Exercise Able Archer One

[VigilantWatcher]

[u][b]Altai Air Force Base
Day One
03:00 hours[/b][/u]

The start of "Exercise Able Archer One" had began as soon as the sun had risen into the morning sky. A flight of three F-4G Wild Weasel V Fighters had taken off and had began attacks against the simulated enemy radar posts in the exercise area in the Gobi Desert area of the Govi-Altai Province. They fired AGM-88 HARM Anti-Radiation Missiles "disabling" the dummy positions.

Following up was waves of fighters comprising F-15E Strike Eagle Fighters and MIG-35 "Fulcrum F" Fighters. They attacked the simulated positions around the "disabled" radar posts with GB3 Cluster Munitions Bombs and Mark 82 500 Pound General Purpose Bombs.



[u][b]Northern edge of exercise zone
Day One
14:00 hours[/b][/u]

On the edge of the exercise zone was the Madurastan Army and Madurastan Home Guard units who would take part in Exercise Able Archer One. One of those units was the 11th Infantry Division. It was one of five divisions who would take part in the ground assault of the exercise.



[u][b]Northern edge of exercise zone
Day One
17:00 hours[/b][/u]

The second attack wave approached the rear areas behind the forward line of "enemy positions". This was a flight of fourty B-52H "Stratofortress" Strategic Bombers which dropped their heavy payloads over their target area in an attempt to stop the "enemy" recieving any support. Following up was continous waves of A-10A Thunderbolt II Ground Attack Aircraft dropping GB1 Standard 2000 Pound Bombs and GB2 Standard 1000 Pound Bombs. These attacks went on for four hours with the aircraft refueling and returning to drop more ordinance on preset targets.


This would become the biggest exercise the Madurastan Military had ever created.

Edited May 17, 2010 by Curristan

[VigilantWatcher]

[u][b]Altai Air Force Base
Day Two
05:00 hours[/b][/u]

Day Two had begun with the first introduction of the F-22A Raptor Stealth Air Superiority Fighter into the exercise. One F-22A had taken off on a bombing mission carrying JDAM fitted Mark 82 500 Pound General Purpose Bombs and GB2 Standard 1000 Pound Bombs. The aircraft attacked targets around where the ground attack part of the exercise would take place. The pilot of the exercise was Flight Officer Kerry Lewis of Fourteen Fighter Squadron, Fifth Fighter Wing, Third Air Force (3AF).

[img]http://www.seattlepi.com/dayart/20080718/450raptor18_03jamieson.jpg[/img]

Flt Lt Kerry Lewis shortly after returning to Altai Air Force Base


[u][b]Northern edge of exercise zone
Day Two
08:00 hours[/b][/u]

The artillery of the 7th Infantry Division began their bombardment. This would go on for six continous hours while the division got ready to move forward.

[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2f/105mm.jpg[/img]

M119A1 105mm Howitzer of the 7th Division firing



[img]http://www.eme421.com/M777_Afghan_2007.jpg[/img]

M777 155mm Howitzers of the 7th Division firing

Supporting them would be the 4th Mechanised Division who were situated on their left flank. Their artillery also opened their bombardment in support of the 7th Infantry Division. They would move alongside the 7th Inafntry Division's advance and give supporting fire with their self propelled artillery.

[img]http://www.cannonartillery.com/userfiles/Image/M109A6_Paladin_live_fire_near_Abu_Ghraib.jpg[/img]

M109A6 'Paladin' 155mm Self Propelled Howitzer battery of the 4th Mechanised Division


[img]http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/images/mlrs-steelrain.jpg[/img]

Painting of a M270 MLRS Multiple Rocket Launcher battery opening fire

Edited May 18, 2010 by Curristan

[VigilantWatcher]

[u][b]Northern edge of exercise zone
Day Two
18:00 hours[/b][/u]

As the artillery bombardment stopped, the 7th Infantry Division started their advance. BMP-3 Infantry Fighting Vehicles and BTR-90 Armoured Personnel Carriers moved ahead while the infantry who were not riding inside them moved on foot or in Madurastan Motors Model 3 Infantry Transports.

On their left flank, the 4th Mechanised Division began their offensive with their BMP-3 Infantry Fighting Vehicles and BTR-90 Armoured Personnel Carriers moving in echelon towards the first objective, slightly ahead of the 7th Infantry Division.

To the right of the 7th Infantry Division's attack, the 50th Air Assault Division moved forward to protect the 7th Infantry Division's right flank. Their BMD-2 Airborne Fighting Vehicles and High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (Humvee) 4x4s moved in small groups towards their objective.

Heavily armed fire teams moving ahead on UH-60M Black Hawk Transport Helicopters and CH-47F Chinook Heavy Transport Helicopters, supported by AH-64D Apache Attack Helicopters began inserting at strategic positions ahead of the main attack force and setting up forward positions.

