Desert Storm - First Strike

It is the morning of January 16th 1991. Within the next 24 hours, coalition forces will undertake a precision aerial campaign against Iraqi forces, in what will be known as Operation Desert Storm. Desert Storm will see almost 4000 aircraft mobilised by both sides, with coalition forces taking part in a total of over 100,000 sorties over the following month.

Today, we take a look at some of the key events during the first strike, and with help from DCS, will attempt to create some of these scenes.

16 JANUARY 1991

During the morning of January 16th, 1991, final preparations are underway for a huge strike against Iraqi forces. A large coalition air force had been assembling in the Saudi Peninsula over the previous few months, known as Operation Desert Shield. In the early hours of January 17th, they are to begin a precise bombing campaign against a variety of Iraqi targets, coordinated to the minute for maximum efficiency.

The Iraqis are currently involved in military operations in neighbouring Kuwait, as they have been since August 1990. To the Iraqis, Kuwait must be controlled. They have always held a claim on the land since the breakup of the Ottoman Empire, but in the 80s this became a more serious issue. Kuwaiti oil production had reached very high levels, creating a market disparity with Iraqi production, thus threatening the Iraqi economy. To stabilize the increasingly fragile Iraqi economy, an invasion of Kuwait was the perceived panacea.

The western response was to condemn the action, and a UN deadline was set; if Iraq did not retreat from Kuwait by January 15, 1991, action would be taken.

The time for action was now at hand. The opening strike would employ a variety of aircraft spanning multiple eras of military aviation. Leading the air campaign would be the latest in coalition air power at the time; F-117 stealth bombers, F-15E’s, and new Tornado’s to name a few. Older aircraft from all over the west would also take part; B-52s, SR-71s, F-4 Phantoms, F-111s, Buccaneers, and even Victor V bombers. This wide assortment of coalition aircraft was unlike any other air campaign.

January 16th marks the final day after several weeks of mock operations. Each day for several weeks, coalition aircraft have taken off, and been given orders to gather in various formations, flying circuits around particular areas in the northern parts of the Saudi peninsula. The goal of this initial phase was to accustom the Iraqis to the massive radar presence of aircraft in the sky, which could not be hidden, and would set off alarms everywhere. The idea was that if Iraqi early warning radars were being triggered every day, then it would make it harder to predict just when an attack would take place.

Today, Wednesday the 16th, all the same flights are ordered to take off and form up. To Iraqi radar operators, it’s just another day of massive, yet benign, air activity. This time however, it will be far from benign. Over the Atlantic Ocean, seven B-52s armed with AGM-86 cruise missiles are en-route to their mission area over the eastern Mediterranean. They have made a long nonstop journey from Barksdale Air Force base in Louisiana. In a few hours, they will release their cruise missiles to designated coordinates, turn around, and fly back to their home base without stopping. A 35-hour round trip, it will be the longest bombing mission ever accomplished.

Meanwhile in the Persian Gulf, US warships prepare tomahawk surface-to-surface missiles for similar strikes. These tomahawks, along with the slower cruise missiles, are all timed to hit their targets simultaneously, announcing the beginning of the operation.

As evening sets in, two other important elements are preparing; the first is a flight of ten F-117s. They have the dangerous job of flying into Iraqi territory and circling over the capital of Baghdad, waiting for the strike. This will be the first test of the aircraft’s stealth capability in combat; Baghdad, at the time, was arguably the most heavily defended city in the world, with heavy anti-air coverage. Once the initial missile strikes have occurred, the Nighthawks are to drop their weapons on specific targets over the city at 0300 hours: a key communications centre in the middle of the city, and several command bunkers.

The other crucial element are two Army groups of Apache attack helicopters, four in each group, and each led by a special operations MH-53 Pavelow. Following the initial surprise attack, coalition aircraft will need to enter Iraq. Two key radar emplacements have been set up by the Iraqis on the border to prevent this. The job of the Apaches is to fly low, using night vision and infrared to seek out these sites, and then destroy them using a variety of weapons, including hellfire missiles. Once these sites are destroyed, a corridor will be open for coalition aircraft to enter Iraqi airspace to continue the operation.

With everything in place, it is announced that operations will begin on H-hour, at exactly 0238 hours on January 17th.

FIRST STRIKE BEGINS

This will be arguably one of the most ambitious American military operations, with so many moving parts all interdependent and needing to engage at exactly the right time. This phase of the operation will be the most crucial, and if one element fails, it will cause multiple contingency issues. Nevertheless, everything has been meticulously planned, and confidence in synchronicity is high.

It is now just after midnight. The clock ticks over to January 17th. Aircraft are already in the air, as more begin to take off. Some are forming up behind refuelling aircraft, everyone waits for their next orders. The Iraqi’s likely don’t suspect much, as the air activity mimics the previous few weeks of flights. However, further to the south, out of Iraq view, other formations are also in the air, far more than the Iraqis had seen so far.

