Air Force Combat Controllers

Can someone post some good pictures of som AF Combat Controllers? And can someone also tell me what exactly AF Combat Controllers do?

[Dmitri]

http://www.specialoperations.com/USAF/CCT/default.html

[usa320]

They work with SOF on the ground. Their primary mission i belive is to call in aerial bombardment- basically tehy act as Forward Air Controllers.

Whena green beret team needs heavy firepower, these guys call up some F-16's.

[Vance]

They control combat. :)

[AFACadet]

They are a small group of SPECOPS the go behind enemy lies (or on the front lines) and make sure these 80 JDAMs hit 80 different targets:

http://video.boeing.com:8080/ram/events/BNN014_200.ram

p-)

Seriously, they are the ones to call in airstrikes in extremely difficult conditions. They train like other SPECOPS groups, but don't get the 'visibility' of the SEALS. They also do just about every other SPECOPS job out there.

Usually, they are inserted by MH-60s, MH-53s, and MC-130s at night in very small numbers.

http://www.grunts.net/album/usaf/cctsatwork.jpg

http://www.specialforces.net/airforce/cct/combat.jpg

http://www.afa.org/magazine/June2002/0602master2.jpg

[hood]

There's some here:

http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/Air_Force_Special_Operations_Command

[crazyman]

pretty cool group of guys, met a bunch up at drum back in the day. mostly they work the air-mud end of special operations, whether its on their own or with rangers, SF, etc. couple of them tagged along in somalia, helping control the air end of that mission

[Dominique]

Actually Combat Controllers (CCT) and Special Tactics Officers (STO) are Air Force pathfinders. they work with Army, Navy and foreign SOF units to help coordinate aircraft movements, mark assault zones, and as secondary function direct air strikes. The CCT guys trained in calling in air strikes are SOTAC qualified.

The best info you can get is at www.specialtactics.com.

The people who's primary job is to direct airstrikes are Tactical Air Control Parties (TACP). They are either Tactical Air Command & Control Specialist (TACCS), Enlisted Tactical Air Controllers (ETAC), and Air Liaison Officers (ALO). The best info on them is at www.romad.com

[Dominique]

Here's a few CCT pics.

http://img8.photobucket.com/albums/v26/DSumner/Special%20Ops/CCT.jpg

http://img8.photobucket.com/albums/v26/DSumner/Special%20Ops/CCT1.jpg

http://img8.photobucket.com/albums/v26/DSumner/Special%20Ops/CCT2.jpg

[haze99]

Dominique, you are correct! Outstanding break down of the two! Much thanks! :D

[Dominique]

I forgot to add that the TACPs assigned to Army SOF units are called Special Operations Forces Tactical Air Control Parties (SOF TACP). Here's a link to a profile on them.

http://www.specwarnet.net/americas/softacp.htm

Here's a pic of a ETAC in Afghanistan

http://img8.photobucket.com/albums/v26/DSumner/Special%20Ops/TACP1.bmp

[[AFSOC]]

Whats a Pathfinder??

[Dominique]

A profile I wrote on US Army Pathfinders, a few years back.

http://www.specwarnet.net/americas/army_pathfinders.htm

A couple of pics of Pathfinders from the 101st Abn (AA) during Iraqi Freedom.

http://img8.photobucket.com/albums/v26/DSumner/Special%20Ops/Pathfinder-1.jpg

http://img8.photobucket.com/albums/v26/DSumner/Special%20Ops/Pathfinder-2.jpg

[[AFSOC]]

Does Canada still use there PathfinderS??

[Dominique]

The Canadian Airborne Regiment's Pathfinder Platoon was disbanded along with the CAR. A lot of its members volunteered for JTF-2. The Canandian Army still runs a Pathfinder course. From what I understand its a real beast.

[Dominique]

Here's a link to an aticle on the 02' Pathfinder Course.

http://pub37.ezboard.com/fsofforum36648frm13.showMessage?topicID=1.topic

[NcDeuce]

They work with SOF on the ground. Their primary mission i belive is to call in aerial bombardment- basically tehy act as Forward Air Controllers.

Whena green beret team needs heavy firepower, these guys call up some F-16's.

I've read that some ODA's like to call in their own...you blame 'em?

[Dominique]

Most SOF units (SF, Delta, SEALs, Force Recon) are capable of calling in CAS, but its not their primary job. That's the main reason the AF likes to have one of one (either a ETAC or SOTAC qualified CCT) assigned a team.

[oakes]

To top it off, they are also fully qualified air traffic controllers. This is to facilitate their mission of establishing forward deployed air fields close to or behind enemy lines. They are hardcore. I used to see them do PT at technical school back in Mississippi. I would just sigh to myself in envy and keep on marching to my comm. ops training courses.

