Tripoli:
As Capt. Ryan Thulin steered his F-16 fighter jet over the central Libyan coast early last Sunday, he peered into the inky darkness to hunt his target: Libyan tanks, artillery and other fielded forces.
Suddenly, red tracers of antiaircraft fire streaked up from the desert below. Captain Thulin, a 28-year-old Air Force Academy graduate on his first combat mission, instinctively veered his single-seat jet away from the ground fire and dropped 500-pound, precision-guided bombs on the Libyan forces. A huge fireball lit up the cloudless sky.
Several minutes later, the scene replayed itself, only this time Captain Thulin bombed army targets much closer to the outskirts of a city in eastern Libya where government troops, rebel fighters and civilians were in dangerous proximity. In the air campaign against Libya, allied warplanes have not attacked targets in cities and are under strict instructions to avoid hitting civilians.
"It's always something we're considering on every attack," said Captain Thulin, a pilot in the 555th Fighter Squadron based at Aviano Air Base in Italy. "You have to be confident that all the rules of engagement are met so when you do drop that weapon, in your heart of hearts, you know you're doing the right thing."
Given in a telephone interview from Aviano, Captain Thulin's account of his mission on the second day of the weeklong allied air operation offered a window into the world of pilots from the United States and other allies who through Friday had flown more than 450 combat flights.
Under the ground rules set by the military, Captain Thulin would not describe some details of his eight-hour mission, including the specific locations and details of targets that he and a companion F-16 attacked, as well as many tactics he used.
But the captain provided fresh details about the planning for combat missions and the complex midair choreography with dozens of refueling planes, reconnaissance aircraft and other fighter jets that pass along tips to inbound fighters about ground fire threats and potential targets as they complete their missions and head for home in bases in Europe or on ships in the Mediterranean.
The preparation for Captain Thulin's mission on Sunday began days earlier, as it became clear the United States might join a coalition to prevent Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi's military from attacking Libyan civilians.
Captain Thulin and his squadron mates studied photographs of possible targets -- from several types of tanks to artillery pieces -- and how they would look from 20,000 feet using infrared targeting sensors. The pilots also pored over information about Libya's surface-to-air missiles, including deadly SA-5 mobile launchers.
"We were studying the terrain, what buildings were made of, what it looks like over the desert using night-vision goggles or during the day," said Captain Thulin, a native of Lake Orion, Mich., who mentioned the differences between Libya and verdant northern Italy, where the squadron normally trains. "We were preparing so when in combat, it's more of a reflex."
Late last Saturday night, Captain Thulin got the call he knew would be coming: his mission was scheduled. By 2 a.m. Sunday, his F-16 roared down the runway at Aviano heading for Libya. Twice during the flight to his destination, Captain Thulin refueled in midair with special planes. He was in constant communication with air traffic controllers as well as intelligence analysts updating him on potential targets.
Soon after 4 a.m., Captain Thulin approached his targets. "Your mind is racing," he recalled. "I don't want to say I was nervous because I've trained for this four years. But I'm going over all my checks: engine is good, oil is good, the system is set up to run the attack."
After striking his targets, Captain Thulin headed north to Italy, refueling twice on the way. Asked what struck him most about his mission, he said, "Being shot at the first time is a surprise."