by Rob "Waldo" Waldman
When asked to write a story describing one of my combat experiences during Operation Allied Force, I was initially very honored to share my experience with my fellow Air Force pilots, officers, and friends. As the days passed and I consolidated my thoughts, my feelings of honor became overshadowed by humility. For in portraying this segment of combat of an F-16 pilot, I share my small glory with the countless number of fighter and bomber pilots who, through the years, sacrificed their lives and well being for the benefit of those less fortunate than ourselves. Fortunately, due to advanced technology and the skill of our forces, the pilots flying in Allied Force were able to deny the enemy the vast destruction faced by our brothers in arms in previous air and ground conflicts. I am extremely thankful for this. Subsequently, I feel indebted to these heroes of our past for the lessons they have taught us through their sacrifice. It is for these special soldiers that I write this story.
Living on the top of a mountain in a ski lodge in northern Italy was definitely a very worthy location for a TDY (temporary duty) as an Air Force F-16 pilot. Beautiful scenery, delicious Italian food, and the company of my good friends made it very hospitable. Combine that with some push it up combat flying and you have a most righteous TDY that makes PSAB (Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia) look like Leavenworth for sex offenders. I must admit that morale was high. I was part of the 78th Air Expeditionary Force that was comprised of pilots from 4 different squadrons from Shaw AFB, SC. While the 78th "Snakes" and 79th "Tigers" made up a majority of the deployed squadron, we also had a few pilots from the 55th "Shooters" and 77th "Gamblers" that helped share in the fun. I cannot tell you how awesome it was to share such a valuable, hard core flying experience with my friends and fellow pilots from back home. I was proud to be a part of this great group of men.
The Shaw F-16 squadrons arrived at Aviano in mid April. By May, we were flying the typical Allied Force missions for approximately 3 weeks, and the routine was getting pretty standard. I was flying night missions the first part of the war with half of my squadron. We had to be on our way 'down the mountain' by ~1500 hrs to make a late afternoon brief and an evening take-off. Sorties continued throughout the night, so you could have a take-off anywhere from 1900 to 0200 hrs. Needless to say, your sleep clock often took a beating. If you didn't mind night flying, it was ‘the’ schedule to be on as you had the opportunity to enjoy some of the daytime activities surrounding Aviano AB and the local Italian community. Moreover, "night time was the right time." That's where the action was.
The day was 5 May 99 and I shared my lunch with my good friend Capt Lane 'Snag' Beene - a fellow T-37 Tweet FAIP (First Assignment Instructor Pilot) and all around great guy. I ate my standard "Waldo" lunch of fresh baked pizza that rivaled my favorite pizza growing up on Long Island, NY. Although Lane and I would share some pretty good memories flying over Kosovo, he was not in my 4-ship that evening. After lunch, I drove the 25-minute ride down the twisty mountain road to Aviano Air Base with my flight members for that day’s mission; #1- Capt John "Yoda" Pearse, #3- Mike "Pigpen" Hernandez, and #4 - Dave "Shooter" Smith. I was #2. Yoda and Pigpen were experienced ‘Viper babies,’ I was an experienced wingman and former T-37 FAIP, and Shooter was a brand new wingman, compliments of the tanker ”cross-flow” program. Four young men going to combat, we were all psyched about the mission. Not only because we knew there was a great chance for one or all of us to actually employ our weapons, but in particular because we were going "Downtown." Belgrade, the capital of Yugoslavia, would be our target that evening.
Our four-ship was fragged to support a package of F-117 stealth fighters and F-16 CG's (loaded with laser guided weapons) hitting multiple targets in Belgrade. These 'downtown' Belgrade missions were complex and dangerous, as the enemy had a vast concentration of SA-3 and highly mobile SA-6 surface to air missile systems (SAMS) surrounding the city. These missile systems were very active, especially at night. The Serbians were very adept at moving their SAMS and we really never knew the exact location of a majority of them. Moreover, the terrain and consistently poor weather and visibility made it extremely difficult for certain imaging devices to pick up the sites.