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AWACS aircraft have been airborne for some time, and are currently underway directing the two groups of Apaches towards the radar emplacements in Iraq. Flying low, these two flights led by Pavelows head towards their designated targets; two Iraqi radar outposts.

Meanwhile, the F-117s have reached Baghdad, and begin circling the city. Despite the heavy SAM coverage, it seems the Iraqis are unaware they are overhead. With radio silence and no radar, the crews rely on the time as their only cue to begin the strike.

The B-52s have reached position. With the green light, they release their 36 cruise missiles, and turn to make the long flight back to America. These slow moving cruise missiles will take several minutes to reach their destination, and have been aimed at critical infrastructure including power generators and comms sites.

At the same time, the Navy launches its barrage of 116 Tomahawk missiles aimed at further comms sites, missile factories, and command centres in Baghdad. These are an assortment of explosive warheads and warheads filled with long strips of filaments, designed to spread out over power transformers causing electrical issues.

The last to fire their shots are the Army, who’s Apache’s reach their targets slightly before they are supposed to. Arriving slightly earlier than intended, they choose to hold back and go into a hover some distance from the outposts. As it has been claimed, the Apaches - viewing the radar bases through their targeting systems - notice the lights suddenly go out, followed by figures moving around outside. It is likely the Iraqis could see or hear the helicopters. Nevertheless, at 0238 hours, the Army are given the go ahead to fire, and unleash rockets, missiles, and cannon fire onto the two bases, destroying all critical infrastructure, and becoming the first shots of the war to hit their targets.

Five minutes after H hour, the bases are reported destroyed, and the first formations of jets are given the go ahead to enter Iraq at 0243. The first to enter would be a pair of EF-111s, flying low with terrain following radars, leading 22 F-15Es against airfields in western Iraq.

Meanwhile, a flight of three Ef-111s head towards Baghdad to give electronic aid to the F-117 crews if they need it. To keep stealth, the F-117s are under radio silence and have active radars off. There will be no way of confirming the outcome of their mission until they are back near Saudi Arabia. However, western reporters are on the ground believing there will be an imminent conflict. At the air control centre, they watch a CNN broadcast from Baghdad, which they believe is routed through the communication centre which is to be targeted. The CNN reporter claims they hear aircraft overhead. At 0300, the F-117s drop their bombs, and the CNN report cuts out. Command cheers, knowing their mission is going as planned. AA fire begins being blindly directed into the night sky, and the F-117s turn home.

Shortly thereafter, the barrage of Tomahawk missiles began to hit their targets around Baghdad, destroying further communication infrastructure, command centres, and switching stations. Meanwhile, the B-52 cruise missiles also began hitting infrastructure including power stations and comms centres.

MAIN FORCE ENTERS

Coalition aircraft by this point are streaming into Iraq through Saudi Arabia. Notably, fighters such as F-14s, F-15Cs and Tornados are tasked with combat air patrol near Iraqi bases, should any interceptors take off. The flight of F-15Es heading westward begin hitting ground targets, including scud missile sites and SAM sites.

Simultaneously, Navy F/A-18s and A-6 intruders launched from carriers are heading towards the fight.

With the Iraqis now on alert, fights begin to break out. A pair of Mirage F1s are picked up on radar, closing in on an EF-111. Using terrain following radar, the EF-111 crew manage to out-manoeuvre the Mirage, which hits the side of a mountain. The crew is credited with a manoeuvre kill. The second F1 is picked up by an F-15C and shot down.

Shortly after, yet another Mirage is picked up and shot down by an F-15, followed by a MiG-29 piloted by a veteran pilot of the Iraq-Iran war, with three kills to his name.

Yet another engagement follows, with a further two MiG-29s being picked up on radar and shot down by F-15s, and two MiG-21s shot down by F/A-18s on a strike mission.

While action is occurring in the western areas of Iraq, much of the south western part of the country leading to Baghdad is still under heavy radar coverage. Search and track radars are set up everywhere, and SEAD missions are necessary to clear them out. To do this, flights of F-4G Wild Weasels and FA-18s armed with anti radiation missiles are sent in alongside an escort of F-15Cs. They will have the dangerous job of heading straight towards Baghdad and clearing out any perceived radar threats. However, unlike in Vietnam, these SEAD missions will not actually require a wild weasel aircraft to act as bait. Instead, the Navy would launch 38 BQM-74C decoy drones, which would compel radar operators on the ground to switch on their search and track radars. The now-visible radars would be hit by High-speed Anti-Radiation Missiles, destroying over 30 ground installations in and around the Baghdad area.

With strike missions still occurring against fixed positions, conventional bombing begins occurring in the Southwest of Iraq against ground forces. B-52s move in, along with other bombers such as F-111s.

As dawn approaches, coalition forces will experience their first combat loss; two FA18s launched from Navy carriers head towards Baghdad. On radar they see a pair of MIG25s heading towards them. A BVR fight begins, with one of the MiGs firing off an R-40RD - a dangerous Fox 1 missile designed to destroy supersonic bombers. The missile hits one of the FA18s, destroying the aircraft and killing its pilot.

