Fox3snapshot
22nd Apr 2003, 20:47
From the Gulf News Monday April 21 (sourced from Reuters)
[Quote]
Pilots Awarded For First Strike
Two F117A Nighthawk pilots who conducted the opening strikes of the U.S war on Iraq aimed at killing Saddam Hussain and his sons at a compound on the outskirts of baghdad were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross medal.
Lt Col. David Toomey and Maj. Mark Hoehn launched the strike less than two hours after being notified of the mission and bombed the target within one second of the planned time despite technical malfunctions, the military said.
"They met up with aerial refuelling and electronic warfare aircraft on their way to Baghdad and coordinated the many details of the mission elements they needed in the air to support the attack formation," the Combined Forces Air Component Command said. Hoehn's aircraft developed a malfunction and had a degraded communications ability, and Toomey had to overcome a weapons system malfunction.
[end quote]
Well done lads, but I am assuming there was a lot more to what occurred in the mission than is being reported as I am sure that of the 1000's of missions that were ultimately flown in the campaign, other US and Coalition aircraft were faced with similar or more perilous scenerios (evading Patriots for example) and are therefore also deserved of DFC's.
:hmm:
[Quote]
Pilots Awarded For First Strike
Two F117A Nighthawk pilots who conducted the opening strikes of the U.S war on Iraq aimed at killing Saddam Hussain and his sons at a compound on the outskirts of baghdad were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross medal.
Lt Col. David Toomey and Maj. Mark Hoehn launched the strike less than two hours after being notified of the mission and bombed the target within one second of the planned time despite technical malfunctions, the military said.
"They met up with aerial refuelling and electronic warfare aircraft on their way to Baghdad and coordinated the many details of the mission elements they needed in the air to support the attack formation," the Combined Forces Air Component Command said. Hoehn's aircraft developed a malfunction and had a degraded communications ability, and Toomey had to overcome a weapons system malfunction.
[end quote]
Well done lads, but I am assuming there was a lot more to what occurred in the mission than is being reported as I am sure that of the 1000's of missions that were ultimately flown in the campaign, other US and Coalition aircraft were faced with similar or more perilous scenerios (evading Patriots for example) and are therefore also deserved of DFC's.
:hmm: