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A Look Inside a Transport Plane

Aired April 01, 2003 - 15:15   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: Welcome back to our continuing coverage of the war in the Gulf. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting live tonight from Kuwait City.
As coalition troops advance on the ground, coalition aircraft continue to take aim at targets deep inside Iraq. CNN's Gary Tuchman is with us from an air base here in the Persian Gulf near the Iraqi border. Gary, what's happening tonight?

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the Air Force is telling us that two out of every three bombs dropped tonight in Iraq will be targeted at Republican Guard forces, Republican Guard headquarters, and Republican Guard tanks.

From yesterday morning to this morning, 2,000 sorties over Iraq. That's the highest number since the war began: the very first night, also 2,000. At this base near the Iraqi border, just this base alone had 280 sorties from yesterday morning until this morning.

Now we've had the unusual opportunity during this war to go with the Air Force during its sorties. Today we traveled with crew members 125 miles into Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: You're looking at troops being transported into Iraq on one of the 1,800-plus sorties that have taken place since this war began. We are on an HC-130 now. We are flying over Iraq as we speak at an altitude of only 300 feet, to avoid Iraqi radar.

And these men here maintain helicopters. They'll be at the base that has been taken over by the coalition.

With us right now, your name, sir?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sid Petter (ph).

TUCHMAN: Have you been to Iraq yet?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I haven't.

TUCHMAN: You maintain helicopters, correct?

BLITZER (voice-over): Paul, what do you want to do out of Gary?

TUCHMAN: You'll be living at this base in Talil (ph), Iraq for awhile?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to swap out every so often. We won't be staying there permanently yet. We're relieving a crew that's there now and then we'll be relieved by another crew in time to come.

TUCHMAN: Any nerves about going to Iraq and being there for awhile?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe a little apprehensive, but not too bad. Just looking forward to doing what our commander-in-chief has let us have the opportunity to do.

TUCHMAN: You have your body armor, you have your weapons with you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Correct.

TUCHMAN: Thanks for talking with us.

I'm going to give you a look here. There are also supplies going out on this mission right here, food and water. I'm going to pass you by for a second. It's very rocky on this flight because we're at such a low altitude.

Want to give you a look out the window. We are, as I said, flying at 300 feet, which is extremely low. And you can actually see the Iraqi desert, as we're flying. Take a look at that view. It looks like we're almost in an SUV. That's how low we look. That's the view you get from the wheel of an SUV.

Right here is the load master of this mission. This is Shane Smith.

Sergeant, I want to ask you a quick question. We're over Iraq. This is unbelievably low, how low we're flying.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now we're around 200 feet.

TUCHMAN: Two hundred feet right now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 200 to 300 feet.

TUCHMAN: Any nerves? Do you worry at all when you fly this low?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not at all. I like it low.

TUCHMAN: It's interesting, isn't it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

TUCHMAN: Any fears that we'll see any Iraqi aircraft? There haven't been any up during the war so far?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.

TUCHMAN: There is a fear? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... all over the place. We just crossed the border.

TUCHMAN: Thank you, Shane, for talking with us.

We want to take you up to the cockpit now. It's a little rocky walking up there, but we'll be able to give you the look. We have to climb these narrow stairs.

And you'll see there are five people up here: the flight engineer, a navigator, a radio operator, a pilot and a co-pilot. And you'll really get a bird's-eye view of what this pilot and co-pilot see.

They have radar up here, just in case there are any Iraqi aircraft on the horizon. As I said, they haven't seen any yet during this war. But they're always visually looking out the window, very busy, to make sure there's no problem.

Once we get to Talil (ph), Iraq, we'll drop off these helicopter maintenance people, who will stay up here awhile, drop off the food and water and then return.

But right now we're on our way to Talil (ph), Iraq, a coalition base that just last week was in Iraqi control.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: Now that Iraqi base is currently being used by the coalition as a refueling and transport hub, but the plan is to eventually base planes and helicopters there.

Speaking of planes and helicopters, there are still some Iraqi planes and helicopters there, but they've all been destroyed during the coalition bombing campaign.

Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: Gary, before I let you go, you probably heard the Pentagon briefing today, a lot of questioning of the defense secretary. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the original war plan not as good as it should have been. Any murmurings, any complaints you're hearing officers at the base where you've been embedded?

TUCHMAN: Wolf, as you were talking to me, an A-10 passed right over our heads and I couldn't hear about 90 percent of your question. Could you ask it one more time, although there may be another plane taking off, and there is right now.

BLITZER: All right, Gary, it's very noisy there. I'm going to hold that thought. We'll speak about it the next time. Go ahead and we'll talk the next time.