The SAM systems surrounding the outlying city of Obrvah caused instant heartburn for many pilots flying missions in Yugoslavia. We aptly named the operating airspace above Obrvah "Satan's Ass,” as flying through it was like flying through hell. The SAM operator(s) at this site had an affinity for consistently launching mass quantities of missiles at our aircraft. You knew you had to keep your cranium on a swivel if you were flying anywhere close to this location.
The night strike missions into Belgrade were US Only packages as determined by NATO policy and the type of site being targeted. A ”US Only mentality” became apparent upon reviewing the complexity of these missions. The bottom line was that these were the toughest missions. The U.S. always volunteered for them. I do not write that statement facetiously. Yet, I do know any fighter pilot worth his gravy would have volunteered for these missions, regardless of what country he represented. This was just the policy as dictated by those in command of the war.
Our 4-ship rallied at ~1700 at the F-117 Stealth Fighter Operations Center where we pre-briefed with the F-117 pilots we were supporting that night. Watching these men work was in itself rather impressive. The mission planning equipment and technology utilized to orchestrate an F-117 strike was none like I had even seen in my 9 years in the Air Force. Mission planning was extremely accurate. Timing and de-confliction during night operations was crucial as the stealth pilots had minimal SA (situational awareness) because they lacked radar to keep track of enemy and friendly aircraft. These pilots were absolute professionals. Needless to say, I departed their planning trailer thankful for the fact that I was a 9 G pulling, MIG Killing Viper pilot with forward firing ordnance!
The strike mission was fragged as a 6-ship of F-117's, and a 4-ship of F-16 CG's (carrying laser guided bombs) attempting to strike various targets around Belgrade. One 2-ship of CG's had the ‘target of the day’ which consisted of a grouping of MIG aircraft parked outside a hangar at an enemy airfield. Our job as a 4 ship of F-16 CJ SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defense) aircraft was to target and suppress any radar missile systems that were to be a factor to the strikers (and ourselves!) If a Serbian SAM operator was going to ‘light-up’ a friendly aircraft with his guidance or tracking radar and subsequently fire a missile, you could guarantee we were going to launch our HARMS (High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missiles) and convince him to reprioritize his responsibilities! Furthermore, every night around the vicinity of Belgrade, radar sites were primary targets for our strike aircraft. HARMS (preemptive or reactive) were constantly being launched to suppress these sites. My 4-ship knew there was a high probability that one or more of us would get a chance to shoot. Excluding all other variables, this by itself made every mission extremely motivating and challenging. For it was a chance of a lifetime to actually fire the weapons we had trained so many times to tactically employ.
Our pre-flight weather brief showed the standard Serbian broken deck at ~10,000" typical of the summer nights outside of Belgrade. Therefore, we anticipated a potential weather back up mission due to the probable inability of the strikers to identify the targets. Intelligence summarized the Air/Electronic Order of Battle (AOB/EOB) prior to stepping to our aircraft. Nothing new was identified. There was no air activity (we shot down all the MIGS!!) and various SA-6/3's were active in the vicinity of Belgrade and Obrvah. Bottom line--we never knew what to expect. As a result, we always walked out the door expecting the worse. There is no room in the world of a fighter pilot for a complacent attitude.
Ground operations were uneventful. We taxied with the rest of the package and Yoda managed to get our 4-ship off the ground fully mission capable. Approximately 2 miles separated each aircraft on the radar assisted trail departure, and we coasted in the cool night to our air refueling track in the middle of Bosnia which was due West of our area of responsibility. The KC-135 tanker-rejoin and air refueling went well, contrary to the many harrowing encounters most of us previously had experienced. Night rejoins in the weather, lights-out on the tanker, and extreme spatial disorientation were common. Throw in a few thunderstorms and lightning and you were quick to realize that the tanker was often the most stressful (and dangerous) part of the flight. We checked in with our AWACS controller, topped off our jets with fuel, and proceeded east for the border of Bosnia and Yugoslavia. It was time to put our game faces on.