[Dominique]

http://img8.photobucket.com/albums/v26/DSumner/Special%20Ops2/DF-SD-02-03484.jpg

http://img8.photobucket.com/albums/v26/DSumner/Special%20Ops2/DF-ST-01-00612.jpg

http://img8.photobucket.com/albums/v26/DSumner/Special%20Ops2/DF-ST-90-05979.jpg

http://img8.photobucket.com/albums/v26/DSumner/Special%20Ops2/DF-ST-92-06078.jpg

http://img8.photobucket.com/albums/v26/DSumner/Special%20Ops2/DF-ST-93-05489.jpg

http://img8.photobucket.com/albums/v26/DSumner/Special%20Ops2/DF-ST-93-05490.jpg

http://img8.photobucket.com/albums/v26/DSumner/Special%20Ops2/DF-ST-98-02093.jpg

http://img8.photobucket.com/albums/v26/DSumner/Special%20Ops2/DF-ST-99-05654.jpg

[Haiw]

http://img8.photobucket.com/albums/v26/DSumner/Special%20Ops2/DF-ST-93-05490.jpg
Is he taking a **** or what? :lol:

[Dominique]

Ahhhhhh....the joys of rifle PT.

[Uncle Sam]

Try doing it with an M249 SAW !!! I have. (Yes, I was being punished)

http://img8.photobucket.com/albums/v26/DSumner/Special%20Ops2/DF-ST-93-05490.jpg

[Argyll]

yeah we used to call it Pokey drill.
Designed to strengthen the hands and wrists,and fooking murder!
In the 80's we used to do it with the SLR which weighed 9lb 9 oz!

[Javehn]

Try doing it with an M249 SAW !!! I have. (Yes, I was being punished)

http://img8.photobucket.com/albums/v26/DSumner/Special%20Ops2/DF-ST-93-05490.jpg

Oh , i remember that one . **** that was hard .. And a world of pain . We called it "i am riding on a bisicle " .
But they having only Car15 , those smartasses . They should try do it with something a bit heavy .

[kinghk]

http://img8.photobucket.com/albums/v26/DSumner/Special%20Ops2/DF-ST-93-05490.jpg
Is he taking a **** or what? :lol:

I remeber doing that with my G3 rifle. Almost twice the weight.

[webfoots]

It isn't so much the weight of the weapon that makes it hard, it's the weight of the rifle after you've ran for 6 miles, done PT, pool work, a ruck march, and whatever else you can image them doing to these guys trying to get them to drop out of the course.

The guy next to him appears to be in the "zone"

[Uncle Sam]

It isn't so much the weight of the weapon that makes it hard, it's the weight of the rifle after you've ran for 6 miles, done PT, pool work, a ruck march, and whatever else you can image them doing to these guys trying to get them to drop out of the course.

The guy next to him appears to be in the "zone"

No sh*t ! Really ! I thought that looked too easy.

[AFACadet]

ANYTHING feels heavy after you do something like the for a while


<----- M14s myself :P

[He219]

I posted this one in Today's Pic's.

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jan2004/200401206a.jpg
Hi-Res (http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jan2004/200401206a_hr.jpg)

Air Force Airman 1st Class James Blair coordinates air cover for Army 10th Mountain Division soldiers during an operation in the Sroghar Mountains of Afghanistan. Blair and other Tactical Air Control Party airmen are serving with special operations forces in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Blair is deployed from Fort Drum, N.Y. Photo by Tech. Sgt. Brian Davidson, USAF

Story Here (http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jan2004/n01202004_200401206.html).

[webfoots]

TACP's and CCT aren't the same. TACP's provide close air support to their assigned Army units and a damn good at it from everything I've heard.

CCT's do this also, mainly for special operations, along with drop zone and landing zone surveys, forward air traffic control, and special ops communications

[He219]

My Bad ..




:oops:

[webfoots]

I hope my reply didn't sound negative or as a slam. It wasn't meant that way at all.

It's a very good image. You can't quite see his whole pack but for damn sure it's the heaviest in the unit. CCT's have to be some of the most fit soldiers in the world to carry all the freaking equipment they have.

Good work guys... :D

[Red]

yeah we used to call it Pokey drill.
Designed to strengthen the hands and wrists,and fooking murder!
In the 80's we used to do it with the SLR which weighed 9lb 9 oz!
That gun is a dozie,but i love it.It is very dear to my heart.

[Burncycle]

I really admire combat controllers.

Although I restrain from saying "OMG I want to be in the air force and join special ops!" because quite frankly, most all the kids aspire to be somethign "cool" like that. I'm no different, but I'm realistic, hehe.

I'm not saying I couldn't will my way through training (nevar give up!), I'm just saying I'd never get the chance. (odds are there's no way I'd be selected in the first place) Ah well :(

[Dominique]

Some other fun exercises from my youth included "the dying **** roach", the "crab walk", the "thinking position" (Private take you weapon, sit down at my desk, and think about what you just did." And your f***ing weapon better not touch my desk!!! - of course their was no desk or chair so you had to simulate, all the while holding your weapon six inches off of his desk.), the elevated push-up (place feet anywhere that was at least 1' off the ground and being to push until the drill sergeant, instructor, or NCO got tired, low crawling through various pits, ditches, and mud puddles.

Another fun exercise consisted of the 1 or 2 am fire drill. We had about three minutes to wake-up, evacuate the biulding, get an accurate head cout, and we better not leave any of the US Army's equipment or weapons behind. They can replace a trainee, but that gear is had to come by. Needless to say, we didn't quite make it.

I REALLY had fun at Light Leader doing a little ditty called "the running man" Its sort of arobics/grass drills with a rifle and you never stop moving. After about 20 minutes I was smoked.

Ahhhh....the good old days. ;)