| Vipers in the Storm: Keith Rosenkranz Interview
by Jeremy Wesolowski |
||||
|
Were any of your squadron mates engaged by SAMs and, if so, how did they evade them? What was your own personal experience with SAMs and AAA fire? KR: My friends and I were engaged by numerous SAM systems during the Gulf War - SA-2s, SA-3s, SA-6s, SA-7s, and SA-8s. Two pilots were shot down during my second mission to Baghdad when we attacked Saddam Hussein's nuclear research facility. This was the largest strike package of the war - 78 aircraft. I believe they were shot down by SA-6s, though I can't say for sure. I was engaged by SA-2s and SA-6s during the mission on more than one occasion. The best way to defeat them is to begin a weave plus or minus 45 degrees of your aircraft heading as soon as you get a RWR indication. Punching out a bundle of chaff every other turn is also important. If the missile continues to guide on your jet, it is imperative that you put it on the beam - turn to place the missile directly off your left or right wing. Prior to impact or detonation, a pilot should attempt to barrel roll around the missile to make it overshoot. A short prayer is also helpful if it gets to this point.
 C5 in Kuwait. USAF Photo. AAA is a different story. The "see and avoid" concept applies here. At night the tracers are easy to see and you just fly around the system. During the Gulf War, the Iraqis usually had their radars off because of the HARM threat. As a result, they usually fired random burst into the air with the hope that they would shoot one of us down. High altitude and the cloak of darkness was always on our side, though, so AAA didn't worrry me much at night. During the missions to Baghdad, the Iraqis fired higher calliber AAA that would explode around you in black popcorn-shaped clouds - much like the old World War II highlight footage that is often shown in old movies. Putting your bombs on target is your number one priority, so there are times when you just have to suck it up, roll in on the target, and hope the golden bee bee doesn't have your name on it that day . |
 Your scariest moment during the Gulf War. KR: My scariest moment during the Gulf War occurred near the end of the war. My wingman and I were flying in the middle of the night in extremely poor weather. The clouds were solid from seven thousand to thirty thousand feet. I didn't even acquire the boom on the tanker until I was within one hundred feet of it. We were tasked to hit a column of tanks near an airfield called Ali Al Salim, which isn't too far from Kuwait City. Since the weather was poor, I had my wingman drop his ordnance from medium altitude. I had two Maverick missiles, however, which meant I had to drop below the weather to visually acquire my targets. After firing my first missile, my wingman called to confirm my position. He made a mistake and called out the wrong reference point, though. As the tank exploded beneath me, I looked inside to check my position in the area. A few seconds later, I felt as though something were wrong. The controls were extremely sensitive and there was a lot of noise around the canopy. This was a sure sign that I was approaching the speed of sound. I knew that from my days as a T-38 instructor pilot. A student's first flight in the T-38 was always a supersonic run. Instinct took over and I looked down at my attitude indicator. I was pointed thirty degrees nose low toward the ground. Our assigned floor was 5,000 feet, but when I looked at the HUD, I noticed my altitude was 1,600 feet. I pulled with all my might and was fortunate enough to live and tell about it. I don't know where I bottomed out, but I learned a valuable lesson that night. Fly the aircraft first and never lose situational awareness. How many ground targets did you destroy during the 30 combat missions that you flew during the Gulf War? Of those, how many were attributed to the Maverick? KR: I flew 30 combat missions during the Gulf War. I can't say for sure how many targets I destroyed. I did score ten Maverick missile kills on the "Highway of Death" against Iraqi tanks, trucks, and armored personnel carriers, though. Go to Part IV
|
|||
|
Copyright © 1997 - 2000 COMBATSIM.COM, INC. All Rights Reserved. Last Updated July 27th, 1999 |
||||