Interesting posts guys.
What kind of precautions do you take for obstacle or terrain management if you're in this kind of scenario? Do you fly a steeper approach than usual or just go for it normally?
I think in the book author's case, there was limited ATC available (No radar IIRC). I suppose the F16 can use its A2G radar to locate obstacles on the glide path. Mountains probably not much of an issue in that particular region of the world. If I remember correctly, because it was a sandstorm there was no "cloud base" so they flew it right to the runway with minimal visibility all the way down. Sounds like fun for practice but not so fun after finishing a long and tiring mission.