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During a mission in the Middle East in March, an American F-16 pilot successfully repelled an enemy missile attack for 15 minutes.
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He made the extreme turn to avoid an explosion just feet away, according to an Air Force citation.
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The incident appears to have occurred during a U.S. bombing campaign against the Houthis.
While on a mission in the Middle East this year, a U.S. Air Force pilot survived 15 minutes of enemy missile fire by performing an extremely high G maneuver when the warhead exploded just feet away from his fighter jet.
Lt. Col. William Parks was awarded the Silver Star Medal, the nation’s third-highest military award for combat valor, for his actions last week at the Pentagon, according to an Air Force press release and a service citation obtained by Business Insider.
The Air Force said the March 27 mission occurred within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, which includes the Middle East, but did not specify the location. However, the timeline is consistent with Operation Rough Rider, the military’s weeks-long bombing campaign against Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
Parks served as the mission commander, overseeing a force of 21 attack aircraft while also leading four F-16 fighter jets to suppress enemy air defenses.
SEAD missions are designed to clear radar and surface-to-air missile launchers, providing friendly aircraft with greater freedom of operation. Throughout the Red Sea conflict, U.S. forces targeted Houthi air defenses.
During the course of the mission, Parks “deliberately placed himself within air defense range” protecting “the enemy’s capital,” the citation said. The decision allowed U.S. aircraft to destroy ballistic missile production facilities.
An F-16 pilot made a high-G turn to avoid enemy missile fire, according to the Air Force.U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jackson Manske
Parks’ fighter came under a 15-minute barrage of surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft fire. The pilot flew the F-16 through a series of high-g maneuvers and deployed countermeasures as the munitions exploded just a few feet away.
The F-16 can withstand up to 9 G’s, or nine times the force of gravity, when fully fueled during acceleration or a turn. The human body can generally withstand 4-5G for short periods of time; well-trained fighter pilots can handle higher G’s. But go too long, and even a well-trained pilot can pass out. It’s unclear how many Parks were pulled away on March 27.
The dangers of this mission don’t end there. With fuel below minimum levels and still over enemy territory, Parks’ citation said he quickly coordinated “an emergency rendezvous with two independent tankers, ensuring critical fuel for his flight and preventing the possible loss of both aircraft due to insufficient fuel.”
“His brave and determined actions directly contributed to the survival of his wingmen and himself,” said Parks, former commander of the 480th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron.
The Air Force said in a news release on Sunday that Parks’ fighter squadron shot down a “record” 108 enemy drones and land-attack cruise missiles during the eight-month deployment, supporting a number of U.S. military operations in the Middle East, including operations specifically against the Islamic State.
The Air Force added that Parks demonstrated “innovative” weapons employment by firing cheap laser-guided rockets and decades-old AIM-9M air-to-air missiles to shoot down hostile targets, saving the United States more than $25 million in ammunition costs.
The United States has spent weeks bombing the Houthis as part of the Red Sea conflict.Mohammed Hammoud/Getty Images
The engagement also marked the first successful use in thirty years of the AIM-9M Sidewinder, a supersonic missile developed by the U.S. Navy in the 1950s.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ken Wilsbach said at last week’s ceremony that “it’s rare to receive a Silver Star. In the Air Force era, there have been less than 100 Silver Stars.”
“I absolutely believe he deserves this honor,” Wilsbach said after hearing about Parks’ experience. “It’s an honor to be recognized for heroism in combat and to be able to fight alongside a warrior like him.”
The Air Force praised Park for intercepting six weapons that posed a threat to the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, which plays a leading role in anti-Houthi operations in the Red Sea, and five surface-to-air missiles targeting its F-16s.
Parks, whose family includes several pilots, described the Silver Star medal as “incredible” and said it “means a lot.”
“The amount of aviation and everything our family had, shaped me and helped shape me,” he added.
Read the original article on Business Insider
