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Poor Weather Slows Aerial Strikes
Aired March 25, 2003 - 13:12 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.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Paula, this has been amazing to see our journalists, our so-called embedded journalists, on the front lines, covering aspects of a war that we really haven't seen covered live on television -- I don't think we've ever seen anything like this.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, we haven't. And I guess what struck me today from watching hours and hours and hours from the same position is just physically what they're up against. Walt Rodgers describing some of the Iraqi incoming fire. But also describing what they've been subjected to physically.
He said at one point in the afternoon, 4 p.m. in the afternoon what would be Iraqi time, not even being able to see in front of him because of this enormous sandstorm blowing through. He said he had to take out a flashlight during daylight hours to see, you know, 20, 30 yards in front of him.
Now, we've got a number of briefings today from military planners. They told us today that the war plan is on track, but acknowledging that this weather is making life very uncomfortable for coalition forces. Some embedded reporters have told us they've actually seen helicopters and planes grounded.
Let's turn to Gary Tuchman, who is somewhere in the Gulf at a U.S. air base. He has the very latest from there. Gary, what can you tell us?
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, there may be sirens over Baghdad, but there won't be as many planes over Baghdad in the next few hours. Because the Air Force is telling us because of the inclement weather in the region, there will be far less sorties over the next 24 hours then there were over the previous 24 hours.
We do come to you from a coalition air base near the border of Iraq. The exact location we're not allowed to say.
But the weather here has been very poor. We have frequent lightning bolts right now, heavy rain at times and wind gusts of up to 50 miles per hour.
As a matter of fact, the weather is so bad that all the maintenance workers who serve the A-10s behind us -- you can see these men walking by us, all these men have been told to go indoors as we speak because of the lightning. It's not safe right now to maintain the attack planes behind us. So we're about the only ones still outside right now telling you the story of what's happening here.
This particular base has had more than 1,100 sorties over the last four days. Using equipment like these A-10s, using F-16s, using Marine FA-18s, using Harrier jets. But we are told that of those 1,100 flights over the last four days, up to 80 percent of those flights, the pilots have reported having anti-aircraft artillery or surface to air missiles fired at them from the ground in Iraq. Not one has hit those planes.
We asked the commander here if they consider themselves lucky. And he says luck is always a partner and the co-pilot with you. That's something pilots are always taught. But what they think is always skillful is the fact that their intimidating air power has prevented Iraq from even putting one aircraft from the air. We are told that Iraq has 300 fighter aircraft still in its inventory, and we're being told by officials with the Air Force that not one of those aircraft has gone into the air.
We do want to tell you, though, about the embarrassing incident. The Air Force is reporting that one of its F-16s, and we don't know where it came from, but actually shot a Patriot missile launcher in southern Iraq. It's embarrassing because the Patriot missile launcher is coalition equipment. Nobody was hurt. That's very important to mention.
But it's very clear based on this that there are now Patriot missile launchers that are in Iraq. Obviously before the war that wouldn't be the case. They were in northern Kuwait to prevent Iraqi missiles from coming over. But since the ground infiltration, Patriot missiles are now in Iraq, and one has been shot by a coalition aircraft.
Paula, back to you.
ZAHN: Gary, let's come back to the weather for a moment. Chad Myers reporting that he thinks the storm system will be with you for another 24 hours. Do you have any idea when you'll see a return to sort of the normal plan?
TUCHMAN: Well, we had been seeing, Paula, between 10 and 15 aircraft taking off from the runway at this particular air base every hour over the past three days. Now it's down to between three and five. But they are saying this system is supposed to last for up to another 24 hours. So it will slow down the effort.
One thing I do want to tell you, though, one effort that hasn't been slowed down is the effort to drop leaflets over Iraq. We heard a lot about that before the war started. But it continues. And we've been told that over the past four to five weeks they have dropped 26 million leaflets over Iraq. That's basically five leaflets for every single person who lives in the city of Baghdad.
