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CNN Live At Daybreak

Military Transforming Dilapidated Airfield

Aired March 28, 2003 - 06:14   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Carol, it's interesting, Chris talking about the change in the weather might have an impact on airstrikes. One plane we've been hearing a lot about is this A-10, this Warthog, that provides close air support for a lot of troops on the ground. We've heard our own Walt Rodgers reporting about the impact of the A-10, literally, in a -- in a firefight that he witnessed with the -- with the 7th Cavalry that -- the troops he was with.
Bob Franken -- you're seeing a graphic right now of the A-10 Warthog attack aircraft.

Bob Franken is at a new base inside Iraq that's been set up, I believe, for the A-10 Warthog.

Bob, is that right? What can you tell us?

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well I can tell you that one of the reasons that this convoy that we took came up here was to move in jet fuel, lots of jet fuel trucks, which around here they call gas and go. And it's going to be gas and go for the A-10s. They are hoping, within the next day or so, obviously there's a little bit of -- it's fluid here, but in the next day or so that the first A-10 is going to land here and will be gassed up and then will be able to continue on its way. This extends its range, all total of about 300 miles, 150 miles away from its base. So it means that at the beginning they won't be basing the A-10s here, but they will be, after a while, probably having some of them operate out of here.

In addition to some of the other hardware that the Air Force has been using, including very importantly the search and rescue operation, clearly being closer to where somebody might need help. There's a big deal -- as a matter of fact, when this airfield was taken less than a week ago, the search and rescue units moved up here right away. And last Wednesday, we're told, actually went out and conducted an operation. We're still told it was classified, but it was successful. And you remember it's called search and rescue, use your imagination.

This is going to grow quite a bit. It is -- was just taken, as I said, from the Iraqis. Right now it is a dilapidated airfield with dilapidated buildings, but it has a runway that is in good, usable shape, which of course is what matters. It's going to very quickly change from something that's just desolate piece of earth into a very, very, very bustling little airport.

Among the people who are here right now but are being moved are about 100 POWs who have been captured from this area. The airfield is surrounded by what the intelligence people call red spots, meaning that there are Iraqis out there. There are skirmishes of one size or another, up to full-scale battles, going not far from here. But they now consider this airfield safe. They have extremely heavy security, safe enough to begin to head toward full operation -- Anderson.

COOPER: All right. Bob Franken, thanks very much for that update.

And as Chris Plante reported earlier, that improvement in the weather, likely to see more airstrikes coming up in the next...

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, beautiful clear skies...

COOPER: Yes.

COSTELLO: ... over the region today.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired March 28, 2003 - 06:14   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Carol, it's interesting, Chris talking about the change in the weather might have an impact on airstrikes. One plane we've been hearing a lot about is this A-10, this Warthog, that provides close air support for a lot of troops on the ground. We've heard our own Walt Rodgers reporting about the impact of the A-10, literally, in a -- in a firefight that he witnessed with the -- with the 7th Cavalry that -- the troops he was with.
Bob Franken -- you're seeing a graphic right now of the A-10 Warthog attack aircraft.

Bob Franken is at a new base inside Iraq that's been set up, I believe, for the A-10 Warthog.

Bob, is that right? What can you tell us?

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well I can tell you that one of the reasons that this convoy that we took came up here was to move in jet fuel, lots of jet fuel trucks, which around here they call gas and go. And it's going to be gas and go for the A-10s. They are hoping, within the next day or so, obviously there's a little bit of -- it's fluid here, but in the next day or so that the first A-10 is going to land here and will be gassed up and then will be able to continue on its way. This extends its range, all total of about 300 miles, 150 miles away from its base. So it means that at the beginning they won't be basing the A-10s here, but they will be, after a while, probably having some of them operate out of here.

In addition to some of the other hardware that the Air Force has been using, including very importantly the search and rescue operation, clearly being closer to where somebody might need help. There's a big deal -- as a matter of fact, when this airfield was taken less than a week ago, the search and rescue units moved up here right away. And last Wednesday, we're told, actually went out and conducted an operation. We're still told it was classified, but it was successful. And you remember it's called search and rescue, use your imagination.

This is going to grow quite a bit. It is -- was just taken, as I said, from the Iraqis. Right now it is a dilapidated airfield with dilapidated buildings, but it has a runway that is in good, usable shape, which of course is what matters. It's going to very quickly change from something that's just desolate piece of earth into a very, very, very bustling little airport.

Among the people who are here right now but are being moved are about 100 POWs who have been captured from this area. The airfield is surrounded by what the intelligence people call red spots, meaning that there are Iraqis out there. There are skirmishes of one size or another, up to full-scale battles, going not far from here. But they now consider this airfield safe. They have extremely heavy security, safe enough to begin to head toward full operation -- Anderson.

COOPER: All right. Bob Franken, thanks very much for that update.

And as Chris Plante reported earlier, that improvement in the weather, likely to see more airstrikes coming up in the next...

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, beautiful clear skies...

COOPER: Yes.

COSTELLO: ... over the region today.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com