CF-18's headed to A'stan?

[FormerHorseGuard]

just curious do our pilots get much air to ground training? i never thought of our Airforce doing that  sort of training as the CF 18 is not really set up for that from what i have read ( limited reading so do not flame ) or will this require new toys and stuff for this sort of operation?

 

[aesop081]

just curious do our pilots get much air to ground training? i never thought of our Airforce doing that  sort of training as the CF 18 is not really set up for that from what i have read ( limited reading so do not flame ) or will this require new toys and stuff for this sort of operation?

CF-18 was designed and built as a fighter-bomber from day one.  Did you miss the whole Kosovo air war ? In US nomenclature it is known as F/A-18 indicating its dual role. Our pilots are trained for this and its been used in training for years.  Exercise MAPLE GUARDIAN and WOLF SAFARI are going on right now where Canadian Hornets are quite busy providing CAS for our troops getting ready for the sandbox.

 

[FormerHorseGuard]

actually at that  time i was in another country and did not hear much about Canadian Airforce in that airwar. I knew we sent them did not know they did CAS missions.

 

[vonGarvin]

actually at that  time i was in another country and did not hear much about Canadian Airforce in that airwar. I knew we sent them did not know they did CAS missions.

Technically, they weren't CAS missions.  Not being airforce, but I would say that their role was more similar to the old Strategic Bombings of WWII than CAS....

 

[aesop081]

Technically, they weren't CAS missions.  Not being airforce, but I would say that their role was more similar to the old Strategic Bombings of WWII than CAS....

yeah but i was simply pointing out that they didnt just do the Air to air role......

 

[Cloud Cover]

CF-18 was designed and built as a fighter-bomber from day one.  Did you miss the whole Kosovo air war ? In US nomenclature it is known as F/A-18 indicating its dual role. Our pilots are trained for this and its been used in training for years.  Exercise MAPLE GUARDIAN and WOLF SAFARI are going on right now where Canadian Hornets are quite busy providing CAS for our troops getting ready for the sandbox.

By that you mean that the ground forces are working up with the CF-18, but they are not planned to deploy together, right?

 

[aesop081]

By that you mean that the ground forces are working up with the CF-18, but they are not planned to deploy together, right?

RIGHT.....the task force is training to have CAS, thats why the CF-18s are participating. There are no plans that i know of to deploy our fighters to the sandbox

 

[midget-boyd91]

Everything anyone hears or says about the CF-18 being sent to Afghanistan is completely speculation until we hear something from DND.
There is no doubt that the aircraft is capable of such job, but the Yankees, Brits and Dutch already have aircraft for those roles.
  I think that we should wait until DND makes an announcement before any more rumours are started. Its just too bad that the media dont care whether or not it was a rumor.

 

[aesop081]

Everything anyone hears or says about the CF-18 being sent to Afghanistan is completely speculation until we hear something from DND.
There is no doubt that the aircraft is capable of such job, but the Yankees, Brits and Dutch already have aircraft for those roles.
  I think that we should wait until DND makes an announcement before any more rumours are started. Its just too bad that the media dont care whether or not it was a rumor.

Hey, thanks for the news flash......thats what i have said already.  For the training of the current task force, i know CF-18s are involved....i'm participating in the exercise myself.......

 

[Cloud Cover]

RIGHT.....the task force is training to have CAS, thats why the CF-18s are participating. There are no plans that i know of to deploy our fighters to the sandbox

Thats what I thought. I can't see them handling both fast air taskings at the same time. I'm glad the troops are giving them a good work up phase, they'll be all the better for it. 

 

[Paul Gagnon]

Poor Mr Dossanjh, once again he demonstrates his inability to distinguish a Minister that listens to his General's appreciation and requirements for a fluid situation from his own party's draconian and doctrinaire approach to the military...'after all 'der just like de Boy Scouts...'

Fifteen minutes up , Ujjal, thanks, for the gag....

Dosanjh doesn't even know what party he is in and you expect him to know something about the military?

 

[geo]

New party leader at the helm, would expect that he will place "his" chosen in the key shadow cabinet positions.  Placing Mr Dossanjh on a really high shelf - out of reach (out of touch) would be a good start - if Mr Dion is looking to clean house.

