A-10s over Kosovo

A-10s OVER KOSOVO
information to the enemy, who may also be listening or watching.
The Sandy must have an extraordinary situational awareness
to keep track of the survivor, numerous support aircraft,
rescue helicopters, and enemy activity on the ground. An accurate
synthesis of this information is absolutely critical to the
success of the Sandy’s decision to commit to a helo pickup.
Additionally, all CSAR participants must have unshakeable
courage because their mission often means going deep into
bad-guy land and exposure to significant ground and air
threats.
In the Balkan theater the dedicated CSAR assets included
MH-53J Pave Low helicopters from the 20th and 21st Special
Operations Squadrons at Royal Air Force (RAF) Mildenhall,
England. They had deployed regularly to Brindisi AB, Italy,
since the mid-1990s. The A-10 Sandy aircraft were usually
from the 81st FS/EFS (expeditionary fighter squadrons) from
Spangdahlem AB, Germany, flying out of Aviano AB, and Gioia
del Colle AB, Italy. During the years of routine deployments
(from 1993 to 1999), these units flew CSAR exercises together
in Bosnia with support from the NAEW and ABCCC but with
little involvement with SEAD, air-to-air, or other attack aircraft.
During this time, A-10 Sandys occasionally exercised
with Italian and French forces using their Puma helicopters as
recovery vehicles.
The first Kosovo crisis in October and November of 1998 led
to the Spangdahlem Hogs being sent to Aviano to “stand up” a
CSAR alert. At that time, the 81st pilots initiated the development
of standardized CSAR procedures for the Balkan area by
coordinating with personnel assigned to the CSAR cell at the
combined air operations center (CAOC) in Vicenza, Italy, and
representatives (rep) from the theater’s NAEW, ABCCC, and
Pave Low communities. They renewed that process of coordination
and cooperation during their return to Aviano in January,
February, and March 1999. With the beginning of hostilities
on 24 March, the 81st “stood up” a ground and airborne
CSAR alert capability. With only a single two-hour exception
on 11 April (during the 81st’s move from Aviano to Gioia del
Colle), the 81st—along with the 74th FS and the 131st FS—
maintained a continuous ground and/or airborne alert through-
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