Soldiers, airmen pair up to crew TACP Strykers
Link to Full Article (subscription - June 6th paper edition) By Bruce Rolfsen, Army Times
As airmen get ready to deploy this summer to Iraq to call in airstrikes for the Army, they are at the pointed end of a revolution in how the two services handle close-air support.
Alaska-based airmen will be the first to go into Iraq equipped with their own armored Stryker vehicles filled with the latest communications and targeting gear.
In the Stryker, driving duties go to a soldier. And when it comes time to fire on the run, the Stryker’s Army vehicle commander opens fire with a remote-controlled .50-caliber machine gun.
The performance in Iraq of these airmen and their Tactical Air Control Party Strykers will help set the stage for the debate in the Air Force and Army on how to equip and train other Air Force TACP teams and how many teams the services need. [...]
Teams may change close-air work
Soldiers, airmen pair up to crew TACP Strykers
Link to Full Article (subscription - June 6th paper edition)
By Bruce Rolfsen, Army Times
As airmen get ready to deploy this summer to Iraq to call in airstrikes for the Army, they are at the pointed end of a revolution in how the two services handle close-air support.
Alaska-based airmen will be the first to go into Iraq equipped with their own armored Stryker vehicles filled with the latest communications and targeting gear.
