Osprey Combat Aircraft 27 : Air War in the Gulf 1991

In August 1990 Saddam Hussein's Iraqi forces invaded and occupied the small Arab state of Kuwait. The Gulf War (16 January - 28 February 1991) was fought to expel Iraq and restore Kuwaiti independence (but not to defend democracy, as one British MP tartly observed). The allies under General Schwarzkopf launched five weeks of intensive air attacks deploying 1,800 aircraft, largely from the US and backed up by the British, French and Saudi air forces. Many of these technologically advanced aircraft had never before engaged in combat, including the British Tornadoes and US F-117A Stealth fighters. The allied air bombardment, watched by millions on TV, combined impressive accuracy and firepower, to which the Iraqi forces had no answer. Text by Chris Chant with illustrations by Mark Rolfe.

Contents

• Iraq's invasion of Kuwait
• UN Coalition and Pre-War Developments
• High-Tech Air War
• Analysis
• Aftermath