Library Reference Number: 127
An Air Defender's Perspective During Op TELIC
Operation (or Op) TELIC is the codename under which all British operations of the 2003 Invasion of Iraq and after were conducted. A total of 46,000 troops of all the British Services were committed to the operation at its start. At the peak of the campaign, some 26,000 British Army soldiers, 4,000 Royal Marines, 5,000 Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary sailors and 8,100 Royal Air Force personnel were in action.
Operation Telic is one of the largest deployments of British forces since WWII. It is only approached in size by the 1991 Operation Granby deployment for the Gulf War and the 1956 Operation Musketeer Suez Crisis deployment. It was considerably larger than the 1982 Operation Corporate in the Falklands War, which saw around 30,000 personnel deployed and the Korean War, which saw fewer than 20,000 personnel deployed. The following account is given by a member of the Tornado F3 Force who took part in this operation.
I found myself on the 'trooper' to Prince Sultan Air Base, Al Karhj, KSA in Feb 2003- I was part of the final 'reinforcement crews' going to man the Tornado F3 force for any offensive operations against Iraq. Operations had been going on for some time under the guise of the Southern No-Fly Zone, but as the political events were escalating, so was the presence of men and material in theatre. PSAB is in the middle of the Saudi Kingdom and had seen quite a prolific build up of American forces there for several years- it was also the main Combined Air Operations Centre for the theatre. All of this meant that the recreational facilities there were to a very high standard- we were also a long way from the Iraqi border and with very little media presence due to the Saudi insistence of us flying from a 'secret base'.
Seeing as the final reinforcements were being deployed in the first place, we were fairly confident that there would be an escalation and a shift in operations. However, up until that point it would still be business as usual with the No-Fly Zone (termed Op RESINATE) patrolling and the corresponding rules of engagement. This had come into effect as a result of the first Gulf War and 'allowed' us to patrol as far north as Baghdad and ensure there were no Iraqi aircraft present. Targeting their air defence systems, ranging from surveillance radars to actual missile batteries, was also part of the enforcement. In this then, offensive operations were already being carried out well before Op TELIC (as the British refer to Iraqi Freedom) commenced. There was also a large recce presence, both in terms of photographic platforms, but also a dearth of electronic 'vacuum cleaners'. Our job during any of these missions was to ensure control of the air to allow either recce or strike platforms to carry out their task.
The tempo of RESINATE missions also increased- initially we would only be over Iraq for a single hour a day, then 2 until soon we were building up to a 24 hour presence. As mentioned, PSAB is located some distance from the border, and prior to crossing into Iraqi airspace it was essential that every fast jet aircraft had refuelled- the majority also had to refuel after crossing back out just to get home. The number of aircraft required to keep a permanent presence soon escalated and the ramp at PSAB soon became quite full. Part of the political 'deal' the Saudi's had struck for the use of their base was that no bombers could be based on their soil- these aircraft had to come from Qatar or Kuwait, so the variety of types limited to PSAB was quite spectacular: RAF Nimrods, Sentrys, VC10s plus F3s- USAF KC10s, KC135s, AWACS, JSTARS, RC135Us, EA6Bs, F15Cs, F16CJs and U2s. Phew! Additionally there were regular transport aircraft bringing in all the supplies that all these aircraft plus their crews would require.
The Tornado F3 had been part of the No-Fly Zone for several years, and as such, we were used to PSAB and what it had to offer. With such a large influx of people though, it filled the available accommodation to bursting, and so temporary arrangements had to be made for those not considered essential. However, everyone was able to eat at canteens open 24 hours a day or swim or make use of the free cinema or a well equipped gym. As I said, fortunately there was a large American presence, and one which at the time we took for granted and considered 'normal'. I was soon to see that that was not quite the case!
Our Tornado 'bomber' colleagues flew from Ali-al Saleem in Kuwait and also from Qatar. The ones based in Qatar had similar distances as us to fly prior to crossing the border and could also enjoy the comforts brought to the base by their American counterparts. The ones in Kuwait, however, were very close to the frontline!
