August 20, 2007: The U.S. Air Force never used the laser
guided Maverick missile, and then discovered it was the ideal version of the
Maverick for combat in Iraq. In fact, only the Navy (and Marine Corps) bought
the laser guided Maverick. The air force used the TV and infrared guided
versions. But in actual practice, the laser guided model was the most accurate,
and this proved decisive in Iraq and Afghanistan, where the target is sometimes
a moving truck (full of bad guys trying to escape), or a roomful of terrorists
in a densely populated neighborhood. In both cases, you want to hit a small
target, and not kill nearby civilians. The laser guided Maverick proved to be
the best weapon.
Note that the air force only
dropped 177 smart bombs in Iraq last year, and only fired 52 Hellfire (from
Predators) or Maverick missiles. Activity is up this year, but still minuscule
compared to past wars. So every smart bomb or missile counts, and accuracy is
very important. Meanwhile, army and
marine helicopters fired ten times as many missiles, as well as over 10,000
70mm unguided rockets and over 10 million rounds of cannon and machine-gun
ammunition. This year, the air forces is using a lot more Maverick missiles,
and is borrowing laser guided versions from the navy.
The relative paucity of aerial
firepower employed has everything to do with the rules of engagement and the
desire to minimize civilian casualties. On the ground this pays off, although
foreign media use any civilian casualty (or imagined casualties, if they cannot
find any real ones) as an indictment of trigger happy American troops. No good
deed goes unpunished.
In Iraq, enemy snipers have
learned that being in a building that a pilot can get a shot at is not a good
idea. Pilots have also used Maverick missiles to take out snipers, or rooms
where enemy troops are located. The 400-600 pound Mavericks comes with a 125 pound or 300 pound warhead. This allows
the Maverick to be used when friendly troops are nearby, the only alternative
being the 500 pound smart bomb.
The Maverick, which has a max
range of 25 kilometers, has been in use for 35 years. Recent attempts to
replace it with a more modern missile failed because, well, Maverick still gets
the job done. The air force is trying to get production resumed on the laser
guided Maverick.