The sun begins to rise, and the next phase of the attack begins. A flight of 12 Tornado GR.1s are sent over the border into Iraq at a very low altitude. Armed with the JP233 submunition dispenser, their job is to head towards Tallil Air Base, fly over the runways, release munitions, and get out. The aim is to release the JP233 payload; a mixture of anti-runway bomblets and anti personnel mines which can lay dormant; an area denial weapon to dissuade fixture of the runaways. Heading in at 200 feet, they all release their weapons, however they report far heavier fire than expected.

Despite flying low to avoid radar lock, near the deck they are far easier targets for anti aircraft guns and infrared missiles.

At the same time, four more Tornados are preparing for a similar strike against another air base - Al Rumaylah - but this time with standard 1000 pound bombs. They have been tasked with toss bombing these into the base, which is generally dependent on a targeting system providing a cue when at necessary range, after which the pilot must pull into the pre-selected release angle before the weapons will actually release.

One of the aircraft in formation is flown by John Peters and John Nichol. Coming under flak fire, the aircraft begin pulling into the climb and releasing. However, Peters and Nichol's aircraft experiences a fault. They pull into the climb but experience an issue with the release cue. They keep climbing, now higher than they’re supposed to be and still unable to get a release cue. The pilot decides to abort and pulls back down. However, they are hit by a MANPAD which easily locks them up at this height.

Peters and Nichols eject, but are quickly captured by the Iraqis.

DAY TIME

With the sun up, everyone can now see the situation on the ground. U-2 spy planes are sent up to monitor the situation; with a particular emphasis on searching for scud missile positions. Coalition forces were well aware that Saddam Hussein’s first response would be to fire scuds not at coalition forces, but at Israel, whom he viewed as the primary enemy. While initial plans included far more resources to use against airfields and other aircraft, these resources were re-tasked after it was realised that the Iraqis were not willing to send up much of their large Air Force, likely foreseeing the way things were heading.

Later in the day, French Jaguars are sent into Kuwait to hit scud missile facilities. These older aircraft still put up a fight, however several report damage from ground fire.

A-10 Warthogs will also see heavy action, attacking a variety of targets further north, including radar positions and scud sites. This helps open up further corridors of safety for coalition aircraft coming in from Turkish airspace in the northwest.

As evening sets in, tasking continues non stop. From older aircraft such as A-6 intruders hitting bases, to F-15Es, there is a continual air presence.

During the opening day of Desert Storm, nonstop missions were flown. In fact, over 2000 sorties were reported to have been flown during the first 24 hours, and this same intensity will continue for almost every day for the preceding five week long air war. The Iraqi Air Force would lose 8 aircraft during the opening day, whilst coalition forces would lose roughly 19.

OUTCOME

After the 17th, the gulf war air campaign would continue until February 23rd. The massive coalition Air Force was simply too large for the Iraqi Air Force to launch a counteroffensive. Despite being one of the largest air forces in the world, the Iraqi air force decides against going out in full force, leaving the majority of their aircraft on the ground.

They would attempt several retaliatory strikes in the following weeks, but these would meet heavy resistance and were smaller in scope. This led the Iraqis to start a mass exodus of their aircraft to Iran, who they had previously been at war with, in the hopes that one day they would get their Air Force back. During this period coalition forces attempted to create a wall of fighters along the Iran Iraq border to prevent this. The Iraqis would launch Operation Samurra in an attempt to break through. Through good planning, this saw two MIG-25s jump a four ship formation of F-15Cs, leading to a dogfight. All aircraft would break off the fight, with the two MiGs returning unscathed, whilst one F-15 returned to base with damage, but no losses.

Samurra would mark the last Iraqi Air Force operation of the war, after which the Iraqis decided to ground their aircraft in the hope of preserving these costly assets rather than losing them in the conflict. Thus the war in the air was largely over, whilst the rest of the campaign would focus on coalition air forces striking ground targets. This would culminate in the coalition ground invasion to liberate Kuwait on February 24. While the US Air Force, Navy, and Army would see much success in the initial phase of the war, the US Marines - supported by USMC Aviation Harriers, Cobras, Hornets - would also have their time to shine once as the ground war began, particularly during the often overlooked Battle of Kuwait International Airport, in which the 1st Marine Division - outfitted with older M60 tanks and Cobra gunships - managed to rapidly smash through Iraqi defences into the city, leading the way far ahead of the more modern Army M1 Abrams groups.

All in all, as we have seen, these first strikes of Desert Storm exemplify the exceptional planning and technological abilities of the US military and coalition forces at the time. While it can all be put down to the numerical advantage they had over the Iraqis, when taking a closer look, each element during the first strike could have been isolated and destroyed, and given the contingency, this could have meant disaster. Yet working in lockstep, and guided by precise planning, these forces were able to successfully undertake a complex sequence of events, resulting in air superiority.