters to cell phones but nothing compared to the amount of issues that are happening. The best practice is not charging anything overnight and if you must do so to fit your schedule, charge in an area where there is nothing combustible. Watch the cell phone in this short video.
Lithium-Ion Battery Fires Are Burning Down More Homes Than Ever | Watch (msn.com)
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Thanks to Brett
Geopolitical Futures:
Keeping the future in focus
Daily Memo: Struggling to Find the Exit From War
By: George Friedman
June 7, 2022
French President Emmanuel Macron said last week that an off-ramp must be found for Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine. This is not a novel idea. Negotiators know what they must have and what they must leave on the table for the other party. That's the way it is done when passionate hatred doesn't reign. Consider your friends' divorce negotiations. The goal of each party was many times not to find a reasonable exit but rather to inflict as much pain as possible on the other one. A skillful lawyer might find an exit ramp and convince them to take it. But war can be more bitter than the angriest divorce. Taking the exit ramp can be seen as a betrayal of the dead. Ukrainians will point to their dead and be appalled by providing Putin with a gracious exit. Russia's problem is even graver. In order to exit regardless of the ramp, they will be conceding that the invasion of Ukraine was a mistake. Sometimes it is easier to move beyond the dead than it is to admit error.
Any peace agreement founders on Putin's miscalculation. He launched the war expecting Ukraine to be incapable of waging war, believing that NATO and Europe would refuse to form a united front, and miscalculating the economic power the United States might muster against Russia or the massive amount of weapons it was prepared to provide.
This can be seen in the initial deployment of Russian armor. One force attacked from Belarus toward Kyiv. Another came out of Crimea moving toward Odesa, and another was moving into the Donbas in the east. The Russians were moving to seize the entire country in a single coordinated attack. There appears to be little thought given to resistance. Before the war began, the United Kingdom sent Ukraine Javelin anti-tank missiles, precisely the right weapon to blunt the Russian attack. The Ukrainians used them well and formed forces to resist what Russian infantry was supporting the tanks.
In Putin's assumptions, there was a fundamental geopolitical error. The attack was on Ukraine, and it was assumed by observers that his entire intent was to take Ukraine. Putin's mistake was not putting himself in the place of the Europeans and Americans, in not viewing the battlefield through their eyes – a rookie error.
The Europeans in particular had to ask this question: What happens after Ukraine? If the Russians enveloped and controlled Ukraine, what would they do next? The Russians had spoken of the threat posed by NATO. That was their justification for the invasion of Ukraine. But taking Ukraine did not solve the NATO problem. Rather, it brought the Russians to the border of NATO from the Baltic to the Black Sea. Russia's intent was unclear. Russia's potential threat was clearer. Russia might not intend a move against NATO on its new western border, but it was altogether possible that military success in Ukraine would give them the opportunity and confidence to strike directly against Russia's stated enemy, NATO. Had Moscow swept Ukraine with the first armored strike, Russia would be seen as a great power, one that had to be placated, not resisted.
I don't know what went through the minds of NATO and national planners, but the idea that Putin would stop at Ukraine and Belarus' border was not self-evident. In any case, most of Europe and the United States acted as if preventing Russia's occupation of Ukraine was essential to their own national defense. Substantial cost was spent to weaken Russia militarily and economically. If Putin's enemy was NATO, these actions were essential.
So far, the actions have worked. Russia is fighting in eastern Ukraine, far away from the borders of NATO. The war is less about European grand strategy than about showing that Russia is capable of achieving a regional victory, and then forcing Ukraine into accepting a peace that Russia can claim as victory, at least domestically. The war is now very much about Putin's judgment and expertise. It was said that Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev was ousted because of hare-brained scheming. The post-communist regime justified itself by competence rather than ideology. Russia was to be a technocracy claiming expertise. Ukraine can certainly be regarded – thus far – as a hare-brained scheme to the extreme. Putin overestimated his military, underestimated his enemy and failed to grasp how identifying NATO as an enemy would provoke a massive response. He should have seen all of these things. He didn't.
He has spoken of using missiles against Ukraine. Air-launched explosives have been used since World War II, and though they have had a significant effect in wars such as Vietnam, they didn't end either conflict. In war, the enemy's territory must be seized and held. Putin's talk of missiles will not substitute for substandard ground combat.
Putin cannot accept peace while he appears to be incompetent, whether because of mounting opposition or his place in history. Macron's off-ramp for Putin is an illusion. He has no off-ramp that doesn't lead to an abyss. He cannot reach a peace agreement until he demonstrates – convincingly and not by his assertion – that his initial failures have been recovered. He must not only cripple the Ukrainian army but also seize a significant part of Ukraine. And he must do this in a way that eliminates the economic warfare he faces. It is not impossible that he has a massive reserve unknown to Western intelligence and will move with it. But if that reserve exists then he would surely have hurled it into battle before now. Perhaps the Europeans will opt out, but the German vote on rearmament doesn't indicate a major move to the exits.
It should be remembered that war is filled with shifts. The Ukrainian forces have been engaged in intense combat on many fronts. Their troops clearly have greater morale than Russian troops, and morale, as Napoleon noted, is a key dimension of war. Months of intense conflict involving a significant portion of Ukrainian troops can break morale. But fighting for the homeland, fighting on the defensive and fighting with superior American weapons have thus far made the Ukrainian army more effective and perhaps less exhausted than the Russians. The Ukrainian weak point is that the United States in particular could halt weapons flows or ease the economic war on Russia. A peace negotiation is now an option for Ukraine. In this case, it would be essential. But the United States now needs Ukraine buffering Russia from Europe and is unlikely to shift strategy at this point.
The geopolitical point is that Russia has failed to take Ukraine or split NATO. The political fact is that Putin has failed. He cannot achieve his strategic goals. He has welded NATO into a solid force it hasn't been for a long time. More important, he has governed as the final authority on all things. The last is the bog he is caught in. He may blame others, but his country will blame him. That means that unlike the harshest divorce, he cannot concede without destroying himself. He will continue to fight. He has no one to answer to unless the regime evolves. There can be peace only if it is understood by Putin that in due course he will enter history.
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Thanks to the Bear and others. Interesting read
Fwd: Are the days of dogfights over? An in-depth air combat analysis - Sandboxx
Dutch…. Good question… good discussion… Comments of Steve Dascal, long career in Defense Intel, on top of great essay with reader comments… Reminds of same debate in OP-05 and throughout Naval Air in the post-Vietnam through our tours in OP-05…
Bear
Begin forwarded message:
From: Steve
Thanks for sharing, Bear.
I copy-and-pasted the article and the better half of the blog comments, and appended some fairly lengthy **comments of my own. I also added my **Comments to the tail of the blog.
Steve Daskal
Are the Days of Dogfights Over—An In-depth Air Combat Analysis
Thanks to Bear for sharing this solid article. I have a few additional thoughts to share on this subject.
** BLUF: My primary concern is that our stealthy New Age F-35s cannot carry enough missiles without compromising their already limited stealth that keeps them from getting hosed before they even can engage [and our AMRAAMs don't have the range of the latest Sino-Russian AAMs], and that massed numbers of 2nd/3rd rate operational reserve fighters could simply absorb the limited number of missiles a limited number of Lightning IIs could bring to the fight, and leave enough surviving to kill the F-35s which would lack both the speed and the agility to disengage AND a gun with which to fight back.
** It is unwise to assume that dogfights are extremely unlikely or impossible. While sensors and missiles are far more capable and reliable than they were a half century ago, they still aren't foolproof.
>> As one blogger responded, Hollings doesn't take Rules of Engagement into account. If the RoE for a particular mission environment requires positive visual ID before engaging a "bogey," it would be mighty hard to guarantee the engagement wouldn't involve hard maneuvering within visual range and line-of-sight engagement with cannon. This is especially true in situations where allies/friends/protectorates/neutrals could be flying aircraft very similar to the hostiles. LOTS of air forces these days have F-16s, Su-27 [& variants], MiGs, various Mirages [& variants], etc.
