These conversant in the Chris Hemsworth movie 12 Robust will understand it recounts the unimaginable story of the Special Forces group that rode on horseback towards the Taliban to avenge 9/11. Depicted within the movie is a Shut Air Assist gun run carried out by an Air Drive F-15 Eagle throughout the Battle of Mazar-i-Sharif. Truly, the CAS mission was flown by a Navy F-14D Tomcat. Furthermore, it was the primary time that the F-14’s gun was utilized in fight.
On November 5, 2001, Cdr. Chip “Biff” King, Commanding Officer of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 213 “Black Lions,” and his Radar Intercept Officer, Mike “Tung” Peterson, flew a mission over Afghanistan from the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70). Alongside together with his wingman, King expended all of his bombs and ready to return to the ship when he acquired an pressing radio name.
On the bottom, a small American Special Forces group and their Northern Alliance allies had been engaged with a numerically superior enemy consisting of al-Qaida and Taliban fighters. The Ahead Air Controller on the bottom requested rapid Shut Air Assist to push the enemy again from their place. King knowledgeable the FAC that he solely had his 20mm M61 Vulcan cannon with which to carry out CAS. The FAC responded that he wanted rapid hazard shut ordnance on his place and cleared King for a strafing run.
With this, the Airborne Warning and Management System plane cleared King to descend to a low altitude within the valley whereas his wingman remained up excessive to offer cowl. The FAC reported that he was going off air because the pleasant power retreated, highlighting the determined state of affairs on the bottom. “Cdr. King associated to me that he watched in awe via his HUD because the enemy troops charged within the open towards pleasant forces,” wrote artist Rick Herter whom King commissioned to attract and paint the historic motion.
King lined up his F-14 and started the primary of what can be 4 strafing runs on the advancing enemy. He recounted to Herter that he may clearly see the enemy fighters on foot, on horseback, and utilizing vans with giant weapons. Actually, King and Peterson had been so low that they may see the enemy firing again at them because the Tomcat’s gun poured 20mm excessive explosive rounds into their cost. Due to King’s CAS mission, the enemy assault was blunted and the pleasant forces had been capable of retreat safely.