We each ”Fenced In” automatically and established a ~3-5 nm no lock radar trail. Lights out, missiles cooled, IFF/ECM/Air-Air Tacan set, chaff armed (I opted not to use flares at night), HARM/Harm Targeting System (HTS) on, and Master Arm-HOT! It was crucial to get spacing set and establish yourself in the appropriate altitude block (220-240) well before crossing the hostile border. Once there, most of the time was spent looking outside for threats and cross checking the radar for maximum situational awareness. You had to monitor the flight lead in front of you and constantly reference the Harm Attack Display (HAD) and Harm as Sensor (HAS) display for enemy radar activity. As we looked in the distance at the airspace in front of us, it became apparent that the cloud deck we had anticipated was present. Various radio calls confirmed that the F-117's had cancelled their mission due to the weather (obscured targets). The F-16 CG's continued the mission ‘as fragged’ in accordance with the Air Tasking Order (ATO). They would be the only strikers that night, and it soon became obvious that it was going to a ‘Viper only’ show. Push it Up!
My horizontal situational display (HSD) showed our 4 ship ~10 miles from the border. My heart started racing as I began scanning the horizon for any enemy anti aircraft artillery (AAA) and missile launches. Usually, SAM launches and AAA were visible in the distance prior to crossing the Forward Edge of the Battle Area (FEBA). Tonight, the only lights I saw were from the stars and the moon. I remember thinking how peaceful the sky looked that evening.
After months of continuous bombing, the Serbians became familiar with our tactics and routes of flight. We were well aware of this. Consequently, they were able to vary their tactics and it became difficult to predict their actions. In addition, they were able to use visual spotters and long-range acquisition radar to estimate our position without the need to turn on the radars at their SAM sites. This meant that an SA (Situational Awareness) building, advanced radar warning receiver (RWR) visual indication from the aircraft cockpit display was highly unlikely. If a pilot only relied on RWR for SA (and not look outside), the likelihood of getting shot down significantly increased. This tactical theory soon became a stark reality within a few seconds of crossing the hostile Serbian border.
My 4-ship crossed the FEBA on time and ready for action. Based on our mission planning, the F-16 CG's would be entering Belgrade from the NW, just north (left) of our current position. Thus, when I heard an excited cry over the radio from an F-16 CG pilot calling out "missiles in the air - right 3 O’clock!” my first inclination was to look to my left to see a missile guiding away from me and towards this pilot’s aircraft north of my position. The lack of any visual missile launch to the left, combined with the sudden alarming tone of my RWR (indicating an SA-3 missile launch at MY 3 O'clock) was enough to make me promptly swing my cranium to the right and look frantically outside for missiles. At my 4-O’clock position, I soon caught sight of what appeared to be two roman candles swooping though the sky in my direction. At that moment I realized it was me who they were shooting at, and the two missiles I spotted were heading directly towards my aircraft! The moment was absolutely surreal, and it seemed as if everything was in slow motion. I will never forget this vision and how I felt. For the first time in my life, someone was basically trying to kill me. Strangely enough, it was exactly how I envisioned it in my dreams when I chair flew my way through SAM defense procedures and shooting down MIGS (a standard fighter pilot dream!)
Contrary to popular belief, my textbook SAM defense was far from perfect. After consciously thinking to myself, "Holy___, it’s me they are shooting at-not those other dudes"), I turned on my electronic counter measures (ECM) pod, and did my best rendition of a panic induced SAM defense maneuver. I dumped my nose, lit the after burner, and managed quite anxiously to transmit a short radio call saying I was defending against a missile launch at my right 4 O'clock. I got my nose below the horizon, and unhappily watched as the missiles continued to track on me. At that moment, I reefed back on the stick and started upwards hoping to kinematically run the missiles out of energy. During this entire process, my RWR was still screaming at me giving an SA-3 guidance signal. I remember thinking to myself that they really looked like they were getting close, and admittedly felt somewhat anxious at that time. Just at that moment as I was preparing to track my nose once again below the horizon, the missiles showed a significant line of sight lag to my six O'clock. It was only then that I knew there was no way they could strike me. I watched as the missiles passed within ~3,000" feet of my aircraft and exploded. It looked like two huge chaff explosions, almost like a fire works sparkler you see on the 4th of July. It actually looked rather impressive and added to the surrealism of the whole event.