>> The author and a blogger pointed out, from different perspectives, that American fighters will probably be fighting significantly outnumbered in a conflict with a peer adversary like the PRC or Russia near or over their own territory and thousands of miles from ours. Worse, neither the PRC or Russia has an imminent threat of a "two-front war," while America does against these two peer powers that are, in geopolitical terms, standing back to back against America and its "little buddies." In such many-v-few engagements, our stealthy aircraft will either need to compromise their stealth to carry enough weapons [and then be too easily detected and engaged at BVR range], or will be weapons-constrained to be able to defeat a quantitatively superior enemy. Both Russia and China have large inventories of obsolescent Cold War era jets that while no match one-on-one against an F-35 or even an F-16, can overwhelm the more sophisticated American aircraft the way a wolf pack can sometimes wear down and eventually kill a large male herbivore or even a bear.
>> If the US/allied/friendly forces are flying F/A-18s, and especially F-35s, the enemy's PREFERRED tactic, especially if their planes are somewhat stealthy, might be to force the fight into a close-in battle — because frankly, the Su-27, MiG-29, and F-16 are all considerably more agile in a "dogfight." The SuperHornet and Lightning II are both strike fighters, not air superiority fighters — all-axis agility was not a top priority in their design, while a lot of emphasis was given to effectiveness in air-to-surface operations, not air-to-air. Conversely, forces flying F-35s would do well to maximize their advantages in stealth and sensors by engaging at maximum range with BVR, radar-guided weapons. The catch to doing so is that Russia and China both have long-range AAMs that outrange America's AIM-120 AMRAAM, and have advanced IRSTs that could give them the ability to engage even the somewhat stealthier Lightnings before the latter can get within launch range.
>> If claims made in unclassified articles can be relied upon, the Russians and Chinese have maintained R&D and fielding of steadily improving electromagnetic spectrum dominance systems, including countermeasures against our aircraft and missile radars and counter-countermeasures to overwhelm our jammers and decoys. If there is any truth to these reports, US/allied aircraft may be forced to rely upon on "pilot-eyeball-on-target" and gun or missile engagement within visual range in a high-g maneuvering fight. Even if the adversaries' EW systems are no better than ours, if both sides are putting out a lot of jamming, neither side's radar-guided BVR weapons may work at anything near their nominal maximum range.
** American defense leadership seems to be leaning, once again, towards a stealthy long-range, large/diversified payload fighter-interceptor that would rely on its superior sensors and battlespace awareness/battle management capabilities plus superior air-to-air missiles and/or UCAV "AI Wingmen" to do any necessary close-in, high-g maneuvering. DoD and USAF appear to be putting their money where their mouths are — the FY23 budget calls for beginning retirement of the already inadequate F-22 fleet while still keeping plenty of older, far less capable, but far cheaper to operate and maintain F-16s in the inventory and counting on the F-35 for the near-to-mid term. This appears to be the same direction naval aviation and our British allies are going… and opposite to the direction the PLA(AF) and Russian air forces are going.
** A different but related issue is the extent to which strike aircraft, especially manned strike aircraft like F-35s, can rely largely upon moderately stealthy signatures and good EW equipment. Hollings notes that plenty of strike fighters needed to employ aggressive high-g maneuvering to complement jamming and decoys against SAMs.
—SteveD
Are the days of dogfights over? An in-depth air combat analysis
Alex Hollings | SandBoxx.us | May 22, 2022
With at least two next-generation fighter programs now drawing funds from Pentagon coffers, there's one looming question dominating the airspace over internet forums, the world's military installations and advanced aviation research facilities alike: are dogfights really dead?
The most recent air-to-air kill scored by an American aircraft came in 2017, when a U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet shot down a Syrian-flagged Su-22 as it bombed American-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in the Raqqa province of Syria. The interaction wasn't much of a dogfight, but it was the first air-to-air engagement carried out by an American fighter since Operation Allied Force over Kosovo in 1999. But the last time American aircraft truly found themselves in some serious mid-air scraps was in 1991, over Iraq. With more than three decades now separating today's aviators from America's last dogfights and stealth increasingly becoming the norm, it's no wonder the Defense Department seems to be leaning away from the idea that air-to-air combat in close quarters should be a priority.
There's no denying that technological trends back that growing sentiment. But this isn't the first time the United States has questioned the future of air combat, and as many aviation buffs and historians will tell you, assuming dogfights were dead because of the introduction of new technologies didn't pan out quite like America would have hoped the last time we found ourselves having this debate. (For a deeper analysis into what really went wrong in the dogfights over Vietnam War, make sure to read our full analysis of it here — because it's more complicated than something as simple as a lack of guns.)
It's hard to deny the fact that, after more than two decades of conducting counter-terror operations around the world, the vast majority of America's aviators and even senior leaders at this point have spent the entirety of their careers operating in uncontested airspace against adversaries with few or no air assets to put up a fight. It seems logical, then, to question whether or not the collective experiences of operations over Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and elsewhere could potentially be skewing the perspective of today's prevailing wisdom.
The truth is, "are dogfights dead?" is a simple question with a complicated answer. But as we explore this question, it's important to note that, while many within America's defense apparatus seem to believe air combat has become a sniper's game rather than a boxer's, my own experiences with pilots have made it clear to me that training for air combat is still a very serious matter within America's fixed-wing communities.
American fighter pilots train to win fights of all sorts, but it does seem true that within fighter pilot culture, Aviator sunglasses are still in, but dogfights are clearly out.
The prevailing wisdom of today suggests dogfights are a thing of the past
A number of senior defense officials seem to agree with those pilots, with some even hinting at the idea that America's next air superiority fighter may have more in common with the B-21 Raider than the F-22 Raptor.
Air dominance, as the Congressional Research Service has pointed out, doesn't have to look like it has in the past in order to be effective. A heavy aircraft that can dominate the skies against aerobatic opponents through things like support drones and directed energy weapons could theoretically prove just as effective as a fleet of highly maneuverable fighters at owning any given airspace. As Gen. Herbert "Hawk" Carlisle, former commander of America's Air Combat Command, argued in 2017, substantial weapons capacity, fuel range, and low observability to radar may all be more important than dogfighting performance when it comes to securing air supremacy in the decades to come.
In other words, the Pentagon seems to be leaning away from the idea that close-in dogfights will decide the fate of the skies in the 21st century. Instead, the focus seems to be on ensuring air superiority platforms have "first-shot opportunity," or the ability to spot and fire upon an enemy aircraft before said aircraft is aware of the threat.
In that regard, the F-22 Raptor's combination of high performance and stealth capabilities could be seen not as a sign of things to come, but rather as the bridge between modern data-focused air combat and the olden days, when dogfights were decided by things like turn radius, power-to-weight ratios, and a pilot's ability to maneuver his or her aircraft.
With advanced fighters like the F-35 finding homes in hangars across at least 15 nations and both Russia and China touting their own 5th generation entries' ability to detect and engage opponents under a cloak of low observability, technological trends are clearly moving toward longer-range engagements. And although things like Basic Fighter Maneuvers (BFM) and Advanced Fighter Maneuvers (both focused on air-to-air combat) are still a common part of the fighter pilot syllabus, you'll often hear pilots touting these training exercises not as the development of important combat skills, but rather as a good way to learn the capabilities—and limits—of their aircraft.
American fighter pilots train for dogfights but use tactics aimed at avoiding them
The debate about the future of dogfighting was prominently featured in discussions about the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter back in 2015, when David Axe at War is Boring published the details of a report he obtained outlining how the F-35 performed poorly in mock dogfights against the 1970s-era F-16 Fighting Falcon. It wasn't until later that we learned the F-35 competing in these drills lacked radar absorbing materials, elements of the F-35's targeting systems, and was flying with software limitations meant to prevent the pilot from placing stress on the airframe.
But even when dismissing the fact that the F-35 was fighting with one hand digitally tied behind its back, many took greater umbrage at the fact that exercise itself didn't really reflect how a dogfight would really go in the modern era.
"The whole concept of dogfighting is so misunderstood and taken out of context," explained Lt. Col. David "Chip" Berke in 2017. "There is some idea that when we talk about dogfighting it's one airplane's ability to get another airplane's 6 and shoot it with a gun … That hasn't happened with American planes in maybe 40 years."
