Operation Iron Fortress
4 May 2008
North Korea has overrun most of the Korean peninsular, driving loyalist forces and supporting NATO units into a pocket in the south-east corner. Here the allied forces are determined to make a stand, to retain a foothold on the mainland while reinforcements are rushed in from US bases in Japan and the Pacific.
Desperate attempts to negotiate a ceasefire have failed, not surprisingly, but their main goal was to delay the North Korean advance, and create a lull, however brief, that would give us an opportunity to take the initiative. From this perspective, the talks have succeeded admirably – the enemy ground troops advance has halted, and their air activity ceased during the negotiations, giving us the chance we need.
Map 1: Ground Forces at 0900
Map 2: Active Aircraft (=10 aircraft)
Map 3: Enemy Air Defences
The three key active airbases in the immediate vicinity are Kwangju, Kunsan and Seosan. The bulk of the remaining North Korean aircraft are operating out of bases from Seoul north.
The primary air defence threat in the area is the SA-5 unit near Kwangju.
Phase 1: Startle the Tiger
The goal of the first phase of the operation is to reduce the enemy’s ability to project air power, as quickly as possible. A fast aggressive strike against vulnerable key airbases will have a triple benefit: reduce their available airpower, disrupt their mission schedules, and put them in a more defensive mindset.
Mission 1: Opening Gambit
Target: Runways at Kunsan Airbase
Duration: 0910 - 0945
Aircraft: OCA #1 - 3xF-16 Taegu Matthew, Kane, Mark
OCA #2 - 2xF-16C-50 Taegu Steve, Michael
SEAD Escort – 4xF-16 (AI)
Result: Target destroyed
Kills: 4
Losses: 1 KIA 1MIA
Description:
Kunsan was chosen as our first target, as it was the most accessible of the three bases. Kwangju, further south, being protected by its SA-5 battery.
The flight plan involved a low ingress/egress to avoid the SA-5, while bypassing the SA-2 batteries further north. Durandals would be employed to destroy the runways at the target.
Weather was clear, with a strong southerly wind. Takeoff and landing was from Taegu runway 32.
Map 4:Mission 1 Flight Plan
The mission progressed fairly smoothly up to IP, with the only excitement being some chance encounters with enemy ground forces while scooting along 1500’ AGL. Those ground troops clearly were able to alert the enemy airbases, though, because as we began our final run in to Kunsan, MiG-21s were lifting off to meet us.
Matthew, leading the first flight in, was our first casualty - hit in the face by a missile launched only 1-2 miles out by the first MiG pair to get off the deck. Michael and Steve in the second flight engaged those MiGs, with Michael shooting down the one that had fired on Matthew, and then becoming engaged with the second. The second MiG was shot down, but it is unclear by whom.
Mark and Kane pressed their attack and struck the left-hand runway.
Michael and Steve then resumed their approach on the right-hand runway, with Michael in the lead. Just as he approached the runway, a second pair of MiGs lifted off past him – luckily, too close to shoot. He pressed his attack, destroying the right-hand runway while Steve shot down one of the new pair of MiGs. However, its wingman was able to get off an R-77 shot that took out Steve, before it in turn was shot down, again by an unknown.
The three survivors returned to base with no further incidents, though fuel was approaching critical levels by the time they got home.
Photo 1: Kunsan BDA
Mission 2: Double Tap
Target: Runways at Kwangju Airbase
SA-5 System at Kwangju SAM Site
Duration: 1000 - 1040
Aircraft: OCA – 3xF-16 Pohang Matthew, Mark, Kane
SEAD – 2xF-16 Pohang Michael, Steve
Result: Both targets destroyed
Kills: 2?
Losses: 2 Rescued
Description:
With a significant enemy air offensive expected by 1030, time was short for the second mission. Clearly Kwangju airbase and its SA-5 was the best choice, removing both a major air defence threat and most of the remaining air threat to our western front.
The plan involved two low-ingress flights, the lead being a SEAD flight that would pop-up once within HARM range of the SA-5 and destroy its radar. The 3-ship strike would then follow and take out Kwangju’s single runway. The SEAD flight would secondarily be tasked with using cluster bombs to suppress any air defences around Kwangju.
The strike flight would again utilise Durandals against the runway.
Map 5: Mission 2 Flight Plan
The SEAD team used a well-coordinated attack plan to engage the SA-5 threat. Michael, in the lead, popped up first, climbing from 1000’ to above 10,000’ to encourage the SA-5 to light up. That it did, and his first pre-locked HARM was launched and he dived back to the deck. As he did this, his wingman Steve was in turn popping up, and launching a second HARM at the SA-5. As Steve in turn dived for the deck, Michael was popping up again to take a third shot, but the SA-5 signal was lost, and the target declared destroyed.
The strike flight then pressed on to their target. Again, MiGs scrambled as they approached, but this time the strike team had time to react. Matthew fired and hit one, while Michael, in the SEAD flight bringing up the rear, managed two kills. As the strike flight struck their target, Michael and Steve moved to engage nearby AAA units, but sadly both were brought down in quick succession, Michael by an SA-14, and Steve probably by AAA fire. Both ejected very close to the enemy airbase, but in the confusion caused by the raid were able to evade capture. With the assistance of local South Korean resistance fighters, they were rescued and returned to base.
