F-16 pilot experience with combat ejections during the Persian Gulf War.
Most experience with ejections from modern fighter aircraft has occurred outside of true combat operations. During Operation Desert Storm, the 401st Fighter Wing, Torrejon Air Base, Spain, lost four F-16C aircraft while on combat missions, with all four pilots ejecting safely. Since the circumstances of a combat vs. peacetime ejection are likely different and many combat mishaps and ejections cannot be extensively investigated (three out of these four), a questionnaire was developed to recall and review pilot ejection experiences. Questions ranged from recalling the parameters of egress to conscious recollections of the event and assessment of how well the system worked. Each of the four ejections occurred under different parameters, and no one suffered significant injury. Two of the ejections occurred at high altitude, previously rare in the F-16. This was one of the first times that experience was obtained with the F-16's ACES-II egress system under combat operations and, in the experience of these four pilots, the system was life-saving in combat. Finally, the overall ejection survival rate for U.S. Air Force fighter/attack combat ejections during Operation Desert Storm was similar to the peacetime rate. It is the author's hypothesis that the reason for this may correlate with a quicker, more predetermined decision to eject from an aircraft disabled by combat fire.
Williams
C S
CS
USAF School of Aerospace Medicine, Brooks Air Force Base, TX.
D000337:Aerospace Medicine; D000401:Aircraft / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008877:Middle East; D008889:Military Personnel; D014857:Warfare