Berke knows what he's talking about. At the time (and perhaps still today), Berke was the only Marine pilot to have hours logged in both the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the Air Force's reigning king of the skies F-22 Raptor, but that's not all. A graduate of Navy Fighter Weapons School (commonly known as Top Gun), Berke has more than 2,800 hours logged across both American stealth fighters, the F-16 Fighting Falcon, and the F/A-18 Super Hornet. In the arena of air combat, Colonel Berke is a subject matter expert.
In a 2017 interview with Business Insider, Berke explained that the very premise of close-quarters dogfights runs counter to how modern aviators are trained to engage the enemy, and for good reason. The F-35 offers pilots greater situational awareness at long ranges than any tactical aircraft in history, and while the F-22's sensor suite isn't quite as impressive, the dynamic aircraft is still touted by the Air Force as capable of providing that coveted "first-kill opportunity against threats."
In other words, the F-22 may be capable of scrapping in close quarters with the best of them, but the safer and more logical approach to a fight would still be to keep its distance and play to its long-range advantage.
"Just because I knew I could outmaneuver an enemy, my objective wouldn't be to get in a turning fight and kill him," Berke explained.
That sentiment can be heard echoed in discussions made by other fighter pilots as well. In the minds of some of America's combat aviators, aircraft like the F-22, with its thrust-vectoring aerobatics and M61A2 20-millimeter cannon, are little more than technologically advanced relics flying in the modern age; a dinosaur in an Apple watch.
"The Raptor is about as cool as it gets, and it is the greatest air superiority fighter the world has ever seen, but like the F-15C that it was originally designed to replace it is an airplane without a real mission in modern conflict," Air Force F-16 pilot Rick Scheff famously claimed in an online discussion.
"When was the last time an American fighter killed another fighter in an air-to-air engagement? Go look it up, I'll wait."
To be clear, the idea that stealth trumps speed or maneuverability is nothing new. After all, prior to the introduction of the F-117 Nighthawk, America's approach to making aircraft survivable in contested airspace could effectively be summed up with the simple phrase, "higher and faster." Aircraft like the U-2 spy plane and SR-71 Blackbird were designed to defeat enemy attacks through little more than oxygen-depriving altitude, brute force speed, or a combination of the two. But once stealth platforms started joining the fight, defeating radar became more in vogue than outrunning the enemy's increasingly capable surface-to-air missiles.
Learning the right (and wrong) lessons from the Gulf War
The massive and intricate ballet of combat aircraft leveraged in 1991's Gulf War air campaign seemed to substantiate this shift. Throughout the brief conflict, the United States lost five F-16 Fighting Falcons, two F-15 Eagles, two F/A-18 Hornets, one F-14 Tomcat, and one F-4G Wild Weasel. The Hornets, being the slowest of the bunch, were rated for speeds as high as Mach 1.7.
The F-117 Nighthawk, on the other hand, took on the most dangerous air operations of the conflict, flying unaccompanied into Bagdhad, which was arguably the most heavily defended city on earth at the time, under cover of darkness with no means of engaging air defense systems or enemy fighters… and didn't lose a single airframe despite waltzing around enemy airspace at a leisurely 600 miles per hour.
It is important to note, however, that the Nighthawk flew far fewer sorties than America's collective 4th generation fighters—and against Iraq's thorough air defenses, American fighter pilots were overwhelmingly successful at avoiding being shot down, even when up against seemingly insurmountable odds.
But there's no denying that the war above Iraq in 1991 proved the efficacy of stealth technology in modern air warfare and substantiated the shift away from prioritizing high-speed and brain-mashing G-loads in combat aircraft. Six years after Desert Storm, the first F-22 took flight, and the United States hasn't even considered developing a fighter without intrinsic stealth capabilities since.
But there are other lessons to be gleaned from Desert Storm's air campaign that tend to go under-discussed in our modern era of uncontested air dominance. Particularly, the chaos that ensues when two nations with sizeable air forces go to war.
In a complex combat environment, with hundreds (if not thousands) of air assets operating within a contested region, the favored American tactics of avoiding dogfights and engaging from longer distances will likely become untenable. Technological limitations, human error, mission requirements, and rules of engagement can all force intercepts to occur in closer quarters than a pilot might prefer, as retired F-14 Radar Intercept Officer and successful YouTuber Ward Carrol explained to me in a conversation we had about stealth last year.
"I'm going to submit that dogfighting is not dead, because if you've ever been in a major exercise, not to mention, an air-to-air war like Desert Storm, then you know that, in the heat of battle, there's confusion, there's all kinds of chaos, and ultimately a bandit is going to sneak through and you'll find yourself basically engaged one-on-one with the bad guys in an old school kind of way," Carroll explained.
You can see exactly what Carroll means in this Desert Storm breakdown from The Operations Room, as Coalition aircraft found themselves squaring off against what could honestly be characterized as a fairly limited fighter response from the Iraqi Air Force despite an overwhelming advantage.
In a fight between air powers, dogfights will be unavoidable
Despite the fact that the Iraqi Air Force largely opted not to engage coalition forces, instead hightailing it across the border to Iran where they would be safe from prowling American and allied fighters, there were still numerous instances of Iraqi aircraft bringing the fight into close quarters, by merit of confusion if nothing else.
All told, the U.S.-led coalition brought more than 2,780 fixed-wing aircraft to bear over the Persian Gulf during the month-long air campaign, flying more than 100,000 sorties and delivering more than 88,500 tons of ordnance to targets across the region.
The Iraqi Air Force was seemingly no slouch at the time, with 40 squadrons fielding a total of some 700 combat aircraft, but importantly, only around 55 of them were modern Mig-25 and Mig-29s capable of leveraging the sort of air-to-air missiles they'd need to stand and swing with American fighters. The US, on the other hand, had nearly 150 Eagles and Strike Eagles, 212 Fighting Falcons, 109 Tomcats, and 167 Hornets in the fight alone, not to mention those of its coalition allies. But despite this massive numbers advantage, or perhaps even because of the volume of aircraft in play, Air Combat Maneuvering, or good old fashioned dogfights, still took place in the early days of the fight.
According to an analysis compiled by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments called, "Trends in air-to-air combat: Implications for future air superiority," out of 33 separate engagements of fixed-wing aircraft during Desert Storm, 13 still occurred within visual range, despite Coalition Airborne Warning And Control aircraft (AWACS) identifying enemy fighters at a range of 70 nautical miles on average. The Iraqi forces, on the other hand, had no command and control aircraft in the sky—meaning that despite the Coalition having a clear advantage in terms of both situational awareness and beyond-visual-range weapons, nearly 40% of air engagements still closed to within-visual-range before they ended.
Of those 13 engagements that took place within visual range, four required the pilots to execute Air Combat Maneuvering (ACM) (or a dogfight) in order to engage their targets.
So, in a situation where friendly fighter aircraft armed with modern air-to-air missiles outnumbered similarly equipped enemy fighters by a ratio of more than 11:1, where friendly AWACS were providing situational awareness of enemy aircraft and the opposition had no such benefit, slightly more than 12% of engagements still resulted in dogfights. In situations when where friendly and enemy aircraft found themselves within visual range, it came down to a dogfight about a third of the time.
"I get F-35 guys who are like, 'you just don't get modern battles anymore.' No, I think I do. I think you're not remembering the lessons of serious roll your sleeves up, get your nose bloodied warfare," Carroll explained.
In a near-peer conflict, the US would not have the same numerical or technological advantages that it had in Desert Storm
Of course, today's F-35s and F-22s would operate very differently than many of the air combat missions carried out during Desert Storm, but it still bears considering: how would these figures have looked if Iraq had fielded a similarly sized and technologically capable air force? It stands to reason that hundreds of more well-equipped Iraqi fighters would have likely resulted in many more within-visual-range engagements, and as such, a much higher volume of dogfights as well.
It's important to clarify here, however, that these engagements that required Advanced Combat Maneuvers still didn't play out quite like the tight-turning gun runs of the Vietnam War, nor were they close-quarters slugfests like you'll see depicted in Top Gun.
