Aviation 10

was called upon to support many strike

packages and so intense was the Iraqi air

defence environment that no missions took

place without Wild Weasel support. Due

to the proliferation of AAA and SAM sites

ranged against them, they also had to forgo

the low-altitude approach tactics for which

they had trained in Europe. In addition,

the aircrews found themselves coming up

against systems they were not familiar with,

the Iraqis having had a considerable number

designed and built in the West in addition

to those from China and numerous Soviet-

made systems. However, it did not take

long for the Iraqis to realise that their entire

IADS was under serious threat. Both in the

north and the south they began to turn off

their SAM radars for fear of being attacked

by Weasels. Dittmer said on this: “The radar

threat was practically non-existent. There

was talk that we needed to re-role into bomb

droppers. We received pressure to start

helping our Torrejón F-16 bomb-dropping

buddies who we were there to protect. We

 nally strapped bombs on our ‘Vipers’ and

proceeded to bomb the hell out of Iraqi

AAA and SAMs, while our F-4Gs buddies

wreaked havoc on aircraft shelters and other

hardened targets with Mavericks. It was the

very essence of why air power is so great –

 exibility! And the best part for us was that

 nally we ‘Viper’ Wild Weasel types were

doing our part of the enemy air defence

suppression and destruction mission on

our own. When the war ended we in the

north had been extraordinarily successful.

Thousands of sorties were  own, with

tons of bombs dropped and lots of targets

destroyed, and not one aircraft was lost to

enemy  re.”

After returning from the war the unit

became an all-F-16C unit in September

1991. On October 1 that year it became the
      23rd Fighter Squadron (all USAF tactical
       ghter squadrons changed title). This
      brought an end to the F-4G/F-16 hunter/
      killer teams.
      The 81st FS relinquished its F-4Gs
      in 1994 and converted to the Fairchild
      Republic A-10 Thunderbolt ll. The 23rd
      FS retained its F-16Cs in the SEAD role
      and in 1994 it received Block 50 aircraft.
      It was the only SEAD unit in USAFE
      until deactivated in August 2010 when
      it transferred its aircraft and personnel
      to the newly created 480th FS; which
      had been stood down in 1994 when its
      F-4Gs returned to the US. The 480the FS
      continues the SEAD mission and is still
      based at Spangdahlem.

40 Aviation News incorporating Jets October 2018

The 23rd TFS at Incirlik in 1991 with its mixed F-4G and F-16C hunter/killer force. Karl Dittmer

Aircraft representing all three of the squadrons of the 52nd TFW are led by the wing commander’s Fighting Falcon over the German countryside

in 1991. The F-4G is from the 480th TFS, with F-16Cs from the 23rd TFS (blue tail band) and 81st TFS. US National Archives