• Latest
  • Trending
In Syrian Skies, U.S. Pilots Learn how Fast Air War can Morph

In Syrian Skies, U.S. Pilots Learn how Fast Air War can Morph

August 28, 2017
4 dead, 52 arrested after Donald Trump supporters storm US Capitol

4 dead, 52 arrested after Donald Trump supporters storm US Capitol

January 7, 2021

China criticizes US order against dealing with Chinese apps

January 6, 2021

US has dual policy on Afghan peace process: MPs

January 5, 2021
‘Good riddance,’ says China snub Germany leaving UN Security Council

‘Good riddance,’ says China snub Germany leaving UN Security Council

December 25, 2020
Sharon Osbourne reveals she tested positive for COVID-19

Sharon Osbourne reveals she tested positive for COVID-19

December 15, 2020
Apple Adding Privacy Fact Labels to App Store Items

Apple Adding Privacy Fact Labels to App Store Items

December 15, 2020
More Republicans finally accept Biden win after U.S. Electoral College certifies vote

More Republicans finally accept Biden win after U.S. Electoral College certifies vote

December 15, 2020
Rhode Island casts 4 Electoral College votes for Biden

Rhode Island casts 4 Electoral College votes for Biden

December 15, 2020
Rhode Island School To Stagger Return After Holiday Break

Rhode Island School To Stagger Return After Holiday Break

December 15, 2020
Twitter, Facebook face labeling test on Trump’s election posts

Twitter, Facebook face labeling test on Trump’s election posts

November 4, 2020
Democratic hopes to flip US Senate dim as red wall holds for now

Democratic hopes to flip US Senate dim as red wall holds for now

November 4, 2020
US election: What happens next?

US election: What happens next?

November 4, 2020
Saturday, March 6, 2021
No Result
View All Result
  • Region
    • Delaware
    • Maine
    • Massachusetts
    • New Hampshire
    • New Jersey
    • New York
    • Pennsylvania
    • Rhode Island
    • Vermont
  • U.S. News
  • National Security
    • Defense
    • Politics
    • Terrorism
  • World News
    • Africa
    • Asia
      • Australia & New Zealand
      • China
      • India
      • Japan
      • North & South Korea
    • Canada
    • Europe
      • Germany
      • Russian Federation
    • Latin America
      • Mexico
    • Middle East
    • United Kingdom
  • Economy
    • Business
    • Science
  • Sports
    • Auto Racing
    • Cycling
    • Golf
    • MLB
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Mets
    • NBA
      • Boston Celtics
      • Brooklyn Nets
    • NFL
      • New England Patriots
      • Philadelphia Eagles
      • New York Giants
      • New York Jets
    • NHL
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Soccer
    • Tennis
    • Water Sports
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Books & Literature
    • Fashion
    • Health
    • History
    • Lifestyle & Family
    • Music
    • Religion
    • Television & Movies
    • Theatre
    • Travel
      • Great Outdoors
      • Rhode Island Travel
    • Women
  • Environment
    • Climate Change
    • Green News
    • Greenpeace
    • Oceans & Marinelife
    • Wildlife
  • Region
    • Delaware
    • Maine
    • Massachusetts
    • New Hampshire
    • New Jersey
    • New York
    • Pennsylvania
    • Rhode Island
    • Vermont
  • U.S. News
  • National Security
    • Defense
    • Politics
    • Terrorism
  • World News
    • Africa
    • Asia
      • Australia & New Zealand
      • China
      • India
      • Japan
      • North & South Korea
    • Canada
    • Europe
      • Germany
      • Russian Federation
    • Latin America
      • Mexico
    • Middle East
    • United Kingdom
  • Economy
    • Business
    • Science
  • Sports
    • Auto Racing
    • Cycling
    • Golf
    • MLB
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Mets
    • NBA
      • Boston Celtics
      • Brooklyn Nets
    • NFL
      • New England Patriots
      • Philadelphia Eagles
      • New York Giants
      • New York Jets
    • NHL
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Soccer
    • Tennis
    • Water Sports
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Books & Literature
    • Fashion
    • Health
    • History
    • Lifestyle & Family
    • Music
    • Religion
    • Television & Movies
    • Theatre
    • Travel
      • Great Outdoors
      • Rhode Island Travel
    • Women
  • Environment
    • Climate Change
    • Green News
    • Greenpeace
    • Oceans & Marinelife
    • Wildlife
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result