ZAHN: Wow, that's a lot. Gary Tuchman, thank you. I know you've told us it's not safe for the air crews out there. I hope you seek shelter. I'd feel a lot more comfortable if you were inside right now with all that lightning going on behind you. 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 25, 2003 - 13:12 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Paula, this has been amazing to see our journalists, our so-called embedded journalists, on the front lines, covering aspects of a war that we really haven't seen covered live on television -- I don't think we've ever seen anything like this.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, we haven't. And I guess what struck me today from watching hours and hours and hours from the same position is just physically what they're up against. Walt Rodgers describing some of the Iraqi incoming fire. But also describing what they've been subjected to physically.
He said at one point in the afternoon, 4 p.m. in the afternoon what would be Iraqi time, not even being able to see in front of him because of this enormous sandstorm blowing through. He said he had to take out a flashlight during daylight hours to see, you know, 20, 30 yards in front of him.
Now, we've got a number of briefings today from military planners. They told us today that the war plan is on track, but acknowledging that this weather is making life very uncomfortable for coalition forces. Some embedded reporters have told us they've actually seen helicopters and planes grounded.
Let's turn to Gary Tuchman, who is somewhere in the Gulf at a U.S. air base. He has the very latest from there. Gary, what can you tell us?
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, there may be sirens over Baghdad, but there won't be as many planes over Baghdad in the next few hours. Because the Air Force is telling us because of the inclement weather in the region, there will be far less sorties over the next 24 hours then there were over the previous 24 hours.
We do come to you from a coalition air base near the border of Iraq. The exact location we're not allowed to say.
But the weather here has been very poor. We have frequent lightning bolts right now, heavy rain at times and wind gusts of up to 50 miles per hour.
As a matter of fact, the weather is so bad that all the maintenance workers who serve the A-10s behind us -- you can see these men walking by us, all these men have been told to go indoors as we speak because of the lightning. It's not safe right now to maintain the attack planes behind us. So we're about the only ones still outside right now telling you the story of what's happening here.
This particular base has had more than 1,100 sorties over the last four days. Using equipment like these A-10s, using F-16s, using Marine FA-18s, using Harrier jets. But we are told that of those 1,100 flights over the last four days, up to 80 percent of those flights, the pilots have reported having anti-aircraft artillery or surface to air missiles fired at them from the ground in Iraq. Not one has hit those planes.
We asked the commander here if they consider themselves lucky. And he says luck is always a partner and the co-pilot with you. That's something pilots are always taught. But what they think is always skillful is the fact that their intimidating air power has prevented Iraq from even putting one aircraft from the air. We are told that Iraq has 300 fighter aircraft still in its inventory, and we're being told by officials with the Air Force that not one of those aircraft has gone into the air.
We do want to tell you, though, about the embarrassing incident. The Air Force is reporting that one of its F-16s, and we don't know where it came from, but actually shot a Patriot missile launcher in southern Iraq. It's embarrassing because the Patriot missile launcher is coalition equipment. Nobody was hurt. That's very important to mention.
But it's very clear based on this that there are now Patriot missile launchers that are in Iraq. Obviously before the war that wouldn't be the case. They were in northern Kuwait to prevent Iraqi missiles from coming over. But since the ground infiltration, Patriot missiles are now in Iraq, and one has been shot by a coalition aircraft.
Paula, back to you.
ZAHN: Gary, let's come back to the weather for a moment. Chad Myers reporting that he thinks the storm system will be with you for another 24 hours. Do you have any idea when you'll see a return to sort of the normal plan?
TUCHMAN: Well, we had been seeing, Paula, between 10 and 15 aircraft taking off from the runway at this particular air base every hour over the past three days. Now it's down to between three and five. But they are saying this system is supposed to last for up to another 24 hours. So it will slow down the effort.
One thing I do want to tell you, though, one effort that hasn't been slowed down is the effort to drop leaflets over Iraq. We heard a lot about that before the war started. But it continues. And we've been told that over the past four to five weeks they have dropped 26 million leaflets over Iraq. That's basically five leaflets for every single person who lives in the city of Baghdad.
ZAHN: Wow, that's a lot. Gary Tuchman, thank you. I know you've told us it's not safe for the air crews out there. I hope you seek shelter. I'd feel a lot more comfortable if you were inside right now with all that lightning going on behind you. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
