A10’s would take care of the small arms fire.
Via Navy Times
Aircraft from the carrier George H.W. Bush have struck about 30 targets in Iraq since the U.S. military began pounding the insurgents who are destabilizing Iraq, Navy officials said Wednesday.
Islamic State militants have shot at the Navy aircraft with small arms to little effect, said a Navy official who spoke on background to discuss ongoing operations.
The official also said Navy aircraft have been involved in multiple “show of force” missions.
Capt. D.L. Cheever, head of Carrier Air Wing 8, said that the wing’s F/A-18s, EA-6B Prowlers and E-2C Hawkeyes were all performing overflight missions in Iraq, but refused to answer questions about the small-arms fire from IS militants in a Wednesday conference call with reporters. The pilots have dropped Joint Direct Attack Munitions for precision strikes on the IS militants.
Small arms don’t pose a significant threat to fighters, but are concerning, said an F/A-18 pilot with experience in Afghanistan and Iraq, who spoke on background because he was not authorized to discuss operations.
“It doesn’t really compare to a surface-to-air missile or [anti-aircraft guns], but a bullet in the right place on an aircraft can do serious damage — it has happened before,” the Hornet pilot said. “But a bunch of guys, not trained, firing AK-47s in the air, the probability of it happening is pretty low.”
A show-of-force mission, the pilot said, usually means a low pass or a simulated bombing run.