European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 7, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday january 7,199.1 the stars and stripes a a a Page 3crisis in the Gulf a amps Joseph own staff sgt. Terry m. Pope left29, of Bluff City tenn., and sgt. Rodney l. Mains 29, of Stuttgart ark., remove an Access panel from an f-15e to fix a Hydraulic leak. Tech. Sgt. John l. Waddell right photo of Orangeburg ., an air National guard munitions maintenance specialist straps Down a sidewinder  confident of controlling desert skies by Joseph Owen Middle East Bureau Central saudi Arabia airmen taking part in one of the largest concentrations of . Air Power in one place since the Vietnam War Are absolutely convinced they can quickly wrest control of the sky from Iraq. Phalanges of f-15e strike Eagle fighter bombers and other combat planes crowd the flight line at a new unnamed desert air base lending credence to the airmen a confident and sometimes cocky claims. The five fighter squadrons which form the 4th tac fighter Wing provisional should be Able to drop up to 1 million pounds of explosives daily Over military targets in Iraq or Kuwait. No precise figures were available but a fighter Squadron usually has 18 to 24 planes indicating there May be 120 aircraft at this sprawling facility. It. Col. Steve Turner commander of the wings 336th tac fighter so from Seymour Johnson fab in Goldsboro n.c., said the iraqi air Force benefits from experience in the decade Long Iran Iraq War. But air Battles were a minor part of that War he said and iraqi pilots can take Little initiative due to their centralized command and control system. Turner 47, of Portsmouth va., expects to Fly in the first wave of jets if an attack is ordered. He said iraqis air Force is far inferior to that country s highly trained Republican guards ground Force. A a it a not just a Back seat. Its two buses Back a lie said. Wing commander col. Hal i Ornburg acknowledged the iraqi pilots As a threat but said his wings pilots Are better trained. A a i think the skies Are going to be Clear in just a matter of Days a i Ornburg said. Asked How Many planes he expected to lose in an initial air Battle he said a i done to plan to lose any. Ill be very disappointed if i  other aircraft in the Wing include f-16 fighting Falcons f-15c eagles and Ca 130. Hercules. The Wing was assembled from 216 squadrons located on 71 bases around the world. The Airstrip is close enough to potential military targets in Kuwait or Iraq to allow pilots to Fly up to three a and possibly four a combat sorties daily said col. David Eberly Wing Deputy comander for operations. I Ornburg said civilian locations will not be targets. Wing staff officers said such Sites Are unlikely to suffer heavy damage even if nearby military targets a such As airfields railroads Bridges missile Sites communications centers or command and control centers a Are under attack. Quot in a confident we can take out the Mil itary targets with Little collateral damage a i Ornburg said but admitted the potential for error. A i  try to convince you that we live in a perfect  now that Winter has arrived in saudi Arabia mild sandstorms reduce visibility to As Little As a Quarter mile. But the Wing does not expect to postpone combat mis Sions under such conditions. . Pilots say they will conduct Many of their missions at night anyway using advanced technology that greatly reduces the time needed to locate a target Ami improves the accuracy of an attack. The harsh desert climate also should have Little effect on the planes said tech sgt. Gerard j. Riesterer maintenance Crew chief of the 4th aircraft generation so. ,. / _ a a when we get Back into a cooler ii mate we May have to repack the struts because the Sand wears the sealsout.,�?� Riesterer said. In the desert blowing Sand Sticks to exposed struts and migrates into the seals when the struts contract upon Landing. Col. Raymond w. Davies Deputy commander for maintenance said his Crew s can keep More jets ready to Fly than there Are air Crews to Fly them. A the environment we be experienced in the last four months has not really been a Factor heir a he said the desert actually provides a great advantage for pilots seeking targets assented maj. Richard m. Naumann 38, assistant flight commander of the 157th Lac fighter so a unit from Mcentire air National guard base in Colombia  A it denies the enemy a place to life a Naumann a a Columbia resident said. Quot there a no vegetation no 18 layers of jungle.their bravado has not prevented pilots from talking with each other about the possibility of dying  or watching friends die. Naumann said the death of fellow pilots might a feet guard units even More harshly than Active duty pilots. Quot some of these Guys. In be been f mends with a Long time. We  same neighbourhoods a said Naumann who works As an american airlines Pilot in civilian Hie. A we consider a new Guy someone who a been in the unit less than three years.�?�. The 33bth tac fighter. So already has experienced such pain having lost a Crew in a Jet Accident a few months ago said Turner the Squadron commander i be expects that such losses m Battle will be muted by the fact that pilots will be too Busy to dwell on them for Long. A a it a just one of those things. I hey re always in your hearts and your minds Quot ire said Quot but you have to keep  Quot pm  Quot fighter jets crowd the flight line at a . Air base in saudi Arabia that has yet to be named. Five fighter squadrons form the 4th tac fighter Wing provisional