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U.S. Technology Helps to Target Obscured Tanks
Aired March 25, 2003 - 15:25 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.
JUDY WOODRUFF, ANCHOR: We're watching activity in Baghdad. And while we do, we want to tell you Marines battling for control of the bridges in the southern city of Nasiriya face stiff resistance from Iraqi paramilitary groups today.
For some perspective on all this, let's turn to Miles O'Brien. He's with retired Air Force General Don Sheppard. Hi, Miles.
MILES O'BRIEN, ANCHOR: Hello, Judy. Thank you very much.
You know, if you're going to fight on the ground, you have to encounter bridges somewhere along the way. A lot of bridges between where the 3-7th Cavalry and the rest of the U.S. forces are now and their ultimate destination, downtown Baghdad.
Take a look at this map. We have the city laid out for you here. Don Shepperd, walk me through it. How many bridges, first of all, in this city alone?
GEN. DON SHEPPARD, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, in this map that we've got right here, 13 major bridges in downtown Baghdad, including the expressway bridge over here. The three bridges down here attaching east Baghdad to west Baghdad and the presidential palace area here.
O'BRIEN: All right. Let's show one technique, this is just one possible way U.S. forces might seize a bridge, a bridge that might be defended by Iraqis. Let's take a look at the animation.
Here's your bridge. Typical scenario there. That's kind of a narrow bridge. It doesn't really matter for this scenario that we're laying out here. This would be representing M1A1 tanks coming toward the bridge firing.
SHEPPARD: Here's the problem approaching a bridge: you have to bundle up and line up to go across that bridge. Makes you very vulnerable to fire from the other side.
O'BRIEN: Potentially chemical weapons, too, if you have to glom (ph) together like that.
As we turn in the other direction, what you'll see are these Iraqi tanks that are kind of fortified there. They have burns in front of them. Artillery behind them firing back. And then there goes the smoke screen. Tell us about that. SHEPPARD: The idea of the smoke screen is to obscure the oncoming forces that are firing at you from being able to see you. And so they're putting up smokescreen, just like downtown Baghdad, to keep from being shot at.
O'BRIEN: It doesn't work, though.
SHEPPARD: It works both ways. It obscures you but it also obscures them. So it makes the targets invisible to them as well.
O'BRIEN: All right. Here's an F-16. He comes in, he wants to identify his target and he's got a big -- can't see through the smoke. What does he do?
SHEPPARD: Can't see through the smoke. Can't see through the smokescreen. We've got some techniques; just one we're going to show you, not giving away tactics.
O'BRIEN: All right. Somewhere nearby, a mile away or so, who knows...
SHEPPARD: We can put down special forces out of a helicopter with combat control teams that can mark targets for the F-16.
O'BRIEN: We'll show you how you do that. Someone has a laser designator here. It's a -- I guess a telescope with some oomph behind it.
SHEPPARD: Yes, he uses the laser designator and what he does is converts what he sees and his laser to coordinates. He relays those coordinates for satellite assisted bombs up to the F-16.
O'BRIEN: All right. Up it goes to the F-16. All of a sudden he's got coordinates, he's got a rack full of bombs, J-DAMs we call them, which have the ability to be guided in by satellite, the global positioning system.
SHEPPARD: Indeed.
O'BRIEN: That's what we're depicting here.
SHEPPARD: He's now got the coordinates. He drops on the coordinates that were relayed to him by the forward air controller and there go the tanks.
O'BRIEN: Mission successful. Now it raises the question about the smoke. Why bother?
SHEPPARD: Well, the smoke does inhibit certain things. It does -- If you're looking at targets visually, trying to pick up targets visually, the human eye can't see through the smoke.
On the other hand we know smoke and sand and blowing dust is a problem on every battlefield. We have things that can see through it. We know how to operate through this. It's not going to help downtown Baghdad. O'BRIEN: Don Sheppard, general, retired, U.S. Air Force, thanks very much -- Judy.