While I do not remember hearing it on the radio (my breathing was way to heavy), the number 3 man in our flight "PigPen" managed to ”range in" the SA-3 radar site that was shooting at me and subsequently fired a HARM at the site! Intel later reported that the site had been hit by that HARM. Talk about a teamwork effort! It was a perfect example of textbook mutual support.
Once I knew I was safe, my next obligation was to get "re-tied" (radar contact established) with my flight lead Yoda. This by far is the biggest and most lethal threat of any combat mission, as nothing is more humbling and non-tactical than being a lone wolf roaming the skies in enemy territory with no mutual support. I requested Bogey Dope (position/altitude) from Yoda, set up my radar, and shortly thereafter became tied (radar contact established) 10 miles at his 6 O'clock. I continuously had my eyes scanning outside expecting another missile to come up after me. My heart was still racing and the adrenalin rush was like no other I ever had.
It was at this time when I noticed a huge flurry of AAA and multiple missile launches N/NE of my position. The skies were lit up like the 4th of July. As Yoda and I established our SEAD CAP SW of Belgrade, numerous defensive calls were heard from our #3 and #4 men who were established ~30 miles away in a cap NW of Belgrade. Obviously, our flight mates were experiencing their own significant emotional events. As luck would have it, it was #4, "Shooter," who was doing the funky chicken this time. Unfortunately for Shooter, he was not as fortunate as I was that night getting re-tied to his flight lead. Geographically disoriented, Shooter wound up over 30 miles away from his flight lead Pigpen! Needless to say, the radios were pretty congested as they attempted to expeditiously regain mutual support. Re-playing the tapes, it was actually a rather entertaining and amusing verbal exchange. However, I will leave the details of this event to the graces of another Operation Allied Force story.
Following Shooter’s rejoin on Pigpen, Yoda and I continued our responsibilities in our own CAP. The clouds were scattered at approximately 10,000” MSL, so at times it was rather difficult to get a tally on missiles or AAA beneath the clouds. Yet, at the same time, it was more difficult for the enemy to visually spot us as well. Consequently, during nights like this, it was more common for the Serbians to employ their tracking and guidance radars when engaging one of our fighters. While this provided a higher quality missile track on us, it also gave us increased response time and situational awareness when we were being engaged. My confidence at this point had sky rocketed, having subsequently defeated a multiple missile launch against my F-16. Within minutes, I would be given another lucky opportunity to prove myself.
Established ~5 nautical miles from Yoda, I continued my visual, radar, and HTS cross check. Shortly thereafter, I noticed a rather bright light appear beneath a huge, glowing cloud. I thought to myself that the city beneath this cloud must be rather large to cause such an intense light. At the moment I realized there were no major cities established beneath our cap, 2 comets of bright orange light came flying through the clouds, one after the other. Coincident with my visual acquisition, my RWR once again became active with an SA-3 radar tracking indication. For the second time that night, I had 2 missiles tracking on y aircraft! I called out the missiles to Yoda and repeated my Glib-II maneuver for the second time, this time accomplishing perhaps 50% of the procedures by the book (a huge step from my initial hack.) On this occasion, the missiles got a lot closer to my aircraft, and I placed my index finger on the stores jettison button in preparation for releasing my fuel tanks and ordinance. In case it was necessary to continue evading the missiles, I would need to be as light and maneuverable as possible. Fortunately, the missiles again receded on my canopy and blew up. This time, they were within 1,500 feet of my aircraft, much closer than my first engagement. I established radar contact with Yoda, and once again felt the adrenalin pumping through my veins. Having had enough excitement for the night, I was more than ready to hit the tanker and proceed home.
As Yoda coordinated the 4-ship departure en route to the tanker, I remember thinking to myself that tonight had been the pinnacle, most intense moment of my life. For the first time in my career as a military aviator, I was placed in a combat situation where my life was seriously threatened, and I succeeded in thwarting the enemy of that opportunity. While other combat pilots through history have experienced far more intense and harrowing situations, this was my own personal victory and it was unique to me. Looking back, it forged a transformation in my character unmatched by any other significant emotional event of my life.
