8/14/2008: Intel News Brief: Kiowa Pilots Fly "Eyes in the Sky" for
Ground Troops:
Tikrit, Iraq - Knowledge of what the enemy is doing behind the next
hill or village has plagued military commanders since the days of Sun
Tzu and Genghis Khan.
However here in Iraq, seeing what is beyond the next building, palm
tree or embankment is no longer a major concern for ground commanders
slugging it out through difficult terrain or in a hostile urban
environment.
Assisting ground commanders over the skies of Iraq are the pilots of
Troop C, 4th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment flying OH-58 Kiowa Warrior
helicopters.
"We are known as the scouts and we are both the eyes and ears of the
command and task force," said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Attila Herrera,
Kiowa pilot for Troop C.
"A large portion of our mission is counter improvised explosive device
operations. If we are flying in direct support of ground forces our
mission entails searching for IEDs," said Herrera
However, before these scout pilots take-off on any mission whether in
support ground troops or just flying a counter IED sortie, they plan
and coordinate carefully.
"We start off our day by checking out the log books and performing
thorough pre-flight inspections of the assigned aircraft and the back-
up aircraft," said Herrera.
"Troop C also known as Carnage Troop, fly the latest OH-58D Kiowa
Warrior, which is primarily operated in an armed reconnaissance role
in support of ground troops," said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Michael
Lewis, Kiowa pilot for Troop C, 4-6 CAV.
The OH-58 Kiowa has been in continuous use by the United States Army
since its introduction in 1968.
Although there is a myriad of aviation platforms such as unmanned
aerial vehicles and Apache helicopters to help ground forces, nothing
beats the steady eye of intuitive Kiowa pilots watching for an elusive
adversary.
Once the preflight checks are complete Kiowa crews head to the task
force's battalion tactical operations center of the 1st Attack
Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, to receive their
information and operations briefings.
"Attention in the TOC, O and I brief, today's mission is bandit recon,
alert warning and guidance is the following," says Sgt. Elie Regis,
1-1 ARB battle noncommissioned officer, as he starts his mission
orientation brief to Kiowa pilots.
"Pilots are briefed on the five Ws - who, what, where, when and why -
in respect to the operations portion of the brief. The crews receive
instructions on what the ground commanders want along with any changes
in procedures or radio frequencies. Pilots receive any changes in
battlespace and updates as to what friendly forces are in the area of
operations," said Regis.
Just as the operations officer gives a detailed briefing so does the
intelligence officer. Everything the enemy might be doing or trying
to do is briefed.
"We find patterns and trends the enemy might be engaged in like IED,
small arms fire and emplacements. We give the pilots an assessment so
they know what to look for, how the enemy might act and what to
expect," said Staff Sgt. Floyd Perry, 1-1 ARB intelligence analyst.
After the pilots are briefed they make final coordination prior to
taking off.
"Once we complete the O and I brief, we return to our command post to
conduct a thorough brief on what the responsibilities are for each
aircraft, those being the lead and trail," said Herrera.
"We also discuss possible courses of action should we encounter any
problems."
Shortly after take-off the flight crews of the OH-58 Kiowa two-seater
helicopter, begin to perform their individual and collective duties.
While both are capable of flying the aircraft, the duties of the pilot-
in-command and the co-pilot are distinctly different on a combat
mission.
"The right seat (pilot) is the primarily eyes out and concentrates on
air traffic avoidance. The right seat directs the flight with regards
to where they are going and what the priorities of reconnaissance
are," said Lewis.
"The left seat (co-pilot) manages the sensor, and operates both the
navigation system and communications within the aircraft."
During a mission individual Kiowa pilots are part of a scout weapons
team made up of two OH-58D Kiowa helicopters flying as a pair. Each
Kiowa helicopter has a distinct role during a mission set.
"The lead aircraft is the primary shooter and navigator. The trail
aircraft covers the lead," said Lewis.
"The trail also acts as a second pair of eyes should the lead aircraft
take fire," Herrera.
The trail is also responsible for keeping an eye on those on the
ground and working with the ground units.
"There are two methods of interacting with ground forces. The first
method involves area or zone recons when we are not dedicated to a
specific unit but in turn we provide area surveillance in support of
the ground battalion commander's intent," said Lewis.
During a zone recon the scout weapons team flies over major routes,
hotspots and points of interest looking for IEDs or suspicious
activity, this provides the battalion commander feedback in support of
his larger scheme of maneuver. Sometimes The Kiowa pilots fly in
close support of smaller ground units.
"If we are dedicated to a ground unit it is usually a company, troop
or platoon size element. When we make contact with these small units
the unit commander, whether he is a company commander or platoon
leaders, lets us know what the mission is and from there we can
establish a task and purpose," said Lewis.
The Kiowa pilots know they are making a difference in the fight no
matter what type of mission they are on. They know this from the
reaction of the ground forces who may be driving on a road, patrolling
a village or pulling security.
"The ground guys get excited when they see us fly over their convoys,
we often hear them over the radio or watch them wave from their
positions," said Herrera.
"Our presence gives the ground forces confidence and increases their
sense of security because they know we our out there looking for IEDs
and bad guys," said Lewis.
Source: Morning Intel News Brief via Internal Military News Service
