A-10s over Kosovo

A-10s OVER KOSOVO
Joint documents have adopted the acronym FAC(A), although
many Air Force unit instruction manuals have used and still
use AFAC. No matter what they are called or where they are
located, the FAC is the final clearance authority for an attacking
pilot to expend weapons near friendly forces.
Controlling OAF air strikes in the absence of friendly ground
forces did not meet the current definition of CAS by either joint
or Air Force (AF) doctrine. The latter defines killer scouts as attack
aircraft used for AI in an armed reconnaissance role to
validate and mark targets for dedicated attack missions
against lucrative targets in a specified geographic zone—pretty
much the role we had in OAF. The A-10 community, however,
has for years used air strike control (ASC) to describe directing
aircraft strikes under any circumstance. I will avoid any further
discussion of these definitions because I believe that what
we did in OAF was FACing in the classical sense. An inaccurate
bomb dropped on targets in Kosovo would have had such
a severe, negative impact on the coalition’s unity and commitment
that FACs in the classical role were required to ensure
positive target identification, control attacking aircraft, and
prevent inadvertent attacks on innocent civilians. In Kosovo,
innocent civilians were in close proximity to the enemy, and
for all practical considerations, these missions took on the
same urgency and significance as CAS. The airmen who directed
and flew these sorties kept their doctrinal terms simple
and consistently referred to the control of any air strike as
FACing and the pilots as FACs or AFACs. The authors will follow
that convention throughout this book.
Traditionally, flying an AFAC mission is like being a traffic cop
in the sky. The first duty of the AFAC is to know the ground situation
in detail, including the ground commander’s intended
scheme of maneuver and objectives throughout the day’s battle.
Prior to takeoff, AFACs study the target areas, the types of fighter
aircraft they will control on those targets, and the munitions
those aircraft will bring to the fight. Once airborne, the AFAC
checks in with E-3 airborne warning and control system
(AWACS) and ABCCC controllers to get updates on the air and
ground situation and starts adjusting the game plan. Nearing the
target area—if appropriate—he contacts the ground FAC and or-
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