Attack Results 1991

Coalition Air Surveillance into Iraq

The coalition forces had a complete recognized air picture of the Iraqi airspace as a result of ground-based and airborne radar coverage. The picture above shows the rough idea of airborne radar coverage into Iraqi airspace. You can select the aircraft to get more info.

 

Iraqi Radar Activity After the Strike

(DoD Interim/Final Report to Congress, USAF Chief of Staff brief 15 March 1991)

You can notice the dramatic drop in the radar activity within a few days after the strike as a result of jamming and anti-radar missiles.

Radar Emissions

(DoD Interim/Final Report to Congress, USAF Chief of Staff brief 15 March 1991)

The picture above illustrates the number of radar emissions before and after the strike. Note the absence of anti-aircraft radars after about a week of the air campaign.

 

Attacks Against Air Bases

(DoD Interim/Final Report to Congress, USAF Chief of Staff brief 15 March 1991)

British Tornado jets were used against the runways and taxiways already during the first night. The goal was to keep the Iraqi interceptors in their shelters and prevent their launch against the coalition forces. Some of the Iraqi air bases were extremely large and the tactic was to cut the taxiway from the shelter so that there was no need to destroy the whole runway. JP233 bombs were used and they required the Tornado aircraft to fly over the target area at low level.

 

Iraqi Air Activity During the "Air War"

(DoD Interim/Final Report to Congress, USAF Chief of Staff brief 15 March 1991)

Initially Iraq tried to fight the air war up to day three. After the losses on day 3 the Iraqi aircraft started to hide in the hardened aircraft shelters. JP233 attacks against the taxiways and runways made sure that the aircraft couldn't take off from the bases.

After the first week the co-ordinated attacks against the aircraft shelters began. During Day 8 the first Yugoslavian made 3,5 m thick shelter was destroyed and the Iraqi Air Force couldn't count on the cover of the shelters any more. During day 9 their flight operations ceased for a day and after that there were flights only to Iran. No attacks against the coalition aircraft was tried after day 9.

In day 14 100 shelters had already been destroyed (the total amount was almost 400 destroyed). The coalition put a CAP (Combat Air Patrol) on the Iranian border to prevent the Iraqi aircraft from entering Iran. This ceased the Iraqi flight operations for about a week.

When the Coalition forces took out the CAP Iraqi flights to Iran resumed. The CAP was reactivated and after that there were practically no Iraqi flights during the rest of the War.

 

Iraqi Losses in the Air

(DoD Interim/Final Report to Congress, USAF Chief of Staff brief 15 March 1991)

Iraq didn't suffer so many air-to-air losses but the total effect of destroying the air defense network, hardened aircraft shelters and some aircraft in the air led to the termination of all flight operations.

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