Inside the first planned Hornet bombing mission in Iraq

In this exclusive extract from his new book, Air Vice-Marshal (Ret’d) John Quaife tells the inside story of the first pre-planned bombing mission by RAAF F/A-18s during Operation Falconer.

The seemingly rigid view of the United States Air Force (USAF) that every aircraft type has one defined role made it seem difficult for the Australian Hornet pilots to escape the defensive counter-air role. Although counter-air was the role coveted by Group Captain Brown, the Iraqi Air Force did not join the fight, and within two days the Australians, were looking to swing from combat air patrol (CAP) missions devoid of enemy action into a strike role.

Although earlier generation fighter aircraft dropped bombs and attacked ground targets, F/A-18 aircraft gave the RAAF its first opportunity for fighter aircraft to be reassigned into a legitimate strike role at the discretion of an air operations centre. Reassignment could happen airborne if necessary or in a more deliberate fashion under the air task order. The very credible precision strike capability of F/A-18A aircraft allowed frontline fighters to become front line attack aircraft.