From Jane's.
Apache operations over Karbala
By Robert Hewson
A force of around 32 AH-64D 'Longbow' Apache attack helicopters
were sent on a deep strike mission in the vicinity of Karbala on
the night of 23-24 March.
The Apaches entered the so-called 'Red Zone', in advance of ground
units of the 3rd Infantry Division, where Centcom planners believed
that between eight and 10 Iraqi divisions were formed up in a
defensive ring around Baghdad. Karbala is about 113km southwest of
Baghdad and the attack occurred around the nearby village of Abu
Mustafe, north of Hillah.
The Apaches were on a textbook mission: a co-ordinated strike
during the hours of darkness to sweep away Iraqi mechanised forces
and prepare the ground for the US advance. The intention would have
been to engage vehicle and infrastructure targets at a safe
stand-off distance, relying chiefly on the Apache's long-range
Hellfire missiles. Instead the Apache force became engaged in a
dangerous melee during which the helicopters were checked by
unprecedented (and certainly unexpected) ground fire. The unit was
unable to undertake a speedy withdrawal from that fire and suffered
heavy damage without making a serious impact on the Iraqi
armour.
While no crews were seriously injured, 31 of the 32 Apaches
sustained combat damage, some of it serious. A crash on landing
destroyed one of the aircraft after it had returned to base.
Another AH-64D came down in enemy territory and its crew was
captured and held until the end of the conflict.
Even though commanders in the field knew exactly where the lost
aircraft was, it was not destroyed to keep it out of enemy hands as
it should have been.
The good performance of Apache units in the deep strike role during
Operation 'Desert Storm' in 1991 must have been in the minds of
those who planned the Karbala mission. However, the successes of
'Desert Storm' have not been repeated. The 24 AH-64A Apaches sent
to Albania in preparation for operations over Kosovo during
Operation 'Allied Force' in 1999 were not deployed because of fears
of their vulnerability. During fighting in Afghanistan in 2001,
eight Apaches that were launched on a mission in support of
Operation 'Anaconda' sustained serious damage from enemy ground
fire.
Official US reports of the Karbala action emphasise a significant
level of Iraqi preparedness. Reportedly, Iraqi agents were
monitoring the Apaches at their forward aircraft refuelling point
and called warnings of their departure on cellular phones.
Another issue for Army Apaches is their tendency to come to the
hover and stop before shooting. This is largely a function of the
laser-guided Hellfire which needs an uninterrupted line-of-sight
between the designator and the target.
The experience of the Apache crews at Karbala stands in contrast to
the US Marine Corps AH-1W SuperCobras. The Marine Cobras were used
intensively in the close support role in what was always a
high-risk environment. None were lost to enemy action and they were
highly praised by the US and British Commanders who tasked them.
The Cobras, armed with Hellfires as well as TOW missiles, never
stayed still over Iraq in fact they speeded up.
The US Army's OH-58D Kiowa Warriors had a similar approach. As one
experienced pilot said: "It is all about training and adapting to
your environment. You'll never catch me hovering. If you want to
stay alive, you've got to keep moving."