Can we have Mr Graham back in the Defence portfolio "please"?

 

[airiedd]

Ladies and Gents.  Currently 409 TFS (Cold Lake's deployable CF-18 unit) is doing CAS support missions till it hurts in order to prepare our ground FAC (forward air controler) personel for the task of guiding pilots to ground targets in 'the sand box'.  As far as that unit deploying to the same sand box, right now it is not happening.  Two reasons for that, first the infrasturcture at KAF (Kandahar Air Field) is full (no more room on the ramp,so we are hearing) and second, why would DND spend money on sending CF-18s when they are getting free CAS from the US, the Brits and the Dutch?  Yes it would be great to see CAF aircraft supporting Canadian ground troops but with all things it boils down to dollars!  So in the mean time, CF-18 pilots, and ground crew do what we do...we get ready to go just in case.

 

[Eggy]

Ladies and Gents.  Currently 409 TFS (Cold Lake's deployable CF-18 unit) is doing CAS support missions till it hurts in order to prepare our ground FAC (forward air controler) personel for the task of guiding pilots to ground targets in 'the sand box'.  As far as that unit deploying to the same sand box, right now it is not happening.  Two reasons for that, first the infrasturcture at KAF (Kandahar Air Field) is full (no more room on the ramp,so we are hearing) and second, why would DND spend money on sending CF-18s when they are getting free CAS from the US, the Brits and the Dutch?  Yes it would be great to see CAF aircraft supporting Canadian ground troops but with all things it boils down to dollars!  So in the mean time, CF-18 pilots, and ground crew do what we do...we get ready to go just in case.

Wether the Dutch mission will be extended or not, the Canadian F-18s could replace the Dutch F-16s currently stationed in the south by August 2008. Especially the maintenance personell of the Dutch air force is overworked and could use a break hehe.

 

[IN HOC SIGNO]

Wether the Dutch mission will be extended or not, the Canadian F-18s could replace the Dutch F-16s currently stationed in the south by August 2008. Especially the maintenance personell of the Dutch air force is overworked and could use a break hehe.

The Dutch AF was in Goose Bay when I was there 93-96 and they were a great bunch. very serious about their training and always fostered a "warrior" culture in their pers. It seemed so ironic that you would see them with long hair...one guy I remember in dreadlocks....lots of jewelry and not very neat uniforms. Yet they were very effective at what they did. Most western military orgs think such things are signs of poor discipline but it seemed to work for them.

How many birds do they have on the ramp in KAF?  or is that OPSEC?

 

[Cdn Blackshirt]

They could be training to dovetail in behind the Dutch in Kandahar, if they rotate their F-16's out.


Matthew.

 

[Good2Golf]

The Dutch AF was in Goose Bay when I was there 93-96 and they were a great bunch. very serious about their training and always fostered a "warrior" culture in their pers. It seemed so ironic that you would see them with long hair...one guy I remember in dreadlocks....lots of jewelry and not very neat uniforms. Yet they were very effective at what they did. Most western military orgs think such things are signs of poor discipline but it seemed to work for them.

How many birds do they have on the ramp in KAF?  or is that OPSEC?

How many could fill a ramp would be parking spaces over total space avail math question......how many actually operate there is OPSEC.

Cheers,
G2G

 

[Bandit1]

Vanguard = Canada having a deployable number of aircraft or any other vehicle available for NATO missions.  This has been a constant with every NATO mission that we've been involved in, and will continue to be.

The fact of the matter is that this was a reporter who thought that he could scoop a story from other reporters and sell it to an anti war city in a newspaper that is anti war itself. 

In my opinion, speculation at its worst, and at best, the worst play on words that I've ever seen.

 

[Greymatters]

How many could fill a ramp would be parking spaces over total space avail math question......how many actually operate there is OPSEC.

If you are looking for what is publicly available, there is information in all sorts of nooks and crannies on the net.  Try here for a start:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/enduring-freedom_orbat-01.htm

 

[larry Strong]

Are any of our CF-18 Sqn's tasked to NATO duties, other than Afghanistan?