F-16 Fighting Falcon Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom

Description

The F-16, called the Viper by its pilots, has been the most prolific fighter in US and Coalition operations in the Middle East for over a decade. Since the 1991 Gulf War, it has been the workhorse of the UN-sanctioned operations in the region, working in 'Wild Weasel', ground attack and air superiority roles. Operations Southern Watch and Northern Watch required daily and continuous combat patrols over Iraqi territory for over a decade - a task that was made simpler by the bountiful supply of F-16s in USAF service, and the fact that the jet has always been able to assume multiple roles and uses. When US President George W Bush ordered his forces into Iraq in March 2003, the F-16CJ was the second aircraft to enter enemy airspace-proper, sweeping the skies for electrons in a bid to find, identify and kill Iraq's comprehensive air defence system. With the mission fulfilled, hordes of other Coalition fighters followed, including F-16CGs, which were used with great success to strike numerous targets.

Steve Davies is a fulltime freelance military aviation writer and photographer. He lives in Cambridgeshire, England, and is the author of six military aviation books. He is also a regular contributor to several leading international magazines and journals. Steve has appeared in documentaries aired on UK and US terrestrial TV, and the History Channel. He has also worked behind-the-scenes as a consultant, interviewer, script writer and editor for a series of military aviation documentaries. Doug Dildy is a retired US Air Force (USAF) colonel who spent nine of his 26-year career in Western Europe and retired with approximately 3,200 hours of fast jet time, almost half of that as an F-15 Eagle pilot. As commander of the 32d Fighter Squadron, Soesterberg AB, NL, he enforced the No-Fly-Zone over Iraq acquiring over 100 hours of combat time in the F-15, making him an expert on F-15 employment, especially in operations over Iraq. Doug Dildy is a retired US Air Force (USAF) colonel who spent nine of his 26-year career in Western Europe and retired with approximately 3,200 hours of fast jet time, almost half of that as an F-15 Eagle pilot. As commander of the 32d Fighter Squadron, Soesterberg AB, NL, he enforced the No-Fly-Zone over Iraq acquiring over 100 hours of combat time in the F-15, making him an expert on F-15 employment, especially in operations over Iraq. Dildy is a USAF Academy graduate with a degree in history and attended the US Armed Forces Staff College and USAF Air War College. Additionally he has a Masters Degree in Political Science. As part of his formal military education, he authored several campaign studies. He has also authored several articles for notable US aviation history magazines, including pieces on the Dutch, Danish and Norwegian air arms' defense against the German invasions of 1940. He is a regular contributor to the amateur modeling magazine Small Air Forces Observer. Based in Nottinghamshire, UK, Chris Davey has illustrated more than 20 titles for Osprey's Aircraft of the Aces, Combat Aircraft and Aviation Elite Units series since 1994. He is one of the last traditional airbrush artists in the business and has become Osprey's artist of choice for both USAAF fighters and RAF subject matter, proving his undoubted skill when dealing with large aircraft subjects such as the Halifax and Sunderland.