Military puzzled and worried about Saddam's invisible air
force
DAN MCDOUGALL
THE precise location of Saddam Husseins air force remains a key
issue for coalition forces as military commanders yesterday
expressed concerns that the Iraqis may be holding back their planes
for a defiant attack involving chemical weapons.
The theory appeared to be confirmed last night by the UK commander
of the British Harrier force in the Gulf, who warned that the
Baghdad military regime may use their air force to launch a
surprise chemical attack on coalition forces.
Group Captain Mike Harwood, 43, claimed that the decision by the
Iraqi air force not to fly a single aggressive mission since
hostilities began was an ominous sign, given their involvement in a
number of small mid-air battles during the last Gulf war.
Although admitting the lack of activity could be proof that the
well-educated and often internationally-trained pilots had not
"swallowed Saddams propaganda", Grp Capt Harwood claimed the
Baghdad regime could be hiding aircraft away for a last-minute
shock.
He said: "We havent shot anyone down because we havent got anyone
to shoot at, so the theory we are contemplating is whether or not
Saddam Hussein is holding them as a bluff.
"At the moment, his planes are staying on the ground and are posing
no threat whatsoever. But it also means he can use them later. That
is the problem with weapons of mass destruction; it only needs one
man in one aeroplane and you have the potential to wipe out an
awful lot of people, and that is what is so difficult."
He added: "We are bending over backwards to cause as little damage
as possible, and that includes the air force. But if the Iraqi air
force moves a muscle and look like it is going to become
aggressive, we will hit it and hit it hard.
"We know they have the potential to strike as they have Russian and
French planes, the Mirage F1s, which are pretty old, and MiG 23s
and 25s. They dont fly them very much but their pilots are still
very much of an elite, and, considering what they have got, they do
very well.
"All I know is the air force are not fighting us and we rule the
skies. I hope it is because they will not fight for this regime,
but it might not be. It is true they are very well educated, the
cream of the crop, and they are bright enough not to follow
Saddams propaganda.
"I have met many Iraqi pilots and I believe there are some in that
horrible position of hating themselves as much as hating the
regime, because just to survive they must be seen to support
him."
At the coalition Central Command in Qatar, Brigadier General Vince
Brooks yesterday revealed video footage of targets, including Iraqi
air force jets, being destroyed by precision-guided missiles. The
Russian- built MiGs, which had been hidden in undergrowth, were
targeted despite Iraqi attempts to prevent such an attack by hiding
them next to a cemetery.
Brigadier Brooks said the hunt for what was left of Saddams
airforce was a key task.
He said: "Planes have been hidden in various places and we are
doing our utmost to take them out in case the Iraqis mobilise their
them."
Military experts have long claimed that while the US-led coalition
will have the advantage over Iraqi forces on the ground, there will
be no contest in the air at all.
The Iraqi air force, sent to Iran before the last Gulf war to avoid
destruction by the US, is now largely incorporated into the Iranian
airforce, leaving Saddam with a handful of ageing MiGs.
Analysts believe Iraqs air force now consists of about 90
fighters. According to one MoD insider, allied troops on the ground
are doing all they can to destroy what remains of Saddams airforce
to prevent chemical weapons attacks from the air.
The insider said: "Saddams air force is always a concern but the
might of our own capability in the air will always make it
difficult for the Iraqis to take to the air. We are actively
searching for stores of Iraqi weapons on the ground, but our main
concern includes the hunt for hidden tanks and planes.
"We know his air force could be activated at short notice and it is
our job to deny him that option, particularly as MiGs can be fitted
to deploy chemical weapons."
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