Dogfights have changed dramatically over the decades of air warfare and are sure to continue to change. In some regards, Desert Storm's data can be used to substantiate both sides of the "dogfights are dead" claim, depending on your definition of the term. After all, during Desert Storm, the only aircraft to score air-to-air kills with guns was the A-10 Thunderbolt II (both against helicopters). In fact, American fighters didn't score a single guns kill in the conflict, and one F-15E actually even managed to down an airborne helicopter by lobbing a 2,000-pound laser-guided bomb at it.
America's reigning air superiority champ at the time (and arguably to this day) was the single-seat F-15C Eagle, which scored a whopping 34 of the Air Force's 37 kills during the conflict, many of which came thanks to the AIM-7 Sparrow's beyond-visual-range reach, however. In fact, according to a RAND Corporation analysis, the AIM-7 was responsible for a whopping two-thirds of all coalition air kills throughout the conflict.
So if there's any lesson we can objectively glean from analyzing Desert Storm's combat, it's that dogfights may not be dead, but they are certainly changing.
Non-stealth fighters aren't going anywhere for a long time to come
The argument about whether or not dogfights are a thing of the past tends to center around modern 5th generation fighters, thanks to their combination of data-fusing situational awareness and low observability. There's certainly value in that assertion, but the truth is, the vast majority of fighters in the sky today still come from the non-stealthy 4th generation, and that's not going to change any time soon. The Air Force's latest batch of F-15EX fighters, slated to replace aging F-15Cs and Ds, are rated for a whopping 20,000-hour service life—more than three times that of any F-35.
Observations of the air warfare over Ukraine amid Russia's ongoing and troubled invasion further emphasize the point that 21st-century warfare cannot yet be divested from 20th-century hardware. Today, the United States has fewer than 150 combat-coded F-22 Raptors and has taken delivery on some 300 F-35s. That's the largest and most potent cadre of stealth fighters on the planet, but even combined, that figure falls well short of the more than 1,300 F-16s currently sitting in Air Force hangars.
Using service tallies of various iterations of the F-15, F-16, and F/A-18, the United States currently has nearly 2,200 4th generation fighters on the books, making America's stealth fighter fleets only about 20% of America's overall fighter arsenal.
Compare that with the world's second-largest national air force, Russia's, which boasts just 12 hand-built prototype stealth fighters and a meager two production versions of their Su-57 Felon out of an estimated 1,511 combat aircraft. China's Air Force ranks third in the world in terms of size, but boasts the second-largest stealth fleet at likely better than 150 Chengdu J-20s. However, of China's other 1,800 fighter aircraft, only about 800 of those are 4th generation jets, with the remainder of its fleet dating back even further.
This suggests that a large-scale conflict between global powers taking place any time within the coming decades would likely involve far more air engagements between 4th generation fighters dating back to the latter half of the 20th century than stealth fighters of any sort. And while stealth jets would have a distinct advantage in beyond-visual-range scraps with that sort of competition, they could sometimes find themselves operating at a disadvantage when the chaos of combat puts them within visual range of older, but faster and more nimble fighters.
Related: How much stealth can you add to a 4th generation fighter?
Stealth doesn't work against bullets: Dogfights in a near-peer conflict will be messy
Aircraft like the F-35 may be unmatched when it comes to engaging the bad guy from long distances, but in a large-scale fight with literally thousands of aircraft operating in the same airspace, it could quickly become impossible to keep your distance.
China's ancient fleet of J-7s, which are little more than a Chinese-licensed MiG-21 design that dates back to the 1960s, may be fossils compared to the F-35. But with room to store just four weapons internally and two out of three variants not equipped with a cannon, even an F-35 could find itself hoping to bug out against the older jet, despite having a superior thrust-to-weight ratio.
That's not to argue that the J-7 is going to beat an F-35 in a one-on-one duel—of course not. Rather, the point is that in an aircraft-saturated combat environment, dated but capable fighters can still cause a great deal of trouble for more advanced jets, even when doing so seems like an affront to practical wisdom.
"Stealth doesn't work against bullets," Carroll said. "We have multi-axis missiles now where I can shoot you behind my three-nine line [behind my aircraft]. Okay, but once you Winchester, meaning run out of those weapons, and you're now in the visual arena, then none of your [stealth] defensives are working. And now you have an airplane that can barely go supersonic. So, welcome to getting shot down."
The truth is, today, dogfights are a thing of the past, thanks in no small part to the period of relative stability the globe has enjoyed in the decades since the close of World War II. While there have indeed been conflicts that saw aircraft engaging enemy fighters during this time, there hasn't been a real fight between globe-spanning forces since the fall of the Axis Powers.
But with tensions once again simmering to a boil between national competitors on the world's stage, dogfights are likely only as dead as the large-scale conflicts that bring them about. With enough fighters in the air, there will inevitably be scraps between small groups of them.
The only real way to keep dogfights in the grave, is to keep wars between global powers in the hole with them.
Alex Hollings is a writer, dad, and Marine veteran who specializes in foreign policy and defense technology analysis. He holds a master's degree in Communications from Southern New Hampshire University, as well as a bachelor's degree in Corporate and Organizational Communications from Framingham State University.
Reader Interactions / Comments
Fatback says
June 6, 2022 at 5:20 pm
No one discussed ROE which all too often early in conflicts demands visual ID of the target before engagement. A great comfort to the REMFs, but unworkable when the adversary doesn't play by the same stupid rules. Even if both sides play this silly game the result is a within visual range dogfight.
Geoffrey W McCarthy says
June 5, 2022 at 6:07 pm
An academic analysis of engagements in Vietnam calculated that at least 100 more kills would have been scored if the F4 had an internal gun. And, the kill ratio F-4 to mig 21 it was no better than one to one. The only aircraft that had a three to one cool ratio was the Navy F8 crusader.
Schuyler McCorkle says
June 5, 2022 at 12:04 pm
Dogfights will continue to happen in any future conflict with China. While our missiles are good the real question is more about the numbers. An enemy with numerical equivalence, or superiority would be able to sacrifice more aircraft to our missiles in order to deplete our stockpile. If the enemy can disrupt our logistics train then we could conceivably run out of missiles that are forward based before they can be restocked. This creates a serious choice, whether to send our combat crews up with guns only.
We can no longer assume we will have missiles available to fight with.
Bob Nagele says
May 30, 2022 at 12:29 am
My question is "What happens when BOTH sides have stealth aircraft? And your radar can't see him at range any better than his radar can see you. And your radar guided missiles won't track on his aircraft any better than his will track on yours. What happens then? Seems to me that we'll have within visual range battles again.
Diamondoid says
May 23, 2022 at 8:05 pm
At least since after WWI, the classic dogfight has always been usually been the option of last resort. If you read biographies of the leading aces of World War II – especially the Germans with 100+ kills – the won by being snipers, sneaking up on targets that lacked situational awareness, or sometimes by rapidly passing through or hanging around on the edge of a dogfight and picking off individuals. Dogfights happened, of course, but they weren't ideal.
These days? Well it's really nice to know martial arts so if you have to, you can kill the guy if you're out of ammo and he gets close (the dogfight with the gun) but really, it's better to shoot him at a distance (Sidewinder) and even safer to snipe him before he sees you (stealth fighter with BVR missile…)
In Vietnam the USAF and Navy relied on missiles that were not yet mature, especially Sparrow, which was crap at time. The Navy then went on to learn the lessons and do Top Gun, emphasizing dogfighting to make proper use of Sidewinder (less so the gun, which was a secondary weapon for them.) The USAF with the Fighter Weapons school learned from Top Gun and relearned dogfighting, emphasizing guns again and making sure the Eagle and F-16 had an integral one and were dogfighters supreme, but they also put a lot of work into getting beyond-visual range Sparrow to work properly through better maintenance.
However, by the early 80s the development of true all-aspect versions of Sidewinder and other IRHM, and later in the 2000s of helmet-cued versions meant that it's no longer necessary to do a rear attack down the tailpipe. Furthermore, the newest IRH missiles are also far more maneuverability. This means that dogfighting in the classic sense is a lot less important – you need maneuverability to dodge but not so much to attack. And AMRAAM, far more reliable and easy to use than Sparrow, means that it's much easier to get a BVR shot and kill your foe before he comes into dogfight range. And Meteor, perhaps even more so….
