The Mission of Defending Saudi Arabia: Code-Named Operation Desert Storm

On January 24th, tankers met F-117s in Iraqi airspace above the 33rd parallel to “top off” the fighters so that they could hit the bioweapons bunkers. Seeing the radar of the tankers the Iraqis waited. A barrage of anti-aircraft guns as well as surface-to-air missiles, were released twenty seven minutes after refueling, over Bagdad. Luckily, the F-117’s were in northern Iraq and nowhere near the capital. Another sortie had a group of 48 F-16s flying, over a dangerous airspace, to level one of the nuclear research centers of Bagdad. Planners had initially signed F-4G Wild Weasels to fend of SAMs (Surface-to-air Missiles), but that plan went downhill quickly. (Grant, 2011) Commanders were force to make split decisions, due to the fact that tankers were running late. Thus why the 12 of the F-16s ended up flying to the target alone. Two of which were lost to SAMs. Only accounting for 34 percent of hit sorties in Desert Storm, strategic strikes would ultimately demolish 23,455 sorties. (Grant, 2011)

The concluding purpose of the air battle was to destroy as much of, Iraq’s tanks, armored personnel carriers and artillery lined up on the Kuwait border, as possible before the ground offensive was to take place. It was imperative for the air raid to take out as much armor as achievable, because the troops were out numbers as a minimum three-to-two. Aircrew were then assigned to their own kill box. These were specific sectors over the Iraqi unite in Kuwait. They were ordered to hit them over and over again. Seeing as Iraqi forces still had air resistance artillery they coated SAMs and F-4G Wild Weasels. In addition to active electronic suppression aircrafts. Along with the United States Air Force entire collection of “signals intelligence...

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...reflection.” (Department of the Air Force, 1991)

Works Cited

Department of the Air Force. (1991). Reaching Globally, Reaching Powerfully: The United States Air Force in the Gulf War. J.A Bookbinders Inc.

Grant, R. (2011, January). Desert Storm. Retrieved from Air Force Magazine: Online Journal of the Air Force Association: http://www.airforcemag.com/magazinearchive/pages/2011/january%202011/0111storm.aspx

History.com Staff. (2009). Persian Gulf War. Retrieved from History : http://www.history.com/topics/persian-gulf-war

Program Evaluation and Methodology Division. (1997, June 12). Operation Desert Strom. Retrieved from Operation Desert Strom:Evaluation of the Air Campaign : http://www.fas.org/man/gao/nsiad97134/app_05.htm

Stewart, R. W. (2005). American Military History Vol. II The United States Army in a Global Era, 1917-2003. Washington: Library of Congress.