WOODRUFF: All right, Miles. Thank you very much.
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 - 15:25 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, ANCHOR: We're watching activity in Baghdad. And while we do, we want to tell you Marines battling for control of the bridges in the southern city of Nasiriya face stiff resistance from Iraqi paramilitary groups today.
For some perspective on all this, let's turn to Miles O'Brien. He's with retired Air Force General Don Sheppard. Hi, Miles.
MILES O'BRIEN, ANCHOR: Hello, Judy. Thank you very much.
You know, if you're going to fight on the ground, you have to encounter bridges somewhere along the way. A lot of bridges between where the 3-7th Cavalry and the rest of the U.S. forces are now and their ultimate destination, downtown Baghdad.
Take a look at this map. We have the city laid out for you here. Don Shepperd, walk me through it. How many bridges, first of all, in this city alone?
GEN. DON SHEPPARD, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, in this map that we've got right here, 13 major bridges in downtown Baghdad, including the expressway bridge over here. The three bridges down here attaching east Baghdad to west Baghdad and the presidential palace area here.
O'BRIEN: All right. Let's show one technique, this is just one possible way U.S. forces might seize a bridge, a bridge that might be defended by Iraqis. Let's take a look at the animation.
Here's your bridge. Typical scenario there. That's kind of a narrow bridge. It doesn't really matter for this scenario that we're laying out here. This would be representing M1A1 tanks coming toward the bridge firing.
SHEPPARD: Here's the problem approaching a bridge: you have to bundle up and line up to go across that bridge. Makes you very vulnerable to fire from the other side.
O'BRIEN: Potentially chemical weapons, too, if you have to glom (ph) together like that.
As we turn in the other direction, what you'll see are these Iraqi tanks that are kind of fortified there. They have burns in front of them. Artillery behind them firing back. And then there goes the smoke screen. Tell us about that. SHEPPARD: The idea of the smoke screen is to obscure the oncoming forces that are firing at you from being able to see you. And so they're putting up smokescreen, just like downtown Baghdad, to keep from being shot at.
O'BRIEN: It doesn't work, though.
SHEPPARD: It works both ways. It obscures you but it also obscures them. So it makes the targets invisible to them as well.
O'BRIEN: All right. Here's an F-16. He comes in, he wants to identify his target and he's got a big -- can't see through the smoke. What does he do?
SHEPPARD: Can't see through the smoke. Can't see through the smokescreen. We've got some techniques; just one we're going to show you, not giving away tactics.
O'BRIEN: All right. Somewhere nearby, a mile away or so, who knows...
SHEPPARD: We can put down special forces out of a helicopter with combat control teams that can mark targets for the F-16.
O'BRIEN: We'll show you how you do that. Someone has a laser designator here. It's a -- I guess a telescope with some oomph behind it.
SHEPPARD: Yes, he uses the laser designator and what he does is converts what he sees and his laser to coordinates. He relays those coordinates for satellite assisted bombs up to the F-16.
O'BRIEN: All right. Up it goes to the F-16. All of a sudden he's got coordinates, he's got a rack full of bombs, J-DAMs we call them, which have the ability to be guided in by satellite, the global positioning system.
SHEPPARD: Indeed.
O'BRIEN: That's what we're depicting here.
SHEPPARD: He's now got the coordinates. He drops on the coordinates that were relayed to him by the forward air controller and there go the tanks.
O'BRIEN: Mission successful. Now it raises the question about the smoke. Why bother?
SHEPPARD: Well, the smoke does inhibit certain things. It does -- If you're looking at targets visually, trying to pick up targets visually, the human eye can't see through the smoke.
On the other hand we know smoke and sand and blowing dust is a problem on every battlefield. We have things that can see through it. We know how to operate through this. It's not going to help downtown Baghdad. O'BRIEN: Don Sheppard, general, retired, U.S. Air Force, thanks very much -- Judy.
WOODRUFF: All right, Miles. Thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