In Syrian Skies, U.S. Pilots Learn how Fast Air War can Morph

August 28, 2017
in Defense, Featured, Middle East, National Security, U.S. News, World News
0
Home National Security Defense
Post Views: 258

 

U.S. Air Force pilot Lieutenant Colonel Jeremy Renken knew that whatever happened next might escalate the war in Syria.

The 40-year-old father of four was flying his F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet in “a race track” pattern around an Iranian-made drone, which had just tried to kill U.S.-backed forces and their advisers on the ground.

After the drone’s first shot failed to detonate on impact, it was positioning to strike again.

RelatedPosts

No Content Available

So, on June 8, in what was an unprecedented move in the U.S. air war over Syria to that point, Renken shot it down, even as two Russian fighter jets watched from a distance.

“When we saw the drone turn back towards friendly forces, we weren’t waiting around for anybody’s permission. We destroyed it,” Renken said in his first interview about the incident.

Renken’s downing of the Iranian drone, a Shaheed 129, was the first in a series of several defensive U.S. air-to-air shootdowns over several weeks in June that at first appeared to signal a tipping point to a far more dangerous air war in Syria.

But since the decisions by Renken and other U.S. pilots to fire at two drones and a manned Syrian fighter jet in June, there haven’t been similarly provocative actions by pro-Syrian forces. U.S. officials say they seem to have delivered the message.

Renken’s case, in many ways, highlights not just the risks of Syrian conflict in which Russia, Syria, the United States and its allies are flying military jets within targeting range of each other.

But it also illustrates the tremendous responsibility entrusted to U.S. pilots to make life-or-death decisions in an instant, with broad, strategic implications for the war.

Renken spoke with Reuters from a U.S. military installation in the Middle East, which does not disclose its location at the request of the country hosting it.

LETHAL INTENT

Renken, a squadron commander, developed his Air Force career in the shadow of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States by al Qaeda. He was training as a pilot when suicide hijackers flew into the World Trade Center and has since deployed over and over again to the Middle East.

But Renken acknowledges that the Syrian air war is, in his view, unique.

U.S. pilots, who have enjoyed air supremacy against the insurgents they’ve been battling in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, cannot be sanguine about the risks posed by advanced Russian or Syrian jets or ground-based air defense in Syria.

Armed aircraft from Syria, Russia, the United States and its coalition allies are all flying within a “no escape” range of each other’s weapons.

“We can all engage each other. So it takes a lot of discipline and studying the nuance of a circumstance to (determine): ’Was that an escalation?’,” Renken said.

As U.S.-backed and Russia-backed ground forces scramble to capture what is left of Islamic State’s caliphate, the risk of accidental contacts between the sides is growing, raising the stakes both on the ground and in the air.

But while the U.S. military has had years to iron out how and when to engage Islamic State fighters on the ground, American pilots are still gaining experience deciphering hostile intent by other aircraft in the skies above Syria.

CLOSER THAN THOUGHT

The U.S. Air Force proudly boasts that no U.S. soldier has been killed by enemy aircraft since 1953. But the drone attack threatened to change that, if accounts by two U.S. officials of a limited American presence in the convoy that day are correct.

The U.S. military initially said the drone dropped a bomb that missed the convoy, which included U.S.-backed fighters and their advisors. Renken offered a slightly different account.

He said the drone was actually carrying missiles. When it fired, it hit the door of one of the vehicles with a munition that failed to detonate, he said.

“It was a dud round. So, very lucky,” Renken said. “It was definitely intended to be a lethal shot.” The criteria needed to fire the drone had been clearly met, he said.