There have been very, very few engagements between aircraft where BOTH sides were armed were all-aspect IR homers and active-seeker BVR missiles along with flight crews with decent levels of training. Those where one side had them have been very one sided.
Edmund says
May 23, 2022 at 2:39 pm
While the days of the Dogfight with guns may not the wave of the future, I'd think they still need guns. The absence of a gun changes the dynamic of the engagement. First, air interdiction becomes tricky if you have to pull up alongside an adversary. Not a great line for a shot.
And after unloading all of one's missiles, not a great feeling to be totally unarmed having to scoot. That reality, depending on the numbers, may make one less likely to unleash the last couple of shots and therefore diminish effectiveness.
Maybe when coupled with things like Boeing's Wingman where they'd have other options, but there's a complex reality of how this might affect the decision-making process.
TrustbutVerify says
May 23, 2022 at 9:52 am
To build on what Dan said above…you also have to be able to see your target on radar to engage. Those older, pre-4th gen and even 4th gen aircraft won't know the F-22 or F-35 is even THERE to engage them. Then there is the element of going Winchester…and you are going to do that whether it is missiles alone or have a gun. Bullets run out too.
I think it is more the psychological effect of the F-22 and F-35. The "near peer" will have sold its pilots a line on how to fight. Then they get a substantial portion of their air wing knocked out without ever seeing or detecting any opposing aircraft. Then more missiles come in a second volley – still with no targets on radar or a vector to reach them. Then they get hit by Kratos drones carrying missiles slaved to the F-35s. How do pilots react to that? Then they DO get hits on their radar – maneuverable legacy 4th gen fighters vectored into their 3/9 by the F-35s launching missiles. It is going to be a bad day.
Dan Goodwin says
May 23, 2022 at 7:54 am
It's a good analysis. Researched from some giants in the fighter world. "Chip" Berke has to be the definitive expert and you'd have to have some pretty extensive experience and street cred to not listen to a guy who's flown pretty much every US fighter in the modern inventory and helped craft much of our 5th Gen / 4th Gen coordination tactics. What I think is missing from your analysis is defining "dogfight." Ward Carroll is correct in that stealth doesn't protect from bullets. It also doesn't protect from high off-boresight ("HOBS") IR missiles. The days of protracted engagements trying to gain a 3/9 advantage and enter a rear 1/4 weapons engagement zone are gone. If you assume the Raptor has every advantage (stealth, thrust-to-weight, manueverability, visibility, etc.), the F-22 pilot STILL avoids the merge like the plague. It's just too risky, because the bandit you didn't see is usually the one that gets you post-merge. And with missiles that can turn 90 degrees on a dime and lock-on after launch, an extended turning fight is just a bad idea. So, better defined, I think smart pilots WILL say that 'dogfights' are dead in the Battle of Britain sense. Going to the merge and having short, quick visual engagements will not go away in a complex, uncertain air battle where eventually even the best plans break down. The goal should, I think, always be to stay out of that visual arena if you have the situational awareness to do so.
On Jun 6, 2022, at 6:16 PM, Jerry Taylor <beartaylor@comcast.net> wrote:
Steve…
Great essay… with the all-aspect Sidewinder, I leaned to eliminating the 20mm guns on Navy Fighters and using the space and weight tradeoff for other capabilities or more fuel… Circa 1990 Navy fighter guys were unanimous in their loyalty to, and insistence on, guns.
Bear
Begin forwarded message:
From: Jerry Taylor <beartaylor@comcast.net>
Date: June 6, 2022 at 3:59:09 PM MDT
To: Iftach Spector <iftachspector@gmail.com>
Cc: Richard Schaffert <brownbearlead@gmail.com>
Subject: Are the days of dogfights over? An in-depth air combat analysis - Sandboxx
General… Great article for a quiet evening of reading, thinking and reflection while knocking down the better part of a bottle of your favorite Merlot. Good timing, too. This week 55-years ago you and your compatriots were dogfighting and destroying several hundred Arab aircraft while losing only ten… incredible performance!!… All the very best, Bear
Post script: Will there be an English version of your most recent book comparing Israeli and American fighter ops/training in the Vietnam War/Six-day War era?…
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This Day in U S Military History…….June 7
1942 – The Battle of Midway–one of the most decisive U.S. victories in its war against Japan–comes to an end. In the four-day sea and air battle, the outnumbered U.S. Pacific Fleet succeeded in destroying four Japanese aircraft carriers with the loss of only one of its own, the Yorktown, thus reversing the tide against the previously invincible Japanese navy. In six months of offensives, the Japanese had triumphed in lands throughout the Pacific, including Malaysia, Singapore, the Dutch East Indies, the Philippines, and numerous island groups. The United States, however, was a growing threat, and Japanese Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto sought to destroy the U.S. Pacific Fleet before it was large enough to outmatch his own. A thousand miles northwest of Honolulu, the strategic island of Midway became the focus of his scheme to smash U.S. resistance to Japan's imperial designs. Yamamoto's plan consisted of a feint toward Alaska followed by an invasion of Midway by a Japanese strike force. When the U.S. Pacific Fleet arrived at Midway to respond to the invasion, it would be destroyed by the superior Japanese fleet waiting unseen to the west. If successful, the plan would eliminate the U.S. Pacific Fleet and provide a forward outpost from which the Japanese could eliminate any future American threat in the Central Pacific. Unfortunately for the Japanese, U.S. intelligence broke the Japanese naval code, and the Americans anticipated the surprise attack. Three heavy aircraft carriers of the U.S. Pacific Fleet were mustered to challenge the four heavy Japanese carriers steaming toward Midway. In early June, U.S. command correctly recognized a Japanese movement against Alaska's Aleutian Islands as a diversionary tactic and kept its forces massed around Midway. On June 3, the Japanese occupation force was spotted steaming toward the island, and B-17 Flying Fortresses were sent out from Midway to bomb the strike force but failed to inflict damage. Early in the morning on June 4, a PBY Catalina flying boat torpedoed a Japanese tanker transport, striking the first blow of the Battle of Midway. Later that morning, an advance Japanese squadron numbering more than 100 bombers and Zero fighters took off from the Japanese carriers to bomb Midway. Twenty-six Wildcat fighters were sent up to intercept the Japanese force and suffered heavy losses in their heroic defense of Midway's air base. Soon after, bombers and torpedo planes based on Midway took off to attack the Japanese carriers but failed to inflict serious damage. The first phase of the battle was over by 7:00 a.m. In the meantime, 200 miles to the northeast, two U.S. attack fleets caught the Japanese force entirely by surprise. Beginning around 9:30 a.m., torpedo bombers from the three U.S. carriers descended on the Japanese carriers. Although nearly wiped out, they drew off enemy fighters, and U.S. dive bombers penetrated, catching the Japanese carriers while their decks were cluttered with aircraft and fuel. The dive-bombers quickly destroyed three of the heavy Japanese carriers and one heavy cruiser. The only Japanese carrier that initially escaped destruction, the Hiryu, loosed all its aircraft against the American task force and managed to seriously damage the U.S. carrier Yorktown, forcing its abandonment. At about 5:00 p.m., dive-bombers from the U.S. carrier Enterprise returned the favor, mortally damaging the Hiryu. It was scuttled the next morning. Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto still had numerous warships at his command, but without his carriers and aircraft he was forced to abandon his Midway invasion plans and begin a westward retreat. On June 5, a U.S. task force pursued his fleet, but bad weather saved it from further destruction. On June 6, the skies cleared, and U.S. aircraft resumed their assault, sinking a cruiser and damaging several other warships. After the planes returned to their carriers, the Americans broke off from the pursuit. Meanwhile, a Japanese submarine torpedoed and fatally wounded the Yorktown, which was in the process of being salvaged. It finally rolled over and sank at dawn on June 7, bringing an end to the battle. At the Battle of Midway, Japan lost four carriers, a cruiser, and 292 aircraft, and suffered 2,500 casualties. The U.S. lost the Yorktown, the destroyer USS Hammann, 145 aircraft, and suffered 307 casualties. Japan's losses in the hobbled its naval might–bringing Japanese and American sea power to approximate parity–and marked the turning point in the Pacific theater of World War II. In August 1942, the great U.S. counteroffensive began at Guadalcanal and did not cease until Japan's surrender three years later.
