Stewart Penney/THE HAGUE
The Kosovo conflict proved the continued need for a man in the cockpit and the need for the highest possible level of technology, regardless of the sophistication of the threat, according to Lt Gen Ben Droste, commander of the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF).
A man in the loop is important because of the blending of strategic and tactical implications, says Droste (left). The ability of a pilot to turn away from a target and return with unused ordnance is crucial if collateral damage is to be avoided. Collateral damage "put a terrible strain on the cohesiveness of NATO, it was Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic's best weapon", he says.
Although such mistakes will never be totally eliminated, the only way in the foreseeable future to keep collateral damage to a minimum is to have a well trained man in the loop, he says. Droste attributes the RNLAF's success over Kosovo to pilot awareness. The need to be conscious of the strategic and tactical implication of releasing a weapon was not an issue during the 1991 Gulf War, and even less important during the Cold War, he adds. Droste's remarks come against a background of increasing interest in Europe and the USA about the future deployment of unmanned combat air vehicles.
Kosovo "proves that, even in a low-tech environment, you need the highest technology to enter and leave the arena successfully", says Droste. Stealth is important in the widest sense, including heat, noise and visibility as well as low radar cross section, he adds.
Weapons technology is as important. Poor weather forced missions with laser-guided bombs to return with unexpended munitions, as cloud defeats a laser-based targeting system. The USAir Force responded by introducing the global positioning system (GPS)-guided Boeing Joint Direct Attack Munitions.
The RNLAF contributed 20 Lockheed Martin F-16s to NATO forces flying over Yugoslavia. It flew 1,315 fighter sorties from Amendola in Italy and was credited with the shooting down of a MAPO MiG-29.
Source: Flight International