[img]http://www.boeing.com/Microsites/IDS/2009/chinook/issue_01/images/inthefield_s4_p3_g2.jpg[/img]

CH-47F Chinook Heavy Transport Helicopter bringing in a High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (Humvee) 4x4 into a forward position


S-RECO UAVs of Five Observation Squadron, Three Observation Wing were moving ahead and began feeding live data of the ground ahead to the military command posts.

[VigilantWatcher]

[u][b]Northern edge of exercise zone
Day Three
08:00 hours[/b][/u]

The 7th Infantry Division's attack had made fourteen miles during the night moving as quickly as possible through the simulated positions and towards the first objective which was an abandoned artillery test facility. The spearhead of the attack had arrived there at 05:00 hours and dug in around the derelict buildings. Artillery positions were prepared eight hundred metres behind the derelict buildings and opened fire on the second line of "enemy" positions.

The 4th Mechanised Division to the north had managed twenty one miles and had set up forward positions twelve miles to the northeast of the 7th Infantry Division where they were waiting for further orders. Reinforcements had been ordered forward consisting of the 2nd Armoured Division. They would arrive by late afternoon.


The 50th Air Assault Division had moved forward to on the 7th Infantry Division's right flank. They had moved in towards their objective both on the ground and on helicopters and had made the most of their mobility making twenty seven miles in four hours. They had made a forward operating base and had constructed an airstrip and were being resupplied every hour by Eight Support Squadron, Three Support Wing of the Madurastan Air Force.

Meanwhile ahead of the ground forces the second air campaign had begun. B-2 Spirit Strategic Stealth Bombers flew precision bombing raids for the first time dropping a single or two GB3 Cluster Munitions Bombs on specific targets unsupported by any other aircraft.


Fighters flew combat sorties all along the front dropping several kinds of ordinance in preperation for the next phase of the ground offensive.

Edited May 20, 2010 by Curristan

[VigilantWatcher]

[u][b]Twelve Miles northeast of the Abandoned Artillery Test Facility
Day Four
03:00 hours[/b][/u]

The 2nd Armoured Division began their advance with their T-100 Main Battle Tanks attacking out of the early morning sunrise south. Meanwhile the 4th Mechanised Division moved forwards on the 2nd Armoured Division's left to provide flank cover.

[img]http://www.navweaps.com/index_tech/tech-103_VADS_pic.jpg[/img]

M163 Vulcan Air Defense System (VADS) of the 2nd Armoured Division


[u][b]Abandoned Artillery Test Facility
Day Four
09:00 hours[/b][/u]

The start of the 7th Infantry Divisions attack began with their artillery opening a short but heavy bombardment ahead of the division before launching an attack against the second line of positions. The 2nd Regiment with their One Hundred BMP-3 Infantry Fighting Vehicles and One Hundred BTR-90 Armoured Personnel Carriers taking the lead raced forwards with the rest of the division following close behind.


[u][b]Forward Operating Base Echo
Day Four
10:00 hours[/b][/u]

The 50th Air Assault Division launched itself out of its established positions and struck out southwards supporting the 7th Infantry Division's advance. The 1st Mechanised Division (Madurastan National Guard) had arrived early that morning to guard the forward operating base where the Madurastan Air Force had established itself in strength.

Edited May 20, 2010 by Curristan

[VigilantWatcher]

[u][b]
Day Five
04:30 hours[/b][/u]

The 2nd Armoured Division's advance with their T-100 Main Battle Tanks had moved twenty four miles to the south. Meanwhile the 4th Mechanised Division had moved forwards on the 2nd Armoured Division's left for twenty miles. The exercise was nearly over as the 2nd Armoured Division was now only twenty five miles to the northwest from the end objective which was the last line of simulated defences.



[u][b]Thirty Miles south of the Abandoned Artillery Test Facility
Day Five
08:45 hours[/b][/u]

The 7th Infantry Divisions attack had moved quickly through the exercise area ahead of a continous barrage and had assaulted the second line of positions. They had penetrated through and was eighteen miles west of the last line of simulated defences


[u][b]Fourty miles south of Forward Operating Base Echo
Day Five
11:00 hours[/b][/u]

The 50th Air Assault Division had launched itself out of its established positions and had struck out southwards supporting the 7th Infantry Division's advance. They had moved to within fourteen miles of the last line of simulated defences.

Edited May 22, 2010 by Curristan

[VigilantWatcher]

All the units involved had struck southwards to the final objective which was a massive target range with obsolete equipment which had been kept stored for spare parts, some were stationary and some equipped with remote control so they could practie attacking moving targets. Dummy positions were also placed around some of the vehicles to simulate an enemy position.

[u][b]Target Range
18:00 hours[/b][/u]

The live firing exercise began with a B-2 Spirit Strategic Stealth Bomber dropping a Mark 77 Mod 4 Napalm Bomb onto a parked UAZ-469 lighting up the evening sky. Every infantry soldier opened fire with everything they had, along with every Tank and Armoured Vehicle. The towed and self propelled artillery joined in leaving clouds of debris everywhere.