After a short while, we knew when the 'Shock & Awe' that was the desired American effect would commence. There was a slick changeover between whether you had got airborne on a No-Fly Zone sortie or whether you were now off to war and had a new set of rules of engagement. On the first 'war' sortie that I was on, we unfortunately had a generator malfunction once we had crossed back to the friendly side of the border. As the Tornado is an electric jet, it is desirable to have two generators but essential to have one. Faced with a choice now of flying for over 200 miles versus diverting to a Tornado base just 40 miles away, the decision would seem simple enough. As a result we flew to the aforementioned base in Kuwait. We had been told to fly with our gas masks should we land somewhere in the middle of a 'chemical' attack, but we had made light of this. Now landing in Kuwait the first thing we were given was a chemical suit- still vacuum-packed, and told where the nearest shelter was. Hmm. Everybody also carried the gas masks on their person and carried their suits with them too. Back at PSAB, we only had to have our masks 'to hand' i.e. in the same room, and had no idea where the nearest shelter was.
Soon banter was flowing between the bomber losers and us air-defender heroes when we thought we'd go for a bite to eat, giving us our first chance to look around the base. Ali-al Saleem is very much an RAF base with a very small American presence, and as such the facilities are on a much smaller scale. There are even bomb-craters around the HAS site from the 1st Gulf War. The catering, though by British field services, was to a very impressive standard. Suddenly, the air-raid siren went.
During training, they say that you have 9 seconds to get your gas mask on before you may feel the effects of any chemical agents. Let me tell you that it takes a lot less than 9 seconds to get your mask on for real! Now, where was that nearest shelter that had been pointed out? No idea- we were nowhere near it now that we had gone to lunch. Where is everyone else running to? Follow them! The shelters consisted of several concrete blocks that had then been covered with lots and lots of sand- lots and lots of sand. With everyone running and then getting their chemical suits on (at this time a full biological or chemical attack was suspected) so much sand was kicked up in the shelter that you needed a gas mask on just to see. The personnel at Ali had been subjected to a few of these attacks by the time we got there, and as such were slightly more practised than we were, so my next recollection is of an entire bunker watching as my pilot and I struggled to get into our vacuum-packed suits. After what seemed like a very long time we were suited up, just in time to hear the thumps of the outgoing Patriot battery firing on the incoming Scuds.
The all-clear soon went. That meant doing an individual sniff test. I was definitely going to be the last one in the bunker to take my mask off! Unfortunately we were close to the end and so had to be first to leave! However, I couldn't smell anything and as things got back to normal there was still time to finish our lunch!
That night we had 2 further air raids- we were becoming quite practised ourselves at putting on our suits and soon felt quite blasé about the air raids and associated Patriots. It was the next morning when the television news was reporting that an RAF aircraft had been shot down. At the time there seemed nothing untoward at Ali al Saleem, but looking back, the clues were all there. It was only after we had returned to PSAB that we learned that it was a Tornado from the Kuwait base, and shot down by a Patriot to boot. What had I said about feeling blasé earlier?
Back at PSAB we felt grateful for being so far from the border, and went to get an ice cream by the poolside. Communication home was also much improved from PSAB, with several internet points plus phones allowing easy access to loved ones. Whilst in Kuwait, I had at least managed to send a message home but that may have well raised more questions than answered due to how cryptic I was trying to be.
We flew a several more sorties before it was decided to reduce the number of air superiority fighters in the air- the Iraqi's, despite being a formidable force, had shown their resistance to the regime by burying their aircraft instead of launching them to face certain destruction. We fired no shots in anger. As such, we were then able to leave Saudi whilst the troops were just entering Baghdad. PSAB soon closed, much to the Saudi's pleasure. The heroic air defenders in the F3 force returned home and had to face a public who knew nothing about what we had done, seeing as there were no correspondents allowed onto our base- this fact also delighted our mud-moving brethren!
My experience of conflict has a blinkered viewpoint, flying from the relative luxury that was PSAB. Certainly diverting into Kuwait allowed me a different insight into how lucky we had it. Looking back though, as there has been no operational F3 flying since, I do feel a certain amount of pride at having been involved.