jlallen, Once the Apaches go in , we'll probably see heavier casualties on both sides....
Apaches on attack alert
GREG SEIGLE
Washington DC
The deployment this week of US Army Boeing AH-64A
Apache attack helicopters to Albania gives NATO military
leaders the option to intensify strikes against Serb military
and police units operating in Albania.
The 24 Apaches will form part of the 2,000-strong 'Task Force Hawk' being drawn from US Army Europe. The Apaches, which will come from the 11th Aviation Regiment, will be supported by 26 Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk utility and Boeing CH-47D heavy-lift helicopters.
Although the Apaches can destroy a wide array of Serb targets deep inside Yugoslavia, the aircraft are "very vulnerable" when not accompanied by artillery and air support, current and former US Army aviation officials told Jane's Defence Weekly.
Apaches are most effective when used in concert with artillery and air forces, not when they act alone, the officials said.
The task force will include a 350-strong artillery battalion equipped with 18 Multiple-Launch Rocket Systems (MLRSs). Each MLRS can fire two Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMSs). Each of these dispenses 950 M74 bomblets to a maximum range of 165km.
"From a planner's perspective, I always plan to use the Apaches with artillery and air power" such as the US Air Force (USAF) A-10 Thunderbolt II, said one US Army aviation official, a former Apache pilot stationed in the Pentagon. "Having A-10s and artillery and attack aircraft with you increases your chance of success and mitigates your risk.
"We learned early on that when you use combined weapon systems [such as the MLRS and A-10s] with Apaches, you greatly increase their lethality," said the official. "Without them, you're cutting away at [the Apache's] abilities."
Deployed near the Kosovo border, the ATACMS fired by the MLRS could
help soften Serb defences before a co-ordinated Apache attack. The MLRS 270A1 launchers use off-axis guidance techniques to prevent enemy radars from plotting their trajectory and directing counter-battery fire.
To co-ordinate deep-attack operations, 'Task Force Hawk' will include a 180-strong Deep Operations Control Centre that will include air-liaison, fire-support and air-defence cells. The Apaches routinely train with other aircraft such as A-10 close air-support aircraft, which would attack armoured vehicles and fighters deployed to suppress enemy air defences.
The AH-64A, which proved its value as a 'tankbuster' during the 1990-91 Gulf War, is ideally suited for "ducking and hiding, sneaking up on the enemy" in the mountainous terrain of Yugoslavia, said a retired colonel who commanded Apache units during that war.
Although Apaches can fire their laser-guided AGM-114 Hellfire missiles at targets from up to 9km away, they are considered vulnerable to Yugoslavia's 600 shoulder-held surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), such as the Russian-made Strela-2 (SA-7 'Grail').
"It's a perfect helicopter to take into the attack," he said. "But you cannot use an Apache just like an air force strike aircraft. They need the right support. If they go in anywhere and there's a Serb SA-7 behind them, they're dead."
US Army Aviation officials all agreed that Apaches could be downed by small arms fire, tanks, artillery, aircraft, and more likely, mobile SAMs such as the SA-7, Strela-3 (SA-14 'Gremlin') and Igla-1 (SA-16 'Gimlet').
The AH-64As can carry either up to 16 Hellfire missiles or 38 2.75-inch 76mm rockets, in addition to 1,200 rounds for its 30mm cannon. However, Apaches are often loaded with only eight Hellfires to carry more rockets and cannon ammunition, officials said.
Task Force Hawk also includes a mechanised battalion-minus equipped with M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and M1A1 main battle tanks for forceprotection, and a 580-strong logistics unit.
Additional reporting by Ian Kemp JDW News Editor
Jane's Defence Weekly |
