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Pilots Focus on Close Air Support
Aired March 25, 2003 - 15:18 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, ANCHOR: And from the land to the sea, this war is being fought from all directions. CNN's Kyra Phillips is aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf, and she just filed this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Flight operations continue here on the USS Abraham Lincoln. An extreme focus on the troops on the ground in Iraq, a lot of concern about the safety of the troops. A lot of concern about the POWs. Strike fighter pilots here want to prevent any type of additional POW situations. The mission, CAS, close air support. These are the missions taking place through the day, through the night.
Lieutenant Commander Scott Snow has been flying these missions throughout the day today. We're going to talk about the most recent ones that he had. The CAS missions you had, the objectives today with regard to protecting troops on the ground as they've been moving into Iraq.
LT. CMDR. SCOTT SNOW, U.S. NAVY: Yes, today we were basically heading just north of one of the southern cities and clearing a path for our troops to work their way up towards Baghdad.
PHILLIPS: Tell me how that -- we're going to pause for just a minute. Had a Prowler safely land there, coming back from flight operations as they continue.
Tell me the communication that goes on between you and the troops, the forward air control, the FAC on the ground, and how you communicate and how you try to prevent a threat to the troops on the ground.
SNOW: Well, we talk to the forward air controller; he tells us where the friendlies are, the threat to the enemy over battle, the targets he would like taken out, descriptions. And any restrictions for the run-ins and what types of ordnance he would like to use on that. If he has any marked artillery rounds or anything he can throw into the area to show us a little closer where it is.
And then we'll go ahead and prosecute targets on his approval at that point.
PHILLIPS: I have to ask you, when the news came out about the POWs, how did it affect you personally? How did it affect the other pilots here on the USS Abraham Lincoln?
SNOW: Well, at first it angered me quite a bit, and it still does. And it also steeled my resolve to be there till the very last bullet is expended and the very last drop of my gas is expended to protect the guys and the lives of the guys on the ground.
PHILLIPS: Will these close air support operations continue and will they increase?
SNOW: Yes, they'll continue. They'll increase. It's better for us to come and take the targets out from a more survivable position anywhere from 5 to 10 to 20,000 feet instead of the helicopters down low, where they're vulnerable to triple-a fire.
PHILLIPS: Lieutenant Commander Scott Snow, thank you very much.
So the flight operations are continuing here off the USS Abraham Lincoln, extreme focus on protecting the troops on the ground.
Weather, of course, has become a problem. The sand storms kicking up in Iraq. Also, storms out here in the Persian Gulf. Lightning and rain has been taking place.
But it doesn't stop the missions that come off of this carrier. It also doesn't prevent the -- one moment, please, as we have a landing coming in here. A Prowler landing here on the USS Abraham Lincoln. Once again the weather not affecting the dropping of ordnance, the JDAMs, the GPS guided weapons. The advantage of those weapons is that they can combat any type of weather.
Flight operations once again continuing off the USS Abraham Lincoln. I'm Kyra Phillips, back to you.
BLITZER: Thanks very much, Kyra Phillips aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
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 - 15:18 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, ANCHOR: And from the land to the sea, this war is being fought from all directions. CNN's Kyra Phillips is aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf, and she just filed this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Flight operations continue here on the USS Abraham Lincoln. An extreme focus on the troops on the ground in Iraq, a lot of concern about the safety of the troops. A lot of concern about the POWs. Strike fighter pilots here want to prevent any type of additional POW situations. The mission, CAS, close air support. These are the missions taking place through the day, through the night.
Lieutenant Commander Scott Snow has been flying these missions throughout the day today. We're going to talk about the most recent ones that he had. The CAS missions you had, the objectives today with regard to protecting troops on the ground as they've been moving into Iraq.
LT. CMDR. SCOTT SNOW, U.S. NAVY: Yes, today we were basically heading just north of one of the southern cities and clearing a path for our troops to work their way up towards Baghdad.
PHILLIPS: Tell me how that -- we're going to pause for just a minute. Had a Prowler safely land there, coming back from flight operations as they continue.
Tell me the communication that goes on between you and the troops, the forward air control, the FAC on the ground, and how you communicate and how you try to prevent a threat to the troops on the ground.
SNOW: Well, we talk to the forward air controller; he tells us where the friendlies are, the threat to the enemy over battle, the targets he would like taken out, descriptions. And any restrictions for the run-ins and what types of ordnance he would like to use on that. If he has any marked artillery rounds or anything he can throw into the area to show us a little closer where it is.
And then we'll go ahead and prosecute targets on his approval at that point.
PHILLIPS: I have to ask you, when the news came out about the POWs, how did it affect you personally? How did it affect the other pilots here on the USS Abraham Lincoln?
SNOW: Well, at first it angered me quite a bit, and it still does. And it also steeled my resolve to be there till the very last bullet is expended and the very last drop of my gas is expended to protect the guys and the lives of the guys on the ground.
PHILLIPS: Will these close air support operations continue and will they increase?
SNOW: Yes, they'll continue. They'll increase. It's better for us to come and take the targets out from a more survivable position anywhere from 5 to 10 to 20,000 feet instead of the helicopters down low, where they're vulnerable to triple-a fire.
PHILLIPS: Lieutenant Commander Scott Snow, thank you very much.
So the flight operations are continuing here off the USS Abraham Lincoln, extreme focus on protecting the troops on the ground.
Weather, of course, has become a problem. The sand storms kicking up in Iraq. Also, storms out here in the Persian Gulf. Lightning and rain has been taking place.
But it doesn't stop the missions that come off of this carrier. It also doesn't prevent the -- one moment, please, as we have a landing coming in here. A Prowler landing here on the USS Abraham Lincoln. Once again the weather not affecting the dropping of ordnance, the JDAMs, the GPS guided weapons. The advantage of those weapons is that they can combat any type of weather.
Flight operations once again continuing off the USS Abraham Lincoln. I'm Kyra Phillips, back to you.
BLITZER: Thanks very much, Kyra Phillips aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