One of the best shots was against a remote controlled obsolete T-72 Main Battle Tank had come across a T-100 Main Battle Tank's field of fire. The crew opened up with the main 120mm Gun using a HEAT round. The shell penetrated through the tank's left side armour, blowing the turret clean off. Ammunition which had been placed inside for realism detonated in a massive fireball.

A remote controlled obsolete BMP-1 Infantry Fighting Vehicle had been disabled with a near miss from a dropped MNT Anti Vehicle Mine and had blown off the tank's left track. A squad from the 7th Infantry Division used a FGM-148 Javelin Anti-Tank Guided Missile Launcher to great effect scoring a direct hit on the turret blowing the IFV to pieces.

One simulated position was utterly destroyed in a hail of AGM-65 Maverick Air to Surface Missiles from several A-10A Thunderbolt II Ground Attack Aircraft after an error caused by the smoke from the hail of fire being unleashed. This caused great laughter among the soldiers on the ground and great embarrassment from the personnel of the Madurastan Air Force who were present co-ordinating the strikes.

One squad from the 4th Mechanised Division opened fire with their two M120 120mm Mortars hitting a simulated enemy position, causing a huge explosion as they scored two direct hits on a camouflaged BTR-80 Armoured Personnel Carrier which sent debris everywhere.

At 23:00 hours the exercise was then halted as a sand storm was predicted to occur during the night and early morning. They would continue at or around 11:00 hours. Meanwhile the smoke from the burning vehicles and positions soared into the night sky and the sound of the flames was punctuated by exploding ammunition and fuel.

Edited May 21, 2010 by Curristan

[VigilantWatcher]

[u][b]
Day Six
Target Range
11:00 hours[/b][/u]

The live firing exercise was restarted with a S-RECO UAV destroying a damaged T-72 Main Battle Tank in the firing area with a TKM2 Anti Tank Guided Missile. Shortly after the chaos in the firing area began again as bullets and shells raked the area.

A F-22A Raptor Stealth Air Superiority Fighter came in at around five thousand feet and dropped two GB4 Anti Armor Cluster Munitions Bombs which rained anti armour bomblets over a wide area destroying and damaging several vehicles in the blast radius.

The strongest air attack was yet to come. High above, a B-52H "Stratofortress" Strategic Bomber dropped ten BKT2 Deep Penetration High Explosive Bombs from its bomb bay. The resulting explosion took the top off a nearby rock face causing a considerable land slide and buried several simulated positions. It then came back round for another pass and dropped a AGM-129A Advanced Cruise Missile from both its wing racks. These impacted on two simulated positions which disappeared in a huge explosion.

The ground forces also continued their storm of fire which continued to rip through the exercise zone. One incident however marred the exercise. One soldier was injured seriously he fired a Panzerfaust 3 and the rocket left the weapon exploded 50 feet in front of him peppering him with shrapnel. The cause was found to be a faulty rocket.

The exercise was stopped while a UH-60M Black Hawk Transport Helicopter came to airlift him to Altai Air Force Base, where he would be flowen to Ashland Miliary Hospital.

Edited May 22, 2010 by Curristan

[VigilantWatcher]

[u][b]Day Eight
Target Range
10:00 hours[/b][/u]

With the exercise being suspended for a day due to the accident, it resumed for the final day. This day was exclusively a Madurastan Air Force exercise using some of the biggest weapons in the MAF's inventory. Meanwhile the ground forces stood by and watched the display given by the MAF.

The first aircraft to approach the exercise zone was a MIG-35 "Fulcrum-F" Fighter carrying four Mark 82 500 Pound General Purpose Bombs. It came in low and fast hugging the ground before climbing sharply to one thousand feet and dropped the load just as it flew over the Target Range. The bombs impacted on and around an already damaged BMP 1 Infantry Fighting Vehicle destroying it.

The next attack was a F-15E Strike Eagle Fighter carrying a load of four GBU-24 Paveway III Bombs to demonstrate a raid designed to make a runway unusable to enemy aircraft. It came over the Target Range and dropped two near a simulated position. The two exploded sending earth and debris everywhere. The F-15E came round for a second pass and dropped the second two on a position near to where the first two had impacted causing another huge explosion.

The F-15E was followed in by an A-10A Thunderbolt II Ground Attack Aircraft which tore up the area with its 30mm cannon and dropped two GB1 Standard 2000 Pound Bombs which made two large craters as they exploded simultaneously.

The exercise was finally wound down at 15:00 hours and the ground forces began withdrawing out of the exercise zone. Exercise Able Archer One was now over. The exercise had been executed well and the soldier who had been injured was now recovering from the shrapnel wounds he had sustained.

The Panzerfaust 3 would however be reviewed as part of the enquiry into the accident to see if it was still fit for active service.