1942 – Japanese soldiers occupy the American islands of Attu and Kiska, in the Aleutian Islands off Alaska, as the Axis power continues to expand its defensive perimeter. Having been defeated at the battle of Midway–stopped by the United States from even landing on the Midway Islands–the Japanese nevertheless proved successful in their invasion of the Aleutians, which had been American territory since purchased from Russia in 1867. Killing 25 American troops upon landing in Attu, the Japanese proceeded to relocate and intern the inhabitants, as well as those at Kiska. America would finally invade and recapture the Aleutians one year later-killing most of the 2,300 Japanese troops defending it–in three weeks of fighting.
1943 – The worst of the L.A. Zoot Suit Riot violence occurs as soldiers, sailors, and marines from as far away as San Diego travel to Los Angeles to join in the fighting. Taxi drivers offer free rides to servicemen and civilians to the riot areas. Approximately 5,000 civilians and military men gather downtown. The riot spreads into the predominantly African American section of Watts.
1944 – Elements of US 5th Army capture Bacciano and Civitavecchia. The port facilities are serviceable. Elements of British 8th Army advance as well. Subiaco is taken. The South African 6th Armored Division captures Civita Castellana and advances to Orvieto.
1944 – On Biak Island, elements of US 41st Division capture Mokmer Airfield. Japanese resistance continues.
1945 – On Luzon forces from US 1st Corps take Bambang and move northeast toward the Cagayan Valley. Other units are moving around the coast from the northwest to the north of the island.
1945 – On Okinawa, in the Oroku peninsula, Japanese forces hold attacks by the US 6th Marine Division while the US 1st Marine Division advances southward and isolates the peninsula defenders. The US 24th Corps is engaged in artillery bombardments.
1945 – All German citizens in the zone occupied by the western Allies are ordered to watch films of Belsen and Buchenwald — former Nazi concentration camps.
1962 – Joseph A. Walker, NASA civilian test pilot, took the X-15 to 31,580 meters.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
DOODY, PATRICK
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company E., 164th New York Infantry. Place and date: At Cold Harbor, Va., 7 June 1864. Entered service at: New York, N.Y. Birth: Ireland. Date of issue: 13 December 1893. Citation: After making a successful personal reconnaissance, he gallantly led the skirmishers in a night attack, charging the enemy, and thus enabling the pioneers to put up works.
*McTUREOUS, ROBERT MILLER, JR.
Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 26 March 1924, Altoona, Fla. Accredited to: Florida. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty, while serving with the 3d Battalion, 29th Marines, 6th Marine Division, during action against enemy Japanese forces on Okinawa in the Ryukyu Chain, 7 June 1945. Alert and ready for any hostile counteraction following his company's seizure of an important hill objective, Pvt. McTureous was quick to observe the plight of company stretcher bearers who were suddenly assailed by slashing machinegun fire as they attempted to evacuate wounded at the rear of the newly won position. Determined to prevent further casualties, he quickly filled his jacket with hand grenades and charged the enemy-occupied caves from which the concentrated barrage was emanating. Coolly disregarding all personal danger as he waged his furious 1-man assault, he smashed grenades into the cave entrances, thereby diverting the heaviest fire from the stretcher bearers to his own person and, resolutely returning to his own lines under a blanketing hail of rifle and machinegun fire to replenish his supply of grenades, dauntlessly continued his systematic reduction of Japanese strength until he himself sustained serious wounds after silencing a large number of the hostile guns. Aware of his own critical condition and unwilling to further endanger the lives of his comrades, he stoically crawled a distance of 200 yards to a sheltered position within friendly lines before calling for aid. By his fearless initiative and bold tactics, Pvt. McTureous had succeeded in neutralizing the enemy fire, killing 6 Japanese troops and effectively disorganizing the remainder of the savagely defending garrison. His outstanding valor and heroic spirit of self-sacrifice during a critical stage of operations reflect the highest credit upon himself and the U.S. Naval Service.
*HANSON, JACK G.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company F, 31st Infantry Regiment. Place and date: Near Pachi-dong, Korea, 7 June 1951. Entered service at: Galveston, Tex. Born: 18 September 1930, Escaptawpa, Miss. G.O. No.: 15, 1 February 1952. Citation: Pfc. Hanson, a machine gunner with the 1st Platoon, Company F, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty in action against an armed enemy of the United Nations. The company, in defensive positions on two strategic hills separated by a wide saddle, was ruthlessly attacked at approximately 0300 hours, the brunt of which centered on the approach to the divide within range of Pfc. Hanson's machine gun. In the initial phase of the action, 4 riflemen were wounded and evacuated and the numerically superior enemy, advancing under cover of darkness, infiltrated and posed an imminent threat to the security of the command post and weapons platoon. Upon orders to move to key terrain above and to the right of Pfc. Hanson's position, he voluntarily remained to provide protective fire for the withdrawal. Subsequent to the retiring elements fighting a rearguard action to the new location, it was learned that Pfc. Hanson's assistant gunner and 3 riflemen had been wounded and had crawled to safety, and that he was maintaining a lone-man defense. After the 1st Platoon reorganized, counterattacked, and resecured its original positions at approximately 0530 hours, Pfc. Hanson's body was found lying in front of his emplacement, his machine gun ammunition expended, his empty pistol in his right hand, and a machete with blood on the blade in his left hand, and approximately 22 enemy dead lay in the wake of his action. Pfc. Hanson's consummate valor, inspirational conduct, and willing self-sacrifice enabled the company to contain the enemy and regain the commanding ground, and reflect lasting glory on himself and the noble traditions of the military service.
*McDONALD, PHILL G.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company A, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry, 4th Infantry Division. place and date: Near Kontum City, Republic of Vietnam, 7 June 1968. Entered service at: Beckley, W . Va. Born: 13 September 1941. Avondale, W. Va. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Pfc. McDonald distinguished himself while serving as a team leader with the 1st platoon of Company A. While on a combat mission his platoon came under heavy barrage of automatic weapons fire from a well concealed company-size enemy force. Volunteering to escort 2 wounded comrades to an evacuation point, Pfc. McDonald crawled through intense fire to destroy with a grenade an enemy automatic weapon threatening the safety of the evacuation. Returning to his platoon, he again volunteered to provide covering fire for the maneuver of the platoon from its exposed position. Realizing the threat he posed, enemy gunners concentrated their fire on Pfc. McDonald's position, seriously wounding him. Despite his painful wounds, Pfc. McDonald recovered the weapon of a wounded machine gunner to provide accurate covering fire for the gunner's evacuation. When other soldiers were pinned down by a heavy volume of fire from a hostile machine gun to his front, Pfc. McDonald crawled toward the enemy position to destroy it with grenades. He was mortally wounded in this intrepid action. Pfc. McDonald's gallantry at the risk of his life which resulted in the saving of the lives of his comrades, is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
*MURRAY, ROBERT C.
