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Allied Warplanes Get Workout

Aired April 02, 2003 - 12:11   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: The focus today largely on ground troops as they move closer toward the Iraqi capital. But allied warplanes have gotten a workout as well. For that, let's turn to CNN's Gary Tuchman. He's joining us from an air base here in the Persian Gulf not far from the Iraqi border. Gary, tell us what's happening.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, hello to you. The bombing campaign has now been going on for two weeks. And if anything, at this particular base pilots are flying more than they did the first couple nights.

The pilots we're talking to on an average are flying two to three sorties a day. The first couple of days it was rare that we would find anyone who would fly two sorties a day. This base near the Iraqi border, in the most recent 24-hour period from yesterday morning until this morning, 295 missions. And this is just one of more than 30 bases in the theater.

Overall, 2,000 sorties for the last two days; each of those two days. There were 2,000 the very first night. So that gives you an idea the air power is continuing. A short time ago we talked to the pilot of the one of the A-10 aircraft behind me, and he told me about his most recent mission.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LT. COL. MIKE WEBB, U.S. AIR FORCE: It's very tough to see them from the air. And we had forward troops that were up on a railroad crossing, and they were trying to call us in -- the A-10 -- to supress with our 30-millimeter cannon. And we couldn't figure out exactly where everyone was. And to prevent a blue on blue incident, I was able to...

TUCHMAN: Blue on blue meaning what?

WEBB: We don't want to have friendly fratricide. We don't want to kill our own folks. So I fired two rockets into a river and ran underneath a railroad bridge, and from that smoke, the white phosphorous smoke, our friendlies on the ground were able to direct our fire into the enemy fire, and then we were successfully able to supress that area with rockets and cannons.

TUCHMAN: It sounds like it could have been a potentially frightening incident. WEBB: Well, it could be, because when we're fighting that close to our troops, less than one quick (ph) away, we want to be absolutely sure that we know what we're dealing with.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: Many of the people here, not just the pilots, but the others, our 8,000 servicemen and women here, are naturally fatigued after two weeks of nonstop work. But little things have happened at this base that have raised people's spirits.

No. 1, there hasn't been a missile alert or siren for about 96 hours now. That's made the atmosphere more relaxed. Other things that have happened, the fitness center where they could do exercises and work out, that's been reopened. That was shut down when the war began for resource purposes. It's now reopened. People are enjoying that.

Also, the store, the base exchange, which they call the BX, the only place where you can buy treats and candies and sodas and things like that, the hours have been extended. And those kinds of little things are what the people appreciate.

One thing that hasn't resumed, though, before the war started they used to have a movie night here every Friday night. They're still not planning yet on showing movies. Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: Gary, what about -- I keep getting e-mail from our viewers asking if the warplanes have enough bombs in stock. They seem to be dropping so many bombs and missiles. Do they have enough in the inventory to keep on pounding away?

TUCHMAN: I wonder if it's the same viewer, Wolf, because I got an e-mail with a viewer asking me the same question. So I'm glad you're asking me that so I get to answer that.

They have plenty of bombs and missiles. There's no question about that. You may remember, Wolf, a few months ago I did a series of live reports at the McAllister Army Ammunition Plant in McAllister, Oklahoma. It's where they make all the nonnuclear bombs in America's arsenal.

And they just keep making them and making them. And they sent a lot of them here. And there's absolutely no shortage, according to the officials here.

BLITZER: All right. Gary Tuchman at an air base not far from Iraq, a very busy air base, indeed. Thanks, Gary, 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 April 2, 2003 - 12:11   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: The focus today largely on ground troops as they move closer toward the Iraqi capital. But allied warplanes have gotten a workout as well. For that, let's turn to CNN's Gary Tuchman. He's joining us from an air base here in the Persian Gulf not far from the Iraqi border. Gary, tell us what's happening.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, hello to you. The bombing campaign has now been going on for two weeks. And if anything, at this particular base pilots are flying more than they did the first couple nights.

The pilots we're talking to on an average are flying two to three sorties a day. The first couple of days it was rare that we would find anyone who would fly two sorties a day. This base near the Iraqi border, in the most recent 24-hour period from yesterday morning until this morning, 295 missions. And this is just one of more than 30 bases in the theater.

Overall, 2,000 sorties for the last two days; each of those two days. There were 2,000 the very first night. So that gives you an idea the air power is continuing. A short time ago we talked to the pilot of the one of the A-10 aircraft behind me, and he told me about his most recent mission.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LT. COL. MIKE WEBB, U.S. AIR FORCE: It's very tough to see them from the air. And we had forward troops that were up on a railroad crossing, and they were trying to call us in -- the A-10 -- to supress with our 30-millimeter cannon. And we couldn't figure out exactly where everyone was. And to prevent a blue on blue incident, I was able to...

TUCHMAN: Blue on blue meaning what?

WEBB: We don't want to have friendly fratricide. We don't want to kill our own folks. So I fired two rockets into a river and ran underneath a railroad bridge, and from that smoke, the white phosphorous smoke, our friendlies on the ground were able to direct our fire into the enemy fire, and then we were successfully able to supress that area with rockets and cannons.

TUCHMAN: It sounds like it could have been a potentially frightening incident. WEBB: Well, it could be, because when we're fighting that close to our troops, less than one quick (ph) away, we want to be absolutely sure that we know what we're dealing with.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: Many of the people here, not just the pilots, but the others, our 8,000 servicemen and women here, are naturally fatigued after two weeks of nonstop work. But little things have happened at this base that have raised people's spirits.

No. 1, there hasn't been a missile alert or siren for about 96 hours now. That's made the atmosphere more relaxed. Other things that have happened, the fitness center where they could do exercises and work out, that's been reopened. That was shut down when the war began for resource purposes. It's now reopened. People are enjoying that.

Also, the store, the base exchange, which they call the BX, the only place where you can buy treats and candies and sodas and things like that, the hours have been extended. And those kinds of little things are what the people appreciate.

One thing that hasn't resumed, though, before the war started they used to have a movie night here every Friday night. They're still not planning yet on showing movies. Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: Gary, what about -- I keep getting e-mail from our viewers asking if the warplanes have enough bombs in stock. They seem to be dropping so many bombs and missiles. Do they have enough in the inventory to keep on pounding away?

TUCHMAN: I wonder if it's the same viewer, Wolf, because I got an e-mail with a viewer asking me the same question. So I'm glad you're asking me that so I get to answer that.

They have plenty of bombs and missiles. There's no question about that. You may remember, Wolf, a few months ago I did a series of live reports at the McAllister Army Ammunition Plant in McAllister, Oklahoma. It's where they make all the nonnuclear bombs in America's arsenal.

And they just keep making them and making them. And they sent a lot of them here. And there's absolutely no shortage, according to the officials here.

BLITZER: All right. Gary Tuchman at an air base not far from Iraq, a very busy air base, indeed. Thanks, Gary, 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