COB Basra – The saying goes, “Pride comes before the fall”, but since the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime it has been the opposite for the Iraqi Air Force’s 70th Squadron.
Working with U.S. forces, they have reclaimed their pride as pilots, and as Iraqis.
Now, the 70th is performing their own training from beginning to end, proving the era of independence they have worked so diligently for has arrived.
The goal has always been to create a sustainable training squadron that can effectively transition new recruits into operational missions and put the protection of Iraqis into their own hands, said Col. Sami Saeed, squadron commander for the 70th.
One important tactic was taking advantage of the “train the trainer” mentality said U.S. Air Force Maj. Al Danza, native of Boise, Idaho, director of operations in the 124th Air Support Operations Squadron.
The self-sustaining method allows the squadron to pass on basic knowledge but also creates an element of leadership training.
“We started off with simple air- to- ground check-ins with the ground commander as the mission began,” said Danza.
“It was all basic intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance stuff; teaching them to fly with their [sensor] pods,” he said.
Training begins with lectures, written exams, and courses on in-flight emergencies and limitations. The new pilots also learn the technical aspects of the surveillance cameras.
Soon after, without any time in simulation, the pilots are two thousand feet in the air, putting their classroom instruction to practical use.
Eventually, the lessons have the pilots following multiple vehicles and individuals, monitoring buildings and searching main supply routes for improvised explosive devices.
“It’s become natural for them, just like anybody else, and now they are able to work on the more advanced stuff,” said Danza.
In training, U.S. Airmen act as the opposing force. They drive around Contingency Operating Base Basra in a truck while the unit’s Seabird Seekers and CH2000 surveillance planes identify and follow them.
During another scenario, the Airmen are on foot and go into a building while the Iraqi pilots circle overhead, keeping watch.
“They are constantly communicating with the ground commander, who is also a student, and since they are working with the Iraqi special operation forces, their surveillance will allow them to find the OpFor on the ground,” Danza explained.
The integration of ground forces allows multiple personnel to experience more realistic training at the same time.
“And that’s where we are today, doing the more complex type missions as these guys have gotten used to what the missions entail,” said Danza.
“They have the equipment, they know how to use it, now it’s just about transitioning from a training aspect to an operational environment,” he said.
The biggest challenge was working through civilian interpreters who were not familiar with some of the “air lingo” and concepts that did not translate easily into Arabic, Danza said.
Once the barrier was broken, there was instant solidarity among the men.
“I’ve found that pilots are pilots, the world over. I mean these guys, we instantly bonded being fighter pilots,” he said.
The squadron is made up of pilots who flew in the Iran-Iraq War who have hundreds of hours of combined flight time.
In fact, under Hussein’s regime, Saeed was forced to fly against the Americans during the Persian Gulf War.
Years later he met Air Force Lt. Col. Bill Iuliano, air liaison officer with the 84th Expeditionary Air Support Operations Squadron, who had flown against him in the Gulf war. Shortly into their time working together, Iuliano realized F-15s escorting his F-111 bomber had almost shot Saeed down.
Instead, due to improper loading of 4 missiles, the two had the opportunity to rebuild the Iraqi Air Force, and a plaque from Iuliano is mounted on Saeed’s wall reading, “Praise Allah for faulty maintenance.”
“That was my boss,” said Danza.
The Iraqi Air Force was founded in 1931 and steadily rose to be one of the largest air forces in the Middle-East until the Persian Gulf War, when it sustained heavy losses.
Soon after, during the U.S. led invasion of Iraq in 2003, many fighters were ordered to be dismantled or buried in the desert.
After the invasion, it was a lengthy process to rebuild what had been lost.
The Iraqi Air Force performed its first medical evacuation March 4, 2007 when a wounded Iraqi policeman was taken from the 28th Combat Support Hospital to Baghdad.
In 2008, they played a major role in assisting ground troops in the heavy fighting against the Mahdi army in the city of Basrah.
Now, the 70th is helping with border security, conducting over-flights of cities and performing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions around oil pipelines.
Furthering the independence of the 70th to train, plan, and conduct operations is a milestone in the reconstruction of the Iraqi Air Force as a whole.
“I think they have strong leadership in place right now and I think their leadership is driven towards that goal,” said Danza.
“Just like anybody else in the military, they love their country and want to support it as much as they can,” he said, “so they are going to drive toward those operational goals and be able to perform any mission that is tasked toward them.”
Saeed also sees a sustainable training squadron and the confidence it instills as one more step toward the recovery of Iraq.
“Before, we would get in our planes and not expect to come home,” he said. “Now it is different.”
