Christopher Haave: A-10s over Kosovo (illustrations removed)

The excessive en route time from Aviano to Kosovo reduced the A-10’s time on station and prevented an air frame from flying two daylight missions per day. Fifteen days into the war, the CAOC ordered the 81st FS to redeploy to Gioia. On 11 April 1999, the jets from Aviano were joined in the move by an additional three aircraft from Spangdahlem. At Gioia, the sortie-duration times were reduced, on-station times were increased, and the jets could fly two daylight missions per day. A detachment from the 74th FS at Pope arrived in late April with five aircraft, nine pilots, and 65 maintenance personnel to augment 81st FS operations. A British GR-7 Harrier squadron, an Italian Tornado squadron, and an Italian F-104 Starfighter squadron were also located at Gioia. The Harriers flew as strike aircraft for A-10 AFACs on a daily basis, and the proximity of operations made for a close working relationship.

A-10 AFAC operations at Gioia commenced within 24 hours of arrival. With the growing success of strikes against their Third Army, the Serbs increased their active air defenses. A-10 AFACs began reporting barrage-fired AAA and SAM launches. On 2 May, an A-10 AFAC was struck by an SA-14 infrared-guided SAM and was forced to recover at Skopje AB, Macedonia. On 11 May, another A-10 AFAC was struck beneath the cockpit by a mobile SAM; fortunately, that missile failed to detonate, and the jet was able to recover to Gioia.

AFAC operations over Kosovo grew to cover most of the day and half of the night. A-10s covered two four-hour daylight windows, all the while maintaining four aircraft on CSAR alert during night operations. F-16CG AFACs provided some day coverage and also flew during a two- to three-hour night window. The US Navy provided day AFAC coverage as well with F-14s flying off the USS Theodore Roosevelt. Even more AFACs were needed to provide full coverage—24 hours a day, seven days a week—over Kosovo. The Air National Guard then stepped in to create the 104th EOG, a rainbowed group of 18 aircraft from units in Michigan, Massachusetts, and Idaho. By 19 May, the 104th had deployed to Trapani AB in western Sicily. The lengthy trip from Trapani to the KEZ precluded the 104th from being able to double-turn for day missions, but it was able to cover a midday AFAC window and then turn for late-night missions. Additionally, the 104th deployed three of its aircraft to Taszar, Hungary, in May to perform CSAR alert, thus improving the CSAR response time in the event of a shootdown over northern Serbia. The final aircraft to join the AFAC mission was the US Marine F/A-18D. A full squadron joined the 104th CSAR detachment at Taszar, and these aircraft were flying over Kosovo by late May.

Late May proved the most successful period for air attacks against Serb ground forces. Several factors influenced that success and combined to provide a greater opportunity for NATO air attacks. Those factors included an increased force structure, improved weather conditions, and a KLA offensive in western Kosovo that forced the Serbian Third Army out of its hiding places. NATO increased the number of AFACs and strikers for near-continuous daylight operations until combat operations ceased on 10 June 1999. A-10s continued to provide airborne and ground CAS alert until the end of June as NATO occupation ground forces entered Kosovo.

AAA—antiaircraft artillery

AB—air base

ABCCC—airborne battlefield command and control center (EC-130E)

AC—alternating current (electrical power with alternating polarity)

ACC—Air Combat Command

ADI—attitude direction indicator

ADVON—advanced echelon

AEF—Air Expeditionary Force

AEW—Air Expeditionary Wing

AFAC—airborne forward air controller, aka FAC(A)

AFSOUTH—Allied Forces Southern Europe; NATO’s regional headquarters at Naples, Italy

AGL—above ground level

AGM—air-to-ground missile

AIM—air intercept missile

AI—air interdiction

AIRCENT—Allied Air Forces Central Europe (NATO)

AIRSOUTH—Allied Air Forces Southern Europe (NATO)

AMRAAM—advanced medium range air-to-air missile

AO—area of operations

AOR—area of responsibility

APC—armored personnel carrier

APU—auxiliary power unit arty artillery pieces

ASC—air strike control

ATACMS—air tactical missile systems

ATO—air tasking order

AWACS—airborne warning and control system (E-3)

BAI—battlefield air interdiction

bandit—an enemy aircraft

BDA—battle damage assessment

BE—basic encyclopedia number used to catalog targets

bingo—(1) brevity term used by tactical air forces to indicate a fuel level that requires termination of the mission and recovery to a tanker or home station; (2) brevity term used by special operations SAR helicopter forces to indicate that the door gunner is abeam the survivor

bino—gyro-stabilized binoculars; 12 power and 15 power

bomblet—a CBU submunition

bootleg—unscheduled (e.g., a bootlegged tanker is an unscheduled air-to-air refueling)

BRAA—tactical control format providing target bearing, range, altitude, and aspect, relative to a friendly aircraft

break—an aggressive, abrupt maneuver to defeat SAM, AAA, or air-to-air threats

BSD—battle staff directives

C3CM—command, control, and communications countermeasures

CAIFF—combined air interdiction of fielded forces

CANN—temporarily removing parts from an aircraft (cannibalization) so others can fly

CAP—combat air patrol

CAS—close air support

CAVOK—ceiling and visibility OK

CBU—cluster bomb unit

CEM—combined effects munition (CBU-87)

CFACC—combined forces air component commander

COAC—combined air operations center

Compass Call—an aircraft configured to perform tactical C3CM (EC-130H)

CP—control point

CSAR—combat search and rescue

DC—direct current (electrical power with constant polarity)

DCA—defensive counterair

DEAD—destruction of enemy air defenses

dirtball—dirt road

doolie—first year cadet at the AF Academy

EABS—expeditionary air base squadron

ECM—electronic countermeasures

EFS—expeditionary fighter squadron

ELS—expeditionary logistic squadron

EO—electro-optical

EOG—expeditionary operations group

ESS—expeditionary support squadron

EUCOM—US European Command

EW—electronic warfare

FAC—forward air controller

fence—the demarcation line between friendly and enemy territory

FG—fighter group

FL—flight level; thousands of feet when using a standard altimeter setting of 29.92 (FL 300 is 30,000 MSL with 29.92 set)