The
date: May 31, Memorial Day 1999. Lt. Col. Dave "Fingers"
Goldfein checked in as mission commander and forward air controller
(FAC) for the three hour Kosovo Engagement Zone (KEZ) period.
The target, Serbian fielded forces on the move in southern
Kosovo in the Mount Pastrik area. Words passed through airborne
command and control were to stop the ground offensive taking
place in the villages below. The Kosovo Liberation Army had
launched an attack on Serbian forces that had turned ugly
and they were in full retreat to the hills to the south. The
objective - stop the Serbs and cover the KLA.
Immediately, a plan to maximize offensive
firepower was put into action. The second set of FACs, led
by Capt. "Boomer" Ross from the 510th Expeditionary
Fighter Squadron (EFS), headed to the tanker so they could
rotate in and keep the iron flowing. The F-16CJ force protection
SEAD assests from the 23rd EFS at Spangdahlem, with their
load of high-speed anti-radiation (HARM) missiles, repositioned
their orbit in order to provide complete coverage of the target
area. Fighters checked in, ready for guidance from the FAC.
Verifying the location of the enemy with his maps of the area
and looking in his infrared target pod, "Fingers"
rolled in for the first mark with his
willie pete white phosphorous rockets. Bracketing the
area below, the first set of fighters, F-16s from Aviano AB,
saw the marks and set up for their attack. For the next several
hours and into the night, fighter after fighter checked in
and was sequenced into the target. It was a good day to be
a NATO airman and a bad day to be a Serbian ground troop.
Robert Taylor's powerful painting
shows F-16s from the 31st (nearest) and 52nd Air Expeditionary
Wings, as they climb out of Aviano air base in northern Italy,
headed for southern Kosovo. Carefully researched during visits
to Aviano, and with the advantage of first hand advice from
its operational F-16 pilots, Robert has produced a magnificent
study of what many believe to be the most beautiful of all
modern combat jet fighters. VIPER VENOM is destined to become
a popular best seller among international aviation art collectors. |
|
Overall print
size: 34 1/2" wide x 23 1/2" high.
Image size: 28" wide x 16" high.
"…it was NATO air power in
its finest hour. Fifty years of training together at Red Flags,
during Exercises, in contingencies - it all came together
for this mission. In the end, it didn't matter whether you
strapped on an American F-16, a British of German Tornado,
or a Spanish EF-18; what did matter was your ability to put
iron on target. NATO airmen, following the direction of the
FAC, working together to decimate an enemy ground offensive
and saving the day. It was an honor to be a fighter pilot
on this team…"
Lt. Col. Dave Goldfein
| Viper
Venom by Robert Taylor |
| 850 s/n prints w/TWO signatures. |
US $295 |
|
| 85 Artist's Proofs w/TWO
signatures. |
SOLD OUT |
Each print in Robert Taylor's new edition
is individually signed by two F-16 fighter leaders, both of
whom flew combat in Operations Desert Storm and Allied Force.
"Today, we enter the 'arena,' and
this is no place for timid souls; it's a place for warriors…
Today we make history gentlemen as NATO goes to war for the
first time ever. I am proud to be associated with this effort
and proud of each and every one of you. Good hunting!"
Mike 'Boe' Boera, Lt. Col., USAF
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