Simultaneous Air Strikes Throughout Saddam Country
Coalition "shock air forces" aircraft flew nearly
1,000 strike sorties March 21, hitting targets intended to end the
regime of Saddam Hussein. The strikes marked the beginning of the
air campaign portion of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
During his first press conference since combat operations began,
Gen. Tommy Franks, U.S. Central Command commander, spoke about the
coalition "shock air forces" which flew nearly 2,000 sorties.
Coalition airpower operations began a few minutes before 9 p.m.
local time March 21.
No More Dumb Bombs
For the first time in combat, only precision-guided munitions
were used in an effort to minimize collateral damage while
targeting a large number of military sites, according to defense
officials. During Desert Storm, less than 10 percent of the
munitions used were precision guided.
U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancers, B-2A Spirits, B-52H
Stratofortresses, F-117 Nighthawkss, F-15E Strike Eagles and F-16
Fighting Falcons, plus Navy F/A-18 Hornets and F-14 Tomcat, Marine
AV-8B Harrier and coalition Tornado GR-4, Harrier GR-7 and F/A-18
aircraft flew the strike missions.
Hundreds of Tomahawk land-attack missiles from coalition ships
and conventional air-launched cruise missiles were also used in the
strikes.
Cutting Off The Head Of The Serpent
Targets included Iraqi regime leadership, regime command and
control, regime security, integrated air defense systems and
weapons of mass destruction.
The remaining sorties included intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance; close-air support; electronic jamming; air
refueling; intra-and inter-theater airlift; search and rescue; and
interdiction.
Sorties were vital to the success of the strike sorties flying
into the heart of Iraq's heavy air defenses, which included
anti-aircraft artillery and surface-to-air-missiles, officials
said.
Long Ride
Sorties originated from as far away as Whiteman
Air Force Base, Mo., the Indian Ocean, and the United Kingdom, as
well as being flown from 30 locations throughout the CENTCOM area
of responsibility and five Navy aircraft carriers. The B-2s
flew the longest missions, lasting approximately 34 hours
round-trip.
All coalition air missions are planned and controlled by the
Combined Air Operations Center at an air base in Southwest
Asia. The center functions as the brain for the entire
coalition air campaign. CAOC officials plan, monitor and
directs everything that goes into the air campaign, from picking
the targets and determining what aircraft and munitions will be
used to overcoming Iraqi air defenses and coordinating the flying
routes of hundreds of aircraft at any given time.
Nearly 1,700 coalition aircraft and thousands of people are
required to fly, maintain and support the missions directed by the
CAOC.