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Iraqi Air Force builds ISR foundation with help from U.S. pilots

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt Stacia Zachary
  • AFCENT Combat Camera Team
NEW AL MUTHANA AIR BASE, Iraq --  The Iraqi air force is taking shape under the watchful guidance and support of U.S. military Airmen. A team of air advisors from the Coalition Air Force Training Team, part of Multi-National Security Transition Command - Iraq, has introduced current intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance technology to the IAF by providing pilots and mission systems operators instruction in the Iraqi air force's state of the art King Air ISR aircraft. The mission has added significantly to the Iraqi security forces' ability to harness and exploit intelligence and reconnaissance via collection on enemy operations.

The current Coalition Air Force Training Team here is shifting from an instructor role in the ISR mission to an advisory role. They assist the Iraqi pilots and MSOs from ISR Squadron 87 who will be responsible for detecting enemy activity within their country. 

"Fourteen months ago when the program began, we got our first pilots and we began training them from scratch," said Maj. Bryan Lee, CAFTT instructor pilot. "Many of these men are former Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 and 25 pilots who flew under Saddam's regime." 

Currently, there are four qualified three-man Iraqi air force ISR crews for the King Air ISR. Most of the remaining squadron pilots have a working knowledge of flying, but they haven't flown in several years. 

"The older pilots bring with them a level of experience that a new pilot wouldn't have, but the learning curve has been enormous mainly because they are set in their ways and that is a huge challenge," Major Lee explained, deployed from the 1st Flight Training Squadron, Pueblo, Colo. 

One obstacle the advisors are facing is converting the pilots' previous knowledge of the older MiG supersonic jet to the top-of-the-line King Air 350 intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft. 

"We have to get them to let go of their old habits and help them learn newer and better techniques," the major said, a former B-1 bomber pilot. "Now they learn to pilot a plane in any weather condition or environment and landscape. They fly nights and they are flying very modern, cutting edge aircraft - something very different from the aging MiGs they flew back in Saddam's regime." 

There are six new pilots, set to begin the training for the ISR Squadron 87 here. These are the latest graduates from the American pilot training school in Kirkuk, Iraq. 

"These are brand new guys," Major Lee said. "They are really the guys we have been targeting because they are 23 and 25 years old and they are fresh and moldable and the training is easier because there are no techniques to correct. In fact, one of the pilots came up to me and said, 'Sir, I want a Made in USA patch for my uniform.' He's proud that he has been taught by us." 

Many of the Iraqi air force pilots are honored to have an active role in bringing their country back to a semblance of its former glory as well as help provide the security necessary to keep their country safe. 

"It's important that we build ourselves strong enough to protect our country," said Captain Ali, ISR Squadron 87 pilot. "For too long we have let people do this and we need to step in and take responsibility for our country and protect it ourselves. The U.S. has given us much but we need to take over." 

As more pilots are trained, more and more all-Iraqi missions will be flown. Already the ISR pilots are helping out in other burgeoning Iraqi missions in the effort to provide security and stability to the region. The Iraqi air force provides ISR support to the Iraqi army, intelligence services, the directorate of border enforcement and the ministries of oil and electricity.

Mission sets for the Iraqi air force ISR include battlefield reconnaissance, urban security, support to ground forces' operations, surveillance of oil infrastructure and electrical infrastructure for damage, and national border security. 

"Strategically, it's imperative they step up to this challenge of securing their country because you don't want the terrorists stepping in and overrunning the area again. They have to stand up on their own and kick them out," Major Lee said. "With this airplane (King Air 350), they are now capable of doing missions with reconnaissance and the extended ability to hunt down bad guys." 

"We are ready to give our country the strength it needs," an Iraqi air force second lieutenant said. "It's like riding a bike. First we needed the Americans to keep us from falling and then to guide us. Now, we need to peddle on our own. They gave us the learning we needed. Now we must prove we can do this alone."