Still, one factor complicating his decision to return fire was the presence of the Russian “Flanker” fighter jets, who might think that Renken was shooting at them.

“Is (the Russian pilot) going to see a missile come off of my aircraft and consider that a potential aggression against him?” he explained.

Another problem was that the drone was small enough that the missile Renken would fire could potentially go long and inadvertently head toward the Russian jet.

“(There) was a lot of potential for escalation,” he said.

For Renken, the big takeaway for pilots is that the war in Syria has evolved far beyond simply striking Islamic State targets on the ground.

U.S. pilots have to be prepared for anything.

“What this recent event has proven is that you can’t take for granted that you know what the fight is going to look like,” Renken said.

“You need to walk in ready for it to metastasize into any hybrid variation.”

 

 

Source: Reuters

Tags: Air WarFastIn Syrian SkiesLearnMorphU.S. Pilots
ShareTweetShare

Related Posts

4 dead, 52 arrested after Donald Trump supporters storm US Capitol
Featured

4 dead, 52 arrested after Donald Trump supporters storm US Capitol

January 7, 2021
Business

China criticizes US order against dealing with Chinese apps

January 6, 2021
Featured

US has dual policy on Afghan peace process: MPs

January 5, 2021
‘Good riddance,’ says China snub Germany leaving UN Security Council
Asia

‘Good riddance,’ says China snub Germany leaving UN Security Council

December 25, 2020
Sharon Osbourne reveals she tested positive for COVID-19
Culture

Sharon Osbourne reveals she tested positive for COVID-19

December 15, 2020
Next Post
US Military to Install Radar in Palau

US Military to Install Radar in Palau

Translate

Popular Post

4 dead, 52 arrested after Donald Trump supporters storm US Capitol
Featured

4 dead, 52 arrested after Donald Trump supporters storm US Capitol

January 7, 2021
0

The chaotic and violent scene unfolded at the US Capitol as supporters of President Donald Trump swarmed the building to...

Read more
Mattis to Reassure Nervous Asian Allies

Mattis to Reassure Nervous Asian Allies

October 13, 2017
Asian Company Invest In America As Trump Takes Office

Asian Company Invest In America As Trump Takes Office

October 13, 2017
Trump lost: 9th Circuit Court declines restoring travel ban

Trump lost: 9th Circuit Court declines restoring travel ban

October 13, 2017
Central Intelligence: Gina Haspel new Deputy chief

Central Intelligence: Gina Haspel new Deputy chief

October 13, 2017
  • About Us
  • Creative Commons
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact Us

Topics

Follow Us

About Us

Varnum Continental is part of Varnum Continental Media Group LLC, which daily news around the globe.

© 2011 Varnum Continental

No Result
View All Result
  • Region
    • Delaware
    • Maine
    • Massachusetts
    • New Hampshire
    • New Jersey
    • New York
    • Pennsylvania
    • Rhode Island
    • Vermont
  • U.S. News
  • National Security
    • Defense
    • Politics
    • Terrorism
  • World News
    • Africa
    • Asia
      • Australia & New Zealand
      • China
      • India
      • Japan
      • North & South Korea
    • Canada
    • Europe
      • Germany
      • Russian Federation
    • Latin America
      • Mexico
    • Middle East
    • United Kingdom
  • Economy
    • Business
    • Science
  • Sports
    • Auto Racing
    • Cycling
    • Golf
    • MLB
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Mets
    • NBA
      • Boston Celtics
      • Brooklyn Nets
    • NFL
      • New England Patriots
      • Philadelphia Eagles
      • New York Giants
      • New York Jets
    • NHL
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Soccer
    • Tennis
    • Water Sports
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Books & Literature
    • Fashion
    • Health
    • History
    • Lifestyle & Family
    • Music
    • Religion
    • Television & Movies
    • Theatre
    • Travel
      • Great Outdoors
      • Rhode Island Travel
    • Women
  • Environment
    • Climate Change
    • Green News
    • Greenpeace
    • Oceans & Marinelife
    • Wildlife

© 2011 Varnum Continental