Introduction
The Iraqi forces during the Gulf War had a fairly developed system of both air attack and air defense. The main task of the Allied force, in this case, was to neutralize both conventional air targets, as well as enemy ballistic missiles, mainly Scud. Operation Desert Storm is the first combat use of the missile MIM-104C Patriot, which became the backbone of the Allied air defense system. This artillery, in combination with stealth aircraft and a satellite guidance and signal transmission system, constituted effective protection against enemy air attacks.
Iraqi Air-Defense System
The air defense system in Gulf War consisted of artillery and missile launchers, which effectively resisted airstrikes. Radomyski and Bernat (2019) consider air defense “one of the key elements that directly contributed to the final result” (p. 27). Thus, a detailed consideration of the elements of protection is a necessary aspect of the analysis of the strategy. The air defense system established by Saddam’s forces included anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) and surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) (Thompson, 2019). The AAA was used for lower targets, while the SAMs countered higher enemy air attacks using radar. However, the Allies used effective methods to combat these measures. F4 Phantoms with the high-speed anti-radar missile (HARM) in combination with strike aircraft attacked countered SAMs by attacking radars. Apart from F4, HARMs were also carried by “F-15, F-16 CJ, F/A-18, and TORNADO” (Radomyski and Bernat, 2019, p. 33). These missiles were extremely effective in the fight against Iraqi radars and played a key role in the destruction of the enemy’s air defense system. Further, AAA was combatted by ingressing and egressing enemy sites above the active range, as well as directly attacking AAA.
MIM-104C Patriot Missile
Artillery played a significant role in keeping the Allies’ victory over the enemy in the Gulf War. Specifically, Operation Desert Storm was the first to use the latest MIM-104C Patriot missile system (Collind, 2019). These installations were used to target and destroy Scud missiles that are part of the Iraqi defense system. During the conflict, the Iraqi military forces used “thousands of surface-to-air missiles, as well as shoulder-fired anti-aircraft weapons” (Tirpak, 2020). Moreover, there were over 150 anti-aircraft artillery and air defense missiles, as well as over 700 tactical aircraft (Tirpak, 2020). However, thanks to the point fire of the Allied artillery, these threats were quickly destroyed. Scud missiles were priority targets of the air-defense system of the allies, as they represented a great danger.
The main Allied artillery air defense in the conflict was the MIM-104C Patriot, which was involved in all strategic defense plans. These missiles “were deployed to defend key strategic assets in Saudi Arabia and Israel from attack by Iraq’s Scuds and other short-range ballistic missiles” (Wiernicki, 2017). The principle of operation of the protection system based on Patriot is to lock the target at the final stage of the approach. Further, the system transmits the signal through the TVM communication lines using ground radar to the station to correct the course (Patriot missile, n.d). After correcting the course, the return signal is transmitted to the missile. The MIM-104C Patriot has a range of over 70 km and a missile flight altitude of over 24 km (Patriot missile, n.d). The minimum projectile flight time is estimated at less than 9 seconds, while the maximum flight distance will take about 3.5 minutes (Patriot missile, n.d). Artillery in the conflict was supported by other technologies without which the detection and targeting of enemy Scuds would have been impossible.
Additional effectiveness in the fight against the enemy Scuds was provided by the Lockheed F-117, which was used for discreet targeting and attack on strategically important points of the enemy (Mansky, 2016). These aircraft supported Allied artillery for the covert detection of Iraqi missiles. Additionally, the transmission of signals for correcting the course of the MIM-104C Patriot missiles required communication with satellites, as well as a satellite guidance system (Anti-aircraft missile, n.d). It is noteworthy that information about the trajectory of the projectile should have been received by the system at least 90 seconds before the appearance of the enemy missile on the radar (Anti-aircraft missile, n.d). Thus, “the interception was performed at altitudes of 5-10 km at a distance of 7-15 km from the battery position” (Anti-aircraft missile, n.d). Often, the warhead of the enemy attack was not destroyed but changed the trajectory of flight, and the fragments could reach the target when intercepted close to it.
The use of the Patriot complex in real combat conditions made it possible to identify the weak points of the batteries. For example, the probability of hitting a target in a real conflict ranged from 0.4 to 0.5, while 0.8-0.95 was the probability shown in tests (Anti-aircraft missile, n.d). Additionally, the Patriot often destroyed the Scud directly on the ground, which increased the damage to the target of the attack. Thus, the system was insufficiently effective against tactical ballistic missiles but well countered conventional air targets.
Conclusion
A combination of stealth, satellite, and missile technology systems became the basis for the Allied forces’ victory over the Iraqi army. Despite an effective air defense system established by the Iraqis, the MIM-104C Patriot countered both conventional air targets and enemy Scuds. By using stealth aircraft for targeting and stealthy attack on targets, as well as satellite guidance systems, the Allied forces managed to avoid many losses.
References
Anti-aircraft missile system Patriot (MIM-104A). (n.d). Missilery Info. Web.
Collins, S. (2019). Desert Storm: A look back. US Department of Defense. Web.
Mansky, J. (2016). Operation Desert Storm was not won by smart weaponry alone. Smithsonian Magazine. Web.
Patriot missile long-range air-defence system. (n.d). Army Technology. Web.
Radomyski, A., & Bernat, P. (2019). Assessment of Iraq’s air defense system in the Iraqi Freedom Operation. Proceedings of International Scientific Conference ―Defense Technologies‖ DefTech 2019. Web.
Thompson, S. (2019). How airpower won the Gulf War. Canadian Forces College. Web.
Tirpak, J. A. (2020). Desert Storm’s unheeded lessons. Airforce Magazine. Web.
Wiernicki, A. A. (2017). United in defense. Militaire Spectator. Web.