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company B, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry, 196th Infantry Brigade, 23d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near the village of Hiep Duc, Republic of Vietnam, 7 June 1970. Entered service at: New York, N.Y. Born: 10 December 1946, Bronx, N.Y. Citation: S/Sgt. Murray distinguished himself while serving as a squad leader with Company B. S/Sgt. Murray's squad was searching for an enemy mortar that had been threatening friendly positions when a member of the squad tripped an enemy grenade rigged as a booby trap. Realizing that he had activated the enemy booby trap, the soldier shouted for everybody to take cover. Instantly assessing the danger to the men of his squad, S/Sgt. Murray unhesitatingly and with complete disregard for his own safety, threw himself on the grenade absorbing the full and fatal impact of the explosion. By his gallant action and self sacrifice, he prevented the death or injury of the other members of his squad. S/Sgt. Murray's extraordinary courage and gallantry, at the cost of his life above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for June 7, 2021 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
7 June
1908: The first aviation column in an American newspaper began in the Sunday Philadelphia Inquirer. John Trevor Curtis, managing editor, wrote the column. (24)
1911: Lt John P. Kelly, Medical Reserve Corps, the first air medical officer, assigned to Signal Corps Aviation Field at College Park. (24)
1912: With Lt Thomas DeWitt Milling flying a Wright B, Capt Charles DeForest Chandler became the first person to fire a machine gun from an airplane in the US. Colonel Isaac N. Lewis designed the ground-type gun for mounting on aircraft. (4) (12)
1923: US Navy pilots at San Diego, Calif., continued their assault on the record books with eight new world marks for Class C seaplanes as follows: Lt Earl B. Brix used a DT-2 to set an altitude record of 10,850 feet for planes carrying 250-kilograms; Lt Robert L. Fuller used an F-5L to set an altitude record of 8,438 feet for planes carrying 500-kilograms; Ensign Edward E. Dolecek used an F-5L to set an altitude record of 7,979 feet for planes with 1,000-kilograms; Lt Cecil F. Harper used a DT-2 to set the altitude record of 13,898 feet for planes with no payload; Lt Henry T. Stanley used an F-5L, with a 1,500-kilogram load, to set the duration mark at 2 hours, 18 minutes, and an altitude record of 5,682 feet; and Lt Herman E. Halland used an F-5L with a 2,000-kilogram load to set a duration record of 51 minutes and an altitude record of 4,885 feet. (25)
1932: At the request of the Guernsey County sheriff, 2Lt Karl E. Bushong (Ohio National Guard), flying a Douglas O-38, dropped 25 tear gas bombs on a group of protestors near a mine and sprayed machine gun fire on an adjacent hillside to scare them away. The protestors, mostly angry women who had been stoning working miners during a coal strike, dispersed. (32)
1944: Operation OVERLORD. Transport aircraft dropped 356 tons of supplies to Allied forces. (18)
1951: KOREAN WAR. Through 10 June, B-26 and B-29 aircraft made radar-directed area attacks against the Iron Triangle at night, raining 500-pound bombs set to explode over the heads of the enemy troops. These operations were in preparation for UN ground forces' assaults. (28)
1952: KOREAN WAR/Operation HIGHTIDE. In an air refueling test, 35 F-84 Thunderjets took off from Japan, refueled from KB-29Ms over Korea, and attacked targets in the north. The 31st Fighter-Escort Wing from Misawa AB, Japan, finished the air refueling test on 31 August 1952. (28)
1958: SECDEF Donald A. Quarles approved the construction of the first Titan I squadrons. (6) At Francis E. Warren AFB, construction of the 706 SMW's Atlas launch and support facilities began. (6)
1966: The first successful launch of an Orbiting Geophysical Laboratory took place when OGO III went into orbit to perform 21 experiments, a record number for a US scientific spacecraft. Ryan's XV-8A "Fleep" arrived at Edwards AFB for testing of its suitability as a flying jeep. (3)
1976: FIRST TEAM SPIRIT EXERCISE. Through 24 June, this joint/combined field-training event took place in Korea to exercise, test, and evaluate the Korean Tactical Air Control System. (16) (26)
1989: A C-5 set a world record by airdropping four Sheridan armed reconnaissance vehicles, weighing 42,000 pounds each, and 73 fully combat-equipped paratroopers. The total weight reached 190,346 pounds. (18)
1993: Operation CONTINUE HOPE. The USAF deployed AC-130 Spectre gunships to Somalia to suppress local warlords. The operation started on 5 May to provide a safe environment for the distribution of humanitarian supplies and to begin nation building in the wartorn country. A month later, armed conflict erupted between UN and Somali forces. (16) (23)
2002: A Predator UAV launched a mini-UAV while in flight over Edwards AFB. This was the first time that an operational UAV carried and launched another UAV. The Predator carried the mini-UAV, a 57-pound Navy Flight Inserted Detector Expendable for Reconnaissance (FINDER), on a wing pylon and released it at 10,000 feet. Following launch, the mini-UAV conducted a 25-minute preprogrammed mission before landing on the dry lakebed. (3)
2004: OPEN SKIES TREATY. A Russian TU-154 observation aircraft landed at Travis AFB, marking the first Russian Open Skies mission over the US. The Open Skies Treaty, which became effective on 1 January 2002, permitted unarmed aerial observation flights over the territories of the 30 participating nations. (22)
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World News for 7 June thanks to military periscope
USA—Keel Laid For District Of Columbia SSBN General Dynamics Electric Boat | 06/07/2022 General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) has laid the keel for the first boat in a new class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), reports the shipbuilder. On Saturday, GDEB held the keel-laying ceremony for the District of Columbia (SSBN-826) at its facility in Quonset Point, R.I. Twelve Columbia-class subs will replace 14 Ohio-class SSBNs, which are scheduled to begin retiring in 2027. Measuring 560 feet (170 m) long and displacing 20,810 tons, the new SSBNs will be the largest submarines ever built by the U.S., the shipbuilder said. Each sub will carry 16 ballistic missiles as well as Mk 48 heavyweight torpedoes. The decision to name the lead submarine District of Columbia was to eliminate any confusion with the Los Angeles-class attack submarine Columbia (SSN-771), which honors cities in South Carolina, Missouri and Illinois, the Pentagon said in a release.
USA—Marine Innovation Unit Set Up In N.Y. Marine Corps Times | 06/07/2022 The U.S. Marine Corps has established a new innovation unit with a headquarters in New York state, reports the Marine Corps Times. The service is the first to set up such an innovation command in the state, according to Col. Matthew Swindle, the head of the Marine Innovation Unit (MIU). The headquarters is in Newburgh, home of the Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 452 (VMGR-452), 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, which operates KC-130T/KC-130J transports and aerial refuelers out of Stewart Air National Guard Base. The goal is to take advantage of reservists with skills in important high-tech fields and link the Corps with industry, academia, special operations program managers, Army Futures Command and government research centers that work on military and other problems of interest. The MIU will also work with the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab to identify issues, gaps and critical solutions needed by the service. The unit expects to have 125 personnel by the end of September, with a further 140 slots opening at the beginning of fiscal 2023 in October. Plans call for a total of 380 billets by the end of fiscal 2024.
Russia—Another General Reportedly Killed In Ukraine The Moscow Times | 06/07/2022 A senior Russian officer has been killed in fighting in Ukraine, reports the Moscow Times, citing state-owned media. On Sunday, Alexander Sladkov, a correspondent for Russian state media, said that Gen. Roman Kutuzov had been killed in combat in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. The general commanded the 1st Army Corps of the Russian-backed separatist government in Donetsk, according to Ukrainian officials. The officials said Kutuzov had ordered his troops to attack a settlement in the Donetsk region and was forced to lead the assault. Russian media has reported on the deaths of three generals since Moscow launched its unprovoked invasion in February. The Ukrainian General Staff has claimed that at least 12 Russian generals have been killed.
Belarus—Another Round Of Combat Readiness Drills Underway Tass | 06/07/2022 The Belarusian military has kicked off a new round of combat readiness exercises, reports Russian state-owned Tass news agency. The latest drills are focused on the transition from a peacetime to wartime posture, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday. The exercises involve "all categories of army personnel, military units and command centers," the ministry said on Telegram. The training also follows the latest conscription period and comes after draftees have mastered basic military skills. The exercise is part of the military's training plan for 2021-2022, said the ministry.
NATO—BALTOPS Drills Underway Defense News | 06/07/2022 NATO has kicked off its latest BALTOPS exercise in the Baltic Sea, reports Defense News. Around 7,000 troops, 45 ships and more than 75 aircraft from 14 NATO member states, Finland and Sweden are taking part in this week's drills. During the drills, the U.S. Marine Corps will conduct a mock amphibious assault against simulated enemies on islands near Stockholm, the Swedish capital. A Russian attempt to seize Swedish islands in the Baltic is an ongoing concern for the Swedish government, analysts said.
