Thursday, May 13, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
FIREPOWER DEMONSTRATION: Warplanes fly in Nevada
Nellis range site of Air Force show for invited guests, foreign military leaders
By KEITH ROGERS
REVIEW-JOURNAL
A B-52 bomber releases flares as a countermeasure to heat-seeking missiles during Wednesday's firepower demonstration at the Nellis Air Force Range.
500-pound bombs explode after they were dropped by a B-52 from Barksdale Air Force Base, La.
Photos by John Gurzinski.
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For the first time since the Air Force geared up for the war in Iraq, warplanes flew over the Nellis range Wednesday for a live firepower demonstration, showing military leaders and invited guests the awesome force of U.S. fighter jets, bombers and attack planes.
A crowd of more than 2,000 spectators watched as bombs exploded and shook the desert floor on the range more than 20 miles northwest of the Las Vegas Valley and 2 1/2 miles from viewing stands at Point Bravo, northeast of U.S. Highway 95.
"This is a chance to see these combat subsets and precision airstrikes and what we can bring to the fight," said Col. Craig Fisher, an F-16 pilot and the event's organizer from the Air Warfare Center at Nellis Air Force Base.
Officials said the demonstration cost $40,000 for local operations not counting fuel and munitions that are covered through training budgets for the various Air Force units.
Typically, four firepower demonstrations are held each year at the range for U.S. military leaders and allied observers to witness the Air Force's rapid response capability. But with personnel, aircraft and munitions in demand for major combat operations in Iraq last year, the last live firepower demonstration was held in February 2003.
Attending Wednesday's demonstration were foreign military personnel from Venezuela, Germany and the United Kingdom who are part of the Air Commander's Staff College.
U.S. leaders included Gen. Hal Hornburg, commander of Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base, Va., logistics director Maj. Gen. Elizabeth Harrell and intelligence director Brig. Gen. Kelvin Coppock. The Nellis base was represented by Maj. Gen. Steve Wood, commander of the Air Warfare Center, and Brig. Gen. Gregory Ihde, 57th Wing commander.
Dick Sovde, a retired school superintendent from Henderson, said he was impressed with the display of power.
"The more we know about what it takes to be successful in warfare, the better off we are," he said after the demonstration.
The demonstration featured 10 types of aircraft including F-15 Eagles, F-16 Fighting Falcons, a stealth F-117A Nighthawk, B-52 bombers, and a B-2 Spirit bomber flown directly from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.
Spectators saw live video of the aircraft performing as captured by the high-tech cameras of an RQ/MQ-1 remotely piloted, Predator aircraft.
They also observed a mock rescue of a downed pilot involving HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters and pararescue specialists who descended down a rope dangling from one of the Pave Hawks to reach the scene.
Invited guests Toni Holyoak and John Nelson, both from Las Vegas, said their favorite part of the demonstration was the rescue drill.
"It was absolutely outstanding," Nelson said.
Base officials noted that the general public will be able to see many of these same aircraft perform Nov. 13 and 14 at Nellis Air Force Base during the Aviation Nation air show.
The Thunderbirds air demonstration team is scheduled to cap the show, slated as a salute to D-Day veterans who invaded Normandy on the coast of France 60 years ago, on June 6, 1944.
