Vipers in the Storm: Keith Rosenkranz Interview by Jeremy Wesolowski
	When you attacked the "Highway of Death", you launched several Mavs into the huge convoy. Do you believe that a Mav impact could have taken out more than one target? KR: You never fire it into a convoy hoping to take out large numbers. Using the Ground Moving Target Track (GMTT) mode of the F-16s air-to-ground radar system, I would lock up a target and then fly toward it. Lockups usually occurred from a distance of about 30 miles. Once I had a lock, I would ramp down and, once inside of 15 miles, I'd call up my Maverick video. The missiles were boresighted to the radar, so the target was almost always in the Maverick's field-of-view. After acquiring the target with the Maverick, I would lock it up. Inside of roughly eight miles with a steady pointing cross, I would let her rip. At that point, I was free to egress or go after another target. Did you ever use the automatic chaff/flare dispenser during your attack runs? KR: The F-16 has a programable chaff/flare program and our wing had recommended settings for it. We never programmed the flares, though, because firing flares would just highlight your position to the enemy. And, of course, we never had to really worry about heat-seeking missiles being fired at us by Iraqi fighters. If I felt the need to punch out a flare, I would do it one at a time. Most pilots set the chaff dispenser to "single." Believe it or not, chaff dispensed at night will also highlight an aircraft. I stood on the range one night and had our guys dispense chaff to verify this. After that, most of us always ran in singles, just like the flares. How difficult is it to identify ground targets from 5,000 feet? 10,000 feet? 15,000 feet? KR: Target identification is extremely important to a fighter pilot. Some say a good inertial navigation system (INS) is a bomber pilot's best friend. That's a statement I would strongly agree with. If the INS is accurate and you can find your target, putting your bombs on it is that much easier. Target size and the surrounding terrain is also a factor in target acquisition. The lower you are, of course, the easier it will be to acquire the target visually. Did you ever strafe any ground targets? If so, how effective was it? KR: Strafing was not allowed in our wing during the Gulf War. It seems like it would be a lot of fun to drop down to low altitude and strafe some targets, but tactically it is unsound. The shells have to be supersonic to have a good effect on the targets, which means you have to fire them from low altitude. Doing this will likely put yourself and your wingman in the heart of the SAM and AAA envelope. Taking a chance on losing a jet or fellow pilot simply isn't worth the effort. Click to continue		Sounds within the Viper? Sounds from outside of the Viper? Can explosions be heard and, if so, at what altitude approximately? KR: Sounds inside the Viper are usually limited to what you hear in your headset, i.e., radio calls, RWR indications, the sound of your engine. Nothing can be heard outside the jet. In your book you describe aerial refueling as if it were a simple task. How difficult exactly is it really? Any tips and/or suggestions for effective aerial refueling? KR: Air refueling is a lot of fun. It is a task that gets easier the more you practice it. Dido you hear the word "proficiency" echo in the background? We always refuel at 310 knots in the F-16. I always liked to approach the tanker with 20 to 30 knots of overtake. Once I reached the contact position, I would ease back on the power and let the boom operator do the rest of the work. While moving forward slowly, the boomer would fly the boom around my canopy and plug the probe into the refueling recepticle, which sits just aft of the canopy. After the boom is plugged in, I turn my concentration toward the director lights on the belly of the tanker. The lights are automatic and direct you to move up, down, forward and aft. They're designed to keep your aircraft in position while the refueling probe is plugged in. In fighter squadrons, if you fall off the boom during refueling you owe a round of drinks at the bar to everyone else in the flight. The competition is keen, so being relaxed is important. I used to wiggle my toes while I was on the boom to ease the tension. How's that for a tip? Go to Part V
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