Central African Republic—Deal Made With Cameroon To Fight Rebels On Border Voice Of America News | 06/07/2022 Top security officials from the Central African Republic and Cameroon have agreed to work together to fight rebels fleeing intensive fighting and infiltrating refugee camps in Cameroon, reports the Voice of America News. After meeting in the border town of the Ngaoundere on Friday, the sides said the militaries of the two countries would be jointly deployed to combat the proliferation of weapons, kidnappings for ransom, attacks on supplies and the illegal exploitation of minerals by rebels along the joint border. Scores of civilians have been abducted for ransom by CAR rebels and armed groups. Militants have also attacked border towns and villages seeking supplies, the officials said. The attacks could make it harder for the Cameroonian and CAR governments to move forward with plans to make it easier for civilians and trade to cross the border. Rebels are fleeing heavy fighting with the U.N. Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), CAR defense officials said. This has created a growing security problem for the country's neighbors, including Cameroon, Chad, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Republic of Congo.
India—BJP Spokeswoman Summoned By Police Over Remarks About Prophet Muhammad Press Trust Of India | 06/07/2022 Police in India's western Maharashtra state have summoned the spokeswoman for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over her remarks about the Prophet Muhammad that sparked violence last week, reports the Press Trust of India. On Tuesday, police ordered Nupur Sharma to appear on June 22 to record a statement as part of the investigation into alleged derogatory remarks about the Prophet Muhammad. She made her comments during a televised debate last month on the future use of the Gyanvapi mosque, a flashpoint for Hindu-Muslim tensions. On Sunday, Sharma was suspended as the spokeswoman for the BJP, reported Reuters. On Monday, police charged Sharma with "deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs," "promoting enmity between groups" and "statements conducing to public mischief," reported BBC News. At least 14 people were injured in protests over the remarks on Friday in Kanpur in the northern Uttar Pradesh state. The comments also led to official complaints from Bahrain, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, the Maldives, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E.
Israel—Talks With Saudi Arabia Seek To Improve Ties Times of Israel | 06/07/2022 Israel and Saudi Arabia have been quietly discussing areas to improve relations, reports the Times of Israel. The U.S.-brokered talks are focused on economic ties and security arrangements, reported the Wall Street Journal. Riyadh has noted growing support for establishing ties with Israel and is moving toward improving cooperation although formal diplomatic relations may still be some years away. A first step would be an agreement allowing Israeli commercial aircraft expanded access to Saudi airspace. Currently, Israeli flights are only permitted to fly over the northern tip of Saudi Arabia on the way to the United Arab Emirates. The sides are also discussing the future of the strategic Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir, which are under an international security force. Egypt must also approve any change in their status under its peace agreement with Israel. The three countries are considering a proposal to replace the international forces with Saudi security troops.
Japan—Combat Drones To Be Developed With U.S. Nikkei Asia | 06/07/2022 The Japanese government plans to develop an uncrewed combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) in cooperation with the U.S., reports the Nikkei Asia (Tokyo). The drones will operate in support of crewed fighter jets with a focus on early detection of hostile aircraft and missiles. Tokyo is also considering arming the UCAVs with weapons that would enable it to shoot down hostile missiles. The program includes artificial intelligence that would allow the drone to fly autonomously ahead of fighter aircraft. The UCAV would receive instructions from a pilot or remote command center and operate based on the AI's assessment of terrain and weather conditions. A prototype is anticipated by fiscal 2025, with operational air vehicles to follow starting in fiscal 2026. Plans call for fielding the new aircraft by fiscal 2035.
Nigeria—Suspected Boko Haram Attackers Kidnap Dozens Vanguard | 06/07/2022 Militants attacked a convoy in Nigeria's northeastern Borno state, abducting dozens of people, reports the Vanguard (Lagos). On Monday morning, suspected Boko Haram terrorists attacked a convoy on the Maiduguri-Damaturu road, which connects the capitals of the Borno and Yobe states, between the villages of Mainok and Lawan Mainari, about 30 miles (50 km) from Maiduguri, the Borno state capital. The militants attacked food trucks and set fire to a fuel tanker, a witness said. Unnamed security personnel told the paper that troops responded rapidly to the attack and recovered three vehicles belonging to the fleeing terrorists.
Philippines—Alleged ISIS-East Asia Spokesman Killed In Maguindanao Op Rappler | 06/07/2022 The Philippine military says its forces killed the suspected spokesman for the Islamic State-East Asia (ISIS-EA) during an operation in the southern Maguindanao province, reports the Rappler (Manila). On Monday afternoon, the Joint Task Force Central from the Western Mindanao Command conducted an operation in the Datu Saudi Ampatuan municipality that resulted in the death of Abdulfatah Omar Alimuden, aka Abu Huzaifah, the military said in a release on Tuesday. Alimuden also reportedly handled "the financial transactions of the Daulah Islamiyah-Philippines to the ISIS Central," the military said.
South Korea—Airpower Demonstration Held With U.S. Following N. Korean Missile Launches Yonhap | 06/07/2022 South Korean and U.S. forces have conducted another show of force following North Korea's ballistic missile launches on Sunday, reports the Yonhap news agency (Seoul). On Tuesday, 16 South Korean fighters, including F-35A Lightning IIs, F-15Ks and KF-16s, and four U.S. F-16 jets, conducted a combined airpower demonstration over the Yellow Sea, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff. The operation demonstrated the ability of the allies to rapidly and precisely strike in response to any North Korean provocations, the JCS said in a release.
Spain—Government Ready To Send Tanks, Anti-Aircraft Systems To Ukraine Politico Europe | 06/07/2022 The Spanish government has indicated that is prepared to supply tanks and air defense systems to Ukraine, reports Politico Europe, citing Spanish media. The proposal calls for the delivery of 40 Leopard 2A4 tanks and an unspecified number of Aspide surface-to-air missile systems, reported the El Pais (Madrid) newspaper, as cited by the Army Recognition website. The tanks have been in storage at a Spanish depot for a decade. The Aspide has been replaced in Spanish service by a more advanced system, the newspaper said. Spain would train Ukrainian troops on the tanks in Latvia, where a Spanish contingent is based as part of NATO's enhanced forward presence. A second phase of training could potentially take place in Spain. Madrid would need permission from Germany, who built the tanks, before it can deliver the Leopard 2s to Ukraine. The German government did not immediately comment on the report.
Syria—Kurdish Forces Ready To Work With Assad Against Turkey Reuters | 06/07/2022 Kurdish forces in Syria say they are prepared to coordinate with Syrian government forces should Turkey launch a military operation, reports Reuters. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been threatening a new offensive in northern Syria to create a buffer zone in Kurdish-majority areas along the Turkish border. The decision came after an emergency meeting of top Kurdish commanders to discuss Turkey's recent threats. No information about what such cooperation would entail has been made public. The announcement appeared to be a message to the U.S. intended to spur Washington to pressure Erdogan to drop his proposed offensive, analysts said. The U.S. has previously expressed concern about Erdogan's threats, saying such an operation could put American troops in the region at risk.
Tunisia—Judges Strike In Protest Of President's Overreach Al Jazeera | 06/07/2022 Judges in Tunisia began a week-long strike on Monday to protest President Kais Saied's "interference" in the judiciary, reports Al Jazeera (Qatar). The move comes days after the president fired 57 judges he accused of corruption and protecting terrorists. It is the latest sign of opposition to Saied who has sought to consolidate power since winning election in 2019. Last July, he dismissed the elected Parliament and seized executive power, including extending his rule to the judiciary. His latest move resulted in four judges' unions announcing a nationwide court strike to condemn the president's "continued interference in the judiciary". In February, Saied dissolved the Supreme Judicial Council, which deals with the independence of the judiciary and had guaranteed judicial independence since the 2011 revolution.
United Kingdom—PM Survives No-Confidence Vote British Broadcasting Corp. | 06/07/2022 British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has survived a no-confidence vote triggered by members of his Conservative Party, reports BBC News. The vote on Sunday came after at least 15 percent of Conservative lawmakers wrote letters of no confidence to Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the party's backbench 1922 Committee. Johnson won 59 percent of the vote, with 211 members of Parliament voting for and 148 against his continued leadership. The result means he is immune from another leadership challenge for a year. There has been growing discontent among Conservative MPs following an investigation into parties held by Johnson in violation of COVID-lockdown rules. Johnson was fined for attending a party in June 2020, becoming the first serving prime minister to be sanctioned for breaking the law. There are also disagreements within the party over planned tax increases, the government's response to rising living costs and its overall policy direction.
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