Luftkrieg im 21. Jahrhundert

[Quintus Fabius]

Anbei eine hochinteressante Zusammenstellung eines modernen Lufteinsatzes, in diesem Fall der Briten über Afghanistan. Zunächst mal handelt es sich hier um einen Einsatz gegen einen sehr schwachen Feind der über keinerlei, nicht einmal die rudimentärste Luftabwehr oder Luftaufklärung verfügt. Hier mal dann im folgenden ein paar der Ergebnisse des Einsatz:

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2015/10/op-herrick-afghanistan-aircraft-statistics/">http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2015/10/o ... tatistics/</a><!-- m -->

Flying Hours
•Harriers were used in Afghanistan from 2004 to 2009, when they were withdrawn from service and replaced by Tornados, which were used up to the end of Op HERRICK. Harrier and Tornado flew more than 56,000 hours in total, averaging about 500 hours per month between 2007 and 2013.
•Reaper was introduced in Afghanistan in 2007. Unlike Harrier and Tornado, Reaper is remotely piloted and is primarily tasked in an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance role, but also has an armed capability. Reaper’s annual flying hours steadily increased between its introduction in 2007 and 2011, due to a staged increase in Reaper platforms arriving in Theatre and the subsequent increase in missions flown. Reaper flew more than 71,000 hours in total, averaging just over 1,000 hours per month in 2011 and 2012. This increased in 2013 and 2014.
•All the Unmanned Aircraft Systems operated by the British Army are unarmed. Hermes aircraft flew over 85,000 hours in Afghanistan in total, and the Desert Hawks more than 18,000 hours.

Wenn man hier die Zahl der Stunden setzt ins Verhältnis zum Erfolg, ist dass schier unfassbar schlecht.

Weapons Expended
•To obtain a fair measure of weapon usage frequency, which accounts for the different types of weapon available to each aircraft, each mission report received from Theatre is retrospectively examined to determine the number of Weapon Release Events (WREs) during that mission. The number and frequency of WREs peaked in 2006. After 2006, there were downward trends in the numbers and frequencies, which were not significantly altered by the switch from Harrier to Tornado, or the introduction of Reaper. The overall WRE rate was highest for Harrier, followed by Reaper, then Tornado.
•Comparing only precision-guided munitions (PGM), and ignoring all the use of unguided weapons by Harrier and Tornado, the total number PGM used by RAF fixed-wing aircraft each year did not substantially change with the introduction of Reaper: Harrier was the only RAF fixed-wing aircraft which expended PGM until 2007, and in 2007 it expended 119. From 2008, PGM were also expended by Tornado and Reaper, and the average from 2008 to 2013 was 121 per year.
•The overall rate of PGM expended was highest for Harrier, followed by Reaper, then Tornado.

To which I would also add;
•The data does not include 27mm on Tornado, or 30mm on Apache,
•No CRV-7 for Apache or Harrier,
•No show of presence/show of force data,
•Sorties would not all be for British forces given the large area of operations and multinational nature of the air campaign,
•Different missions would be needed for different areas,
•The ‘surge’ and initial operations that heavily relied on close air support are not specifically mentioned,
•No differentiation between Close Air Support and deliberate strikes or interdiction missions,
•No mention of changing rules of engagement,
•No indication of when USMC support assets were available.

Interesting.

There is also a curious statement about the sharp decrease in PGM release by Tornado in 2011, explained by ‘a focus on operations in Libya’

Does this mean we didn’t have enough stock of Dual Mode Brimstone and Paveway IV for simultaneous operations in two theatres and had to prioritise one over the other?

The hours flown remained fairly steady in this period and given that air support was an ISAF, not national, responsibility others would have picked up the gap..

Clearly, munition availability was an issue.

Und selbst gegenüber so einem schwachen Gegner wurde rasch die Munition alle.