The strike flight was able to hit its target, and returned home with no further incidents.
Photo 2: Kwangju BDA
Mission 3: Man the Walls
Target: Defend Taegu, Pohang, Kimhae, Pusan and Saechon
Duration: 1035 – 1110
Aircraft: Sweep – 3xF-16 Kimhae Matthew, Kane, Mark
BARCAP#1 - 2xF-16 Pusan Steve, Michael
BARCAP#2 - 2xF-16 Pusan (AI)
BARCAP#3 - 2xF-16 Pusan (AI)
Result: Airspace successfully defended
Kills: 8
Losses: 1 AI
Description:
As the Mission 2 strike flight was returning to base, AWACS was reporting incoming enemy air strikes. Matthew had prepared some BARCAP flights in anticipation of this, so we had six AI aircraft already in position, as well as a number of CAS missions engaging advancing enemy ground forces.
Map 6: SWEEP and BARCAP Flights 1000-1100 (62nd FF flights highlighted)
Map 7: Scheduled CAS Flights 1000-1100
As Steve and Michael had both been shot down in the previous mission, they took control of the southernmost BARCAP flight (the rest being already engaged with enemies), and went hunting for the southernmost of the incoming packages.
While searching, they became separated and as a result, when Steve finally located the two incoming MiG flights, he was some 15-20nm ahead of his partner. Undaunted, Steve pressed ahead, engaging the lead MiG flight even as the trailing flight was closing on his 3-o’clock.
In a furious combat, Steve downed five MiGs in the space of three minutes fighting. Michael only entered the fray after Steve had bagged his first three MiGs, and contributed one more to the total. The remnants of the enemy package scattered and fled.
- Steve achieved ACE status by downing five enemy aircraft in a single engagement.
Meanwhile, Matthew, Kane and Mark had landed, and Matthew had immediately authorised a 3-ship sweep out of Kimhae. The three of them launched, and headed north-west into ‘MiG Alley’, looking for trouble.
After a number of false IDs on our A-10 CAS flights – one coming within moments of a blue-on-blue incident, they found an incoming flight of MiG-23s being engaged by one of the AI BARCAPs. They waded into the fray, and Matthew was able to bag two kills.
The stout defence put up by our flights successfully repelled the enemy strikes, and none were able to reach their targets. The subsequent lull in air activity gave us the opportunity for a final strike against the enemy infrastructure.
Mission 4: Trifecta
Target: Runways at Seosan Airbase
Duration: 1120 – 1210
Aircraft: OCA #1 – 2xF-16 Taegu Michael, Steve
OCA #2 – 3xF-16 Taegu Mark, Kane, (AI)
Escort – 4xF-18 CV67 Kennedy (AI)
Result: Target destroyed
Kills: none
Losses: none
Description:
By eliminating Seosan airbase, we would remove the majority of the enemies nearby active airbases, severely reducing their ability to field aircraft, and forcing them to fly further, from their more northerly bases. As a result, the aircraft we would meet would have to be either lower on fuel, or less heavily armed. Thus it was clear what our final mission needed to be.
Map 8: Mission 4 Flight Plan (showing ADA threats)
Following a similar game plan to Mission 1, we used two strike flights armed with Durandals. In addition, we now had time to organise a 4-ship escort from the navy, in the form of a four-ship of heavily-armed F/A-18s.
Weather was still clear, although a few puffy clouds were starting to build up over the hills inland.
Still reeling from the blows we had struck them in the previous mission, it seemed the enemy were reluctant to engage us. Or maybe it was the presence of those F/A-18s. Whatever the reason, our ingress was smooth and uneventful. No enemy scrambled to meet us, and even the AAA fire seemed desultory. Although we were one pilot short (Matthew had to leave early), both flights were able to hit their respective targets, and Seosan was definitively removed from the active list. All four pilots returned to base safely.
Photo 2: Seosan BDA
Phase Summary
Results: 3 Enemy airbases out of commission
Southernmost SA5 threat non-operational
Initial enemy air wave repulsed with heavy losses
14 enemy aircraft destroyed
4 aircraft lost
2 pilots lost
Notes:
The initial phase of the operation has been very successful. The goals were achieved with acceptable losses, and significant damage was inflicted to the enemy, both on the ground and in the air.
However, despite our success, the enemy ground troops have been able to make significant inroads against our positions. Most significantly in the south-western corner, where Saechon is close to being overrun. Driving back enemy ground forces is becoming increasingly high priority, lest we lose our airbases!
Phase 2: Stemming the Tide
With the enemy air threat reduced, some of our focus must now turn to halting the enemy ground forces. Already advancing troops on our south-west front are threatening to overrun Saechon airbase.
At the same time, enemy air attacks will continue – but along a more restricted and predictable axis. It is vital that we prevent them from damaging any of our airbases; Taegu in particular as six of our eight F-16 squadrons have been relocated there!
Map 9: Ground Situation at 1220 (main enemy advances indicated)