Does Baghdad Airport have any strategic value?

[Chemical Ollie]

Or is it just a symbolic victory?

A analyst from the Swedish Military Academy interviewed on the TV news, doubted that the Airport was anything else than symbolic. A very important symbol, but still useless in practice.

I mean, just imagine US flying in reinforcements by jumbo jets into the Bagdhad airport. A lucky shot from Iraqi air defenses would kill 350 Americans soldiers, more than anything else in this war so far. The Yanks would not risk that... Those guys have to move into the war zone by other means...

[Dinner]

It may have value as an air base if they can secure a perimiter and keep the arty and mortors from landing on the field.

It's kind of funny that just yesterday the Iraqi were saying the US/UK force weren't with in 100 miles of Baghdad and now we're up to 10 miles from downtown. The Iraqis have been lieing about everything since this started.

Heck, the whole thing started because the Iraqis wouldn't stop lieing.

[Chemical Ollie]

Edit: Don't post after 2.00 in the morning. Nothing you write make sense that late at night.

[Ned]

I understand the 101st Airborne are already using it as a base.

[spiritof1202]

The wide tarmac fields are perfect for the 101st. The biggest problem for the airborne has been the lack of decent air bases; brown out (from the sand dust) has caused more than a few operational loses.

[Kontiki]

It has two major strategic purposes:

1) It can and will be used to resuply US troops. Obviously not right away, but all you have to do is secure a decent perimeter around it and control the flight paths, and then there isn't much risk.

2) Taking the airport largely in tact means that the single biggest facility for air transport after the war won't need to be rebuilt. This will be greatly beneficial in bringing in everything from aid to diplomats, as well as keeping a valuable asset for post-war Iraq's economy.

[Chemical Ollie]

Do you mean that USA would be flying in more troops by the Bagdhad airport? I seriosly doubt, that you would not!!!

[Kontiki]

Why not? Once the area is secure enough to safely handle incoming flights (again, through well-managed flight paths), the US can use the airport to land in more supplies and troops if needed. Also, the troops will need to be rotated eventually. Remember, the US will need to be there for quite a long time, so just because you may not be able to use the airport in the next day or so doesn't mean that it isn't incredibly valuable in the long run.

[DanS]

Choppers can use the airport, for one. Also, I'm guessing that it might have some special uses--for instance, it might be connected to the main tunnel system set up a while ago by Saddam and definitely is connected to the sewerage system.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Helos will fly in and out, in prescribed traffic patterns that take into account the perimeter and potential anti-air threats. That's what air assault pukes do for a living at forward bases.

[Ned]

Rivera, and I hope they let him get back with the 101st, had some interesting reports from the 101st desert base. Each time a chopper landed or took off it created a dust cloud that enveloped the chopper leading to all sorts of hard landings and mishaps. I think it must alse be hell on every aspect of the chopper's moving parts.

No, I can see most of our chopper force moving into Baghdad international ASAP.

[el freako]

If I was in charge of the US forces I wouldn't fly anything in untill I was sure that all of the Iraqi artillery anywhere near the Airport (within 20km) had been taken out.
Which would probably be after Baghdad has fallen.

[Chemical Ollie]

Suicidal guys don't count....

[Swissy]

Seizing the airport reletively intact is mostly important for post-war Iraq. Like the oil fields, anything that isn't destroyed does not have to be rebuilt and can immediately contribute to getting Iraq going after the war is over.

As for now it is just an emergency airfield, safer than landing in non-secure areas.

[MrFun]

(response to title)

There's probably a lot of bannanas there.