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 April 1, 2003 - 15:15   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, ANCHOR: Welcome back to our continuing coverage of the war in the Gulf. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting live tonight from Kuwait City.
As coalition troops advance on the ground, coalition aircraft continue to take aim at targets deep inside Iraq. CNN's Gary Tuchman is with us from an air base here in the Persian Gulf near the Iraqi border. Gary, what's happening tonight?

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the Air Force is telling us that two out of every three bombs dropped tonight in Iraq will be targeted at Republican Guard forces, Republican Guard headquarters, and Republican Guard tanks.

From yesterday morning to this morning, 2,000 sorties over Iraq. That's the highest number since the war began: the very first night, also 2,000. At this base near the Iraqi border, just this base alone had 280 sorties from yesterday morning until this morning.

Now we've had the unusual opportunity during this war to go with the Air Force during its sorties. Today we traveled with crew members 125 miles into Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: You're looking at troops being transported into Iraq on one of the 1,800-plus sorties that have taken place since this war began. We are on an HC-130 now. We are flying over Iraq as we speak at an altitude of only 300 feet, to avoid Iraqi radar.

And these men here maintain helicopters. They'll be at the base that has been taken over by the coalition.

With us right now, your name, sir?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sid Petter (ph).

TUCHMAN: Have you been to Iraq yet?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I haven't.

TUCHMAN: You maintain helicopters, correct?

BLITZER (voice-over): Paul, what do you want to do out of Gary?

TUCHMAN: You'll be living at this base in Talil (ph), Iraq for awhile?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to swap out every so often. We won't be staying there permanently yet. We're relieving a crew that's there now and then we'll be relieved by another crew in time to come.

TUCHMAN: Any nerves about going to Iraq and being there for awhile?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe a little apprehensive, but not too bad. Just looking forward to doing what our commander-in-chief has let us have the opportunity to do.

TUCHMAN: You have your body armor, you have your weapons with you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Correct.

TUCHMAN: Thanks for talking with us.

I'm going to give you a look here. There are also supplies going out on this mission right here, food and water. I'm going to pass you by for a second. It's very rocky on this flight because we're at such a low altitude.

Want to give you a look out the window. We are, as I said, flying at 300 feet, which is extremely low. And you can actually see the Iraqi desert, as we're flying. Take a look at that view. It looks like we're almost in an SUV. That's how low we look. That's the view you get from the wheel of an SUV.

Right here is the load master of this mission. This is Shane Smith.

Sergeant, I want to ask you a quick question. We're over Iraq. This is unbelievably low, how low we're flying.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now we're around 200 feet.

TUCHMAN: Two hundred feet right now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 200 to 300 feet.

TUCHMAN: Any nerves? Do you worry at all when you fly this low?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not at all. I like it low.

TUCHMAN: It's interesting, isn't it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

TUCHMAN: Any fears that we'll see any Iraqi aircraft? There haven't been any up during the war so far?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.

TUCHMAN: There is a fear? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... all over the place. We just crossed the border.

TUCHMAN: Thank you, Shane, for talking with us.

We want to take you up to the cockpit now. It's a little rocky walking up there, but we'll be able to give you the look. We have to climb these narrow stairs.

And you'll see there are five people up here: the flight engineer, a navigator, a radio operator, a pilot and a co-pilot. And you'll really get a bird's-eye view of what this pilot and co-pilot see.

They have radar up here, just in case there are any Iraqi aircraft on the horizon. As I said, they haven't seen any yet during this war. But they're always visually looking out the window, very busy, to make sure there's no problem.

Once we get to Talil (ph), Iraq, we'll drop off these helicopter maintenance people, who will stay up here awhile, drop off the food and water and then return.

But right now we're on our way to Talil (ph), Iraq, a coalition base that just last week was in Iraqi control.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: Now that Iraqi base is currently being used by the coalition as a refueling and transport hub, but the plan is to eventually base planes and helicopters there.

Speaking of planes and helicopters, there are still some Iraqi planes and helicopters there, but they've all been destroyed during the coalition bombing campaign.

Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: Gary, before I let you go, you probably heard the Pentagon briefing today, a lot of questioning of the defense secretary. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the original war plan not as good as it should have been. Any murmurings, any complaints you're hearing officers at the base where you've been embedded?

TUCHMAN: Wolf, as you were talking to me, an A-10 passed right over our heads and I couldn't hear about 90 percent of your question. Could you ask it one more time, although there may be another plane taking off, and there is right now.

BLITZER: All right, Gary, it's very noisy there. I'm going to hold that thought. We'll speak about it the next time. Go ahead and we'll talk the next time.

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