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Gaza War Leaned Heavily on F-16 Close-Air Support
(Defense News) Barbara Opall-Rome - Hundreds of the more than 6,000 targets Israel struck from the air during the Gaza war were from fighter jets delivering bombs in record time and in close proximity to friendly ground forces. With an F-16 dedicated to every brigade, precision air power provided protection for friendly forces fighting less than 350 meters away. That's a three-fold improvement from the traditional 1-km. safety range for fixed-wing close air support, IDF officers said. Israel Air Force chief of staff Brig. Gen. Amikam Norkin said the Gaza war marked the first time fixed-wing fighters were used as dedicated assets to division- and brigade-level forces. During the 19-day ground segment of the war, close air support was provided within 30 minutes, and in many cases 20 minutes, of the first receipt of ground force tasking data. The Air Force wants to achieve bombs on target within 10 minutes. In addition, combat helicopters constantly accompany Israeli boots on the ground. "The Apaches are always there," Norkin said. But when forces are maneuvering in built-up areas where threats are hidden, above and under the ground, fighter-launched precision weaponry is the best option. "When there are residential buildings of three, four and five floors, and the civilians are already evacuated, fixed-wing precision air power is most effective." At any given time during the 50-day campaign, the Air Force had an average of 40 air platforms of different types operating in the same congested airspace over Gaza, Norkin said. UAVs monitored and recorded all of the designated targets prior to attack, an essential element for preserving legitimacy and countering inevitable accusations of excessive force. "100% of the targets we attacked had constant [visual intelligence] above them before, during and after attack," Norkin said.