Dan Hampton - Viper Pilot

WALKING THE DOG: Streaming an activated towed decoy.

WILCO: “Will Comply.” A military way of saying “I’ll do it!”

WSO: Weapons System Officer who controlled the radar in older fighters, like the F-14 and F-4. Not a pilot.

ZAP: A data-link.

ZIPPER: Clicking the mike several times by way of an affirmative reply.

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A-10 jets, in Iraq War, 217, 232, 279–80, 281, 291–92, 293

Advanced Survival Training, 40–42

Afghanistan War, 124, 304

AGNEW (Iraq War call sign), 289, 290, 292–300

air bases

functions of, 143

living facilities on, 143–44, 145

MWR areas on, 143–44

procedures for aircraft getting in and out of, 80

structure of, 143

See also specific air base

Air Combat Command (ACC), 126–27

Air Combat Maneuvering (ACM), 135

Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation (ACMI), 138–39

Air Combat Tactics (ACT), 135–37

Air Corps, Army, 126

Air Education and Training Command, 35

Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI), 151–52

Air Force, U.S.

budget for, 126–27, 303–4

careerists in, 154

deployment in Iraq War of, 306

development of anti-SAM weapons by, 21–29

generation gap among pilots in, 47–48

Hampton’s views about, 307

importance of instructors in, 132–33

importance of Iraqi threat to, 142

Major Commands of, 126–27

maps in modern, 219

Marine criticisms of, 212

medals in, 304

mentality of officers in, 124

no alcohol order of, 143–45

Numbered Air Forces (NAF) of, 127

post–Iraq War mentality in, 304

quality of training in, 33

structure of, 126–32

as sustaining long-term heavy operations, 142

as taking care of its personnel, 143

warriors in, 306

washing out of, 37

Air Superiority Command, 126

air superiority/supremacy

Hampton’s views about, 137

in Iraq, 147, 257–58

Air-Tasking Order (ATO) “Frag,” 84

air-to-air missiles, 236

air-to-air radar

Iraq War and, 172, 186, 200, 201, 226, 248, 268, 271, 272–73

9/11 and, 162

sandstorm landing and, 200, 201

air-to-air tactics, categories of, 135

air-to-air training, 59, 136–37

air-to-ground missiles. See type of missile

air-to-ground training, 59

Air Training Command (ATC), 39

Air War College, U.S., 212

Airborne Warning and Control System. See AWACS

AJ’s bar (Panama City, Florida), 157

AK-47 jets, 6, 267

Al-Jaber Air Base (Kuwait), 194, 209

al-Qaeda, 124, 151, 162

al-Udeid Air Base (Qatar), 179, 193

alcohol

prohibition on, 143–45

See also Apfelkorn; beer; Jeremiah Weed

Ali al-Salem airfield (Kuwait)

Hampton at, 211–15

Iraq War and, 194–95, 198–215

Operations Group commander at,

211–13, 214–15

sandstorm landing and, 194–95, 198–211

welcoming colonel at, 208–10, 215

Alternate Gear Handle, 122

AM-RAAM missiles, 115

Anderson, Rudolph, 17–18, 20

anti-aircraft guns/fire (Triple-A)

briefings about, 58

in Desert Storm, 73, 83

history and development of, 15–29

in Iraq War, 168, 173, 174, 180, 212, 215, 218, 222–26, 231, 233–38, 240–41, 244, 246–48, 251, 253, 255–57, 262–68, 271, 272, 274, 277, 279, 284–88, 291, 292, 294, 297, 301

Iraqi defense measures and, 146

in Korean War, 286

Soviet development of, 54

UAVs and, 304

in Vietnam War, 245

anti-radiation missiles, 8, 24, 174. See also HARM missiles; HARM Targeting System

antiwar protests, in Spain, 165–66

Apfelkorn liqueur, 87, 131

Applied Technologies Corporation, 21

approach plate-book, 194

Arabs

Americans’ lack of knowledge about, 123–25

Hampton’s views about, 123–24

Aramco, 144

Arc Light air campaign, 18

Army, U.S.

in Germany, 46

importance of Iraqi threat to, 142

Iraq War and, 232, 241, 279

AROMA (Iraq War call sign), 280

Assistant Director of Operations (ADO), 130

Assistant Flight Commanders, 127

AT-38 aircraft, 39

Atlanta, Georgia, 9/11 and, 158–59, 163

AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System)

Desert Storm attack and, 67, 76, 77, 79

at Incirik officer’s club, 86, 88, 90

Iraq War and, 8, 12, 13, 190, 191, 192, 196, 216, 217, 219, 242, 280, 289–90, 292, 295

9/11 and, 158

no-fly zones and, 142

return from Nasiriyah attack and, 190, 191, 192, 196

Azores, Gamblers stopover in, 302, 305

B-1 bombers, 270

B-52 bombers, 28

Baghdad International Airport (Iraq), 231, 232, 257–58, 280

Baghdad (Iraq)

Arches of Victory in, 278–79

attacks over, 180–82, 215, 231–58

declared an open city, 285

fall of, 300

Hampton’s missions over, 231–58, 259–77, 278–80

Iraqi defense of, 145, 172–76

and opening days of Iraq War, 168–76

Baghdad Muthenna Airport (Baghdad), 278, 280

Bahrain

Dhahran assignments and, 148

terrorism in, 151

Balad Air Field (Iraq), 233, 282–85

Baqubah (Iraq), 235, 243, 274, 285–89

Bardenas Range (Spain), 63

BARNEY (call sign), 62

Base Key, 105

Basic Fighter Maneuvers (BFM), 134–35

Basic Surface Attack, 138

Basra (Iraq), 145, 179

Battle Damage Assessment, 83, 192, 227, 228, 257

Battlestar Galactica (TV show), 43

beer, F-16 landings at Beni Suef and, 113, 116, 117, 118

Beni Suef Air Base (Egypt)

donkey incident at, 107–8, 119

“dual” training at, 120–23

F-16 landings at, 112–20

Hampton’s assignment at, 99–107, 110–20

Hampton’s functional F-16 test flight and, 103

Oasis at, 119–20

security at, 114

Beyond Visual Range (BVR) Air Combat Tactics, 135

bin Laden, Osama, 151, 153

Bitburg Air Base (Germany), 86

Bitching Betty warning system, 10, 105, 266

Blair, Tony, 165

Bofors, 16

bomb-dropping, 137–38

briefings/debriefings

in Egypt, 111

function and content of, 57–59

FWIC and, 136, 138–39

Mission Qual checks and, 129

after Mosul/Desert Storm attack, 82–85

about rejoin points, 176

return from Iraq War and, 305

of Weapons Officers, 133

British military

Iraq War and, 179, 183

in Middle East, 144

British Royal Air Force, 15, 47, 136, 281

British Royal Navy, 16

Brodeur, Dave “Klepto,” 243, 249, 251–52

BRUISER (call sign), 62

BUBBLES (call sign), 62

Buhayrat ath Tharthar (Iraq). See Tartar Lake

Bull’s eye

definition of, 67–68

empty gas tank problem and, 187, 188

Iraq War and, 226, 234, 235, 237, 239, 243, 246, 249, 252

Mosul attack (Desert Storm) and, 67–68

Bush (George) Airport (Iraq), 231

Bush, George H.W., Desert Storm and, 142

Bush, George W.