Kiowa Warrior carries the
night, watching the backs of ground troops in the dark
By Scott Schonauer,
Kosovo bureau
Scott Schonauer/ Stars and Stripes
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Brian Thomas checks the engine of an OH-58D Kiowa Warrior at Camp
Bondsteel in Kosovo. The Kiowa Warrior has taken an increasingly important role in
observing the Kosovo boundary with southern Serbia at night. |
CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo — Army Kiowa Warrior helicopters are the “eyes in the
skies” for ground troops in the dark.
With night-vision goggles and thermal-imaging cameras, pilots in the past several
months helped soldiers catch fleeing smugglers bent on supplying ethnic Albanian rebels
across the border in Macedonia.
But in a recent news article, an Army commander thanked his lucky stars for having the
formidable Apache attack helicopters for his troops at night.
The Apache, of course, is night-vision capable but usually flies during the day in
Kosovo because the Kiowa Warrior is better equipped for darkness.
“That kind of bristled some hairs,” Chief Warrant Officer 3 Rob Smith said
with a smirk.
It was an innocent slip. But Kiowa Warrior pilots are accustomed to such slights.
Although the menacing-looking Apache usually gets the attention and the praise, ground
pounders rely on the stealthy Kiowa to watch their backs at night.
In the past three months, helicopters have kept commanders updated on the movement of
ethnic Albanian rebels and aided in the seizure of illegal weapons. Because most of the
activity is at night, the Kiowa Warriors have become crucial to border patrol.
Macedonian forces have traded fire with the insurgents, who are demanding better rights
for ethnic Albanians in the country south of Kosovo.
U.S. pilots can only fly within Kosovo, but they often see tracer fire and troop
movements when the fighting comes close to the border.
Although it is unlikely that the fighting could spill over into the Yugoslav province,
the Kiowa Warriors could be the first line of defense for ground troops. While its main
job is reconnaissance, the helicopter can carry Hellfire anti-tank missiles, air-to-air
Stinger missiles and unguided rockets.
“We give them extra protection,” said Kiowa pilot 1st Lt. Jeremy Clark.
“When they’re on the ground, their world is limited as far as what they can see.
Being in the air watching over them gives them a much wider perspective and a little more
advanced notice.”
The two-person OH-58D Kiowa Warrior is what the Army calls a “scout”
helicopter.
It can give commanders a bird’s-eye view of Kosovo’s rugged terrain and lead
soldiers to potential smugglers or insurgents either by radio or through high-resolution
camera snapshots.
It’s also quiet. Beyond 1,000 meters away, most ears cannot hear the flutter of
the rotors.
The thermal imaging unit can spot people — based on their heat sensitivity —
hidden within the trees under the cloak of darkness.
The high-tech cameras often allow pilots to see things ground troops cannot.
“That border — like any border — is difficult to seal,” said Maj.
Bill Burleson, operations officer for the 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment,
82nd Airborne Division. “But using helicopters is a significant multiplier. It allows
us to see things where we are not.”
They also can reach the border and respond to crisis situations more rapidly than foot
patrols. Helicopters can reach nearly any part of the southern border of Kosovo in the
U.S. peacekeeping sector. Some parts can take hours for ground troops to get to.
Without the helicopters, Burleson said that they would need more troops to patrol the
border.
“A foot patrol can go only as fast as their feet will take them,” he said.
Helicopter pilots often lead soldiers to smugglers and possible insurgents in much the
same way police use airborne patrols to catch fleeing suspects in big cities in the United
States.
In March, the helicopters rushed to the border and found 10 mules loaded with illegal
weapons.
Although most of the people guiding the animals scattered, pilots helped soldiers
confiscate enough guns and rocket launchers to outfit a platoon.
They caught one individual.
Still, pilots said, it seems like the Apaches get the most attention. It further
intensifies a friendly rivalry between Apache and Warrior aviators.
“It’s always the Apaches … the Apaches,” Smith said.
“They’ve got the wrong aircraft. They’re not the ones out there at
night.”
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