Green Flag prepares 9th BS for deployment

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Robert Hicks
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (ACCNS) --  As a bone, (the nickname given to the B-1 bomber), patrols the skies ready to strike at a moment's notice, a joint terminal attack controller on the ground relays coordinates of a building where enemy targets have taken refuge. Using the sniper pod to pin point the target, the B-1 drops a bomb and destroys it. That's one of several scenarios the 9th Bomb Squadron, pilots face at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. during Green Flag.

Green Flag West is an unscripted battle exercise that provides units training on a scale not available near their home stations. It replicates irregular warfare conditions currently found in overseas contingency operations. Dyess aircrews, working closely with JTAC's embedded with the 82nd Airborne Division from Fort Bragg, N.C., fly close air support, aerial reconnaissance and other missions to support 6,000 soldiers, and 400 armored and support vehicles from an opposing enemy force in a 1,000-square-mile combat environment.

"Green Flag is an invaluable asset," said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Terry Ferrell, National Training Center commanding general. "They complete multiple objectives established for their pilots of various airframes. More importantly, the aspects of Green Flag--from fighter to jammer to air-refuel capability employed--ensure they can achieve the training objectives they need to reach, and we see how they are going to employ in various conditions."

Throughout the exercise, the 9th BSBomb Squadron provided close-air support for kinetic and non-kinetic operations to the ground commander with real time video of what's happening on the ground.

"The exercise gives us a chance to work hand-in-hand with the soldiers and Marines we're going to be deployed with," said Capt. Scott Pontzer, 9th BS, Green Flag project officer. "This is a great opportunity for us to work on communication skills so we can put bombs on targets."

A key point practiced throughout the training is nine-line procedures. Nine-lines are standardized across all allied forces so a JTAC can call in an aircraft and tell them where theirre target is located.

"In the nine-line he's going to give me everything I need to strike the target from the ground commander authority to the type of weapon they want us to use," Pontzer said. "From there we put the sniper pod on the target and if they have a rover they can see the live feed and tell us if it's a go."

Seventy percent of the 9th BS pilots and weapons system officers are now fully qualified on the sniper pod.

"This is not only an important exercise, but our biggest before we deploy," Pontzer said. "It gives us a chance to see what we can improve on in a deployment environment with scenarios."

During the exercise, the 9th BS had the opportunity to share air space with F-18 Super Hornets.

Pontzer added having the aircraft in the same air space supporting the ground commander's intent, was good integration for upcoming deployments.