HORN%HYDRA%sdi.polaroid.com@RELAY.CS.NET (06/11/91)
From: HORN%HYDRA%sdi.polaroid.com@RELAY.CS.NET The Soviet press has had a lot less to say about Iraq war due to other more interesting news like the referendum. They (unlike us :-)) don't revel in extensive detailed discussion of military affairs and most of the commentary is political. Based on modest amounts of direct and summary readings, I noticed these themes on military matters: 1) Don't worry about equipment quality. The Iraqis were poorly led, poorly motivated, poorly trained, using export quality gear. This is partly your basic bureaucratic ``Trust me'' but I have dealt with the training and motivation issues of other cultures and there is certainly some truth to it. 2) The equipment DID work when used. Partly a variation on 1), but also a comment on Western press reactions. Don't forget, AAA forced dramatic changes in mission profiles and operating modes. Lots of planes were hit but not lost (including one B-52 hit but not lost). I recall one picture of what an F-18 looks like after taking a missile up its tailpipe. This also is part of the answer to the question regarding why planes came back with bomb loads. The pilots wanted at least 10,000 feet of clear air between themselves and the cloud deck so that they had time to see and evade missiles. This sometimes left no room for targeting or bombing. I have seen no direct comment on the issues surrounding centralized control and getting inside the decision loop. There has been some possibly metaphorical mention of WWII partisans, but this could just as easily be related to the big multi-year 50th anniversary. I the US press: Av Leak describes the TR-3A. This is a medium(?)/long(?) range stealth recon aircraft that is rumored to have seen service supporting F-117 activities in Iraq. It looks like the reason that they were willing to phase out the SR-71. Rob Horn horn%hydra@polaroid.com