The tanker finally became visible on my radar as I finished the last of my pre-refueling checks. Although the haze was rather thick in the mid 20’s, I did not anticipate IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) conditions during the rejoin. Fortunately, this proved accurate and the refueling was uneventful and proceeded smoothly. Regrettably, this same fortune did not shine upon my four-ship for the return back to the home field. Aviano was experiencing rain showers, low visibility, and heavy winds that required us to divert into the alternate airfield of Rivolto just to the north of Aviano. To make matters worse, none of us had diverted in Italy prior to this mission, and although the approach procedure into Rivolto was straight forward, we were unfamiliar with it. The fact that we were flying the last leg of a 3-hour plus stressful mission and it was nighttime with poor weather did not alleviate the situation. The last thing any of us wanted was to foul up a perfectly successful combat mission with an improperly executed strange field approach. Historically, many aircraft related accidents occur during relatively simple phases of flight due to complacency. We weren’t going to let that happen to us. Once again, we had to refocus our concentration towards the objective of getting our aircraft on the ground safely.
Luckily, our native Italian air traffic controller did a fantastic job vectoring each of us towards the Rivolto final approach course. One by one we established ourselves on final, each in a 2-3 mile radar trail. Although the wind, rain, and haze made for low visibility, we broke out a few hundred feet above minimums and established visual contact with the runway approximately 2 miles out. Upon landing on the wet runway, we quickly realized that even the standard taxi back to the de-arm areas was wrought with challenges. Because of the high humidity, fog, and minimal airfield lighting, it was almost impossible to taxi as our canopies became covered in condensation. We were all forced to crack open our canopies in order to see where we were taxiing! It seemed the excitement was never ending on this sortie.
Finally, we found our parking location, shut down, and assisted the local maintainers in refueling our aircraft. Yoda, Pigpen, Shooter and I gathered our gear and were escorted by a young Italian Air Force captain to their flight planning room. We called flight operations at Aviano to let them know we were all on the ground safely, and proceeded to wait for a change in the weather at Aviano. After tracking down a cappuccino machine, we all gathered around, sipped our Italian beverages, and began an informal flight debrief. Despite the standard criticism and mocking we granted one another for the various acts of buffoonery, we were all very proud of each other. Without a doubt it was a team effort, and each one of us had contributed to the success of this mission. Even though we did not talk about it, we knew that what we experienced that night was unique and special to us all. We engaged the enemy and succeeded in thwarting their efforts to shoot us down. We had done our duty as Block 50 F-16 pilots that night, and it felt great.
Two hours later at ~0700 hrs, I raised the gear handle in my viper and turned to the southwest towards Aviano as the morning sun lit up the sky and reflected off my visor. It was going to be a beautiful day. As I leveled off at 5,000 feet and contacted approach control for vectors to Aviano, I remember thinking how great that cappuccino tasted.
About The Author
Rob "Waldo" Waldman, a professional speaker and consultant, chairman and founder of Patriot Group Inc., is a former F-16 pilot in the U.S. Air Force and currently serves part time as an Air Force Academy Admissions Liaison Officer in the USAF Reserve. He is a 1990 US Air Force Academy Grad. In 1995, he completed his MBA at Phillips University. His first assignment as a USAF pilot was as a T-37 Instructor Pilot at Vance AFB, then Randolph AFB. Major Waldman later flew F-16s at Kunsan`s 35th Fighter Squadron and Shaw`s 79th Fighter Squadron. At Shaw, Major Waldman flew combat missions over Iraq as part of Operation Desert Fox in 1998 and Operation Southern Watch. In addition, he flew 22 Combat Missions in Yugoslavia during Operation Allied Force in 1999 earning 3 Air Medals. Rob lives in Atlanta and is President/CEO of The Patriot Group, Inc., a sales and leadership consulting firm. He can be reached at waldo@patriotgroup.us
Disclaimer
Photo Sources
Some of the photos are from the official USAF web site. Thanks for great pictures!!