GULF WAR
What happened during the Gulf War?
The Persian Gulf War, sometimes called Operation Desert Storm, was fought in early 1991 between Iraq and a coalition of 39 countries organized mainly by the United States and the United Nations(UN). Some of the leading members of the coalation against Iraq included Egypt, France, Great Britain, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the United States. The Military presence of the Allied forces were numerous. Britain had 43,000 troops, 6 destroyers, 4 frigates, 3 minesweepers, 168 tanks, 300 armored vehicles, and 70 jets. Egypt contibuted 40,000 troops(5,000 special forces paratroopers). France brought in 18,000 troops, 60 combat aircraft, 120 helicopters, 40 tanks, 1 missle cruiser, 3 destroyers, 4 frigates. Saudi Arabia had 118,000 troops, 550 tanks, and 180 airplanes. Syria brought 17,000 troops and 300 T-62 tanks. And The United States brought in 540,000 troops, 6 aircraft carriers, submarines, 4,000 tanks, 1,700 helicopters and 1,800 airplanes.
WEAPONRY
Both air and ground units were used in this war. The two leading air units
were the F-117 Nighthawk, the Jaguar GR.Mk 1A, and the McDonell Douglas
M230 Apache Helicopter. The 40 F-117s deployed to the Gulf War flew
more than 1,270 missions. They dropped 30% of all percision-guided
munitions. The F-117's weapon system can hit a target one square
yard. The nighthawk used laser-guided weapons to destroy Iraqi headquarters
and concrete bumkers. The faceted construction deflects most radar
energy in multiple directions, with only a small fraction being intermittently
reflected back to the transmitter.
Jaguars were
the first RAF attack aircraft sent to the Persian Gulf after the Iraqi
invasion of Kuwait.The Jaguar GR.Mk 1A fighters are single seat attack
bombers that are different from most attack planes because the Jaguar can
carry a pair of air-to-air missiles (usually AIM-9 Sidewinders) on overwing
pylons. Another unique feature is that it's fin fairing contains a radar-warning
receiver that warns the pilot when he has been spotted by enemy radar.
The typical weapon load during the Gulf War included general-purpose iron
bombs, cluster bombs, and rocket pods. During the Gulf War, 12 RAF Jaguers
flew in 618 sorties in January and February 1991.
Tanks used in the Gulf War
consisted of a crew of four. A driver, a gunner, a loader, and a commander.
It has a 120-mm gun in the front with heavy frontal arm or below it and
a continuous track running below that. In the back was the engine
and transmission with an ammunition case above it. On top of the
tank was a machine gun. During th war the United States added laser
range finders and wind sesnsor to fire and make hits more accurately.
The guns mainly
used by the infantry are these below:
POLITICS
During the war
the following leaders were included:
*George Bush-President
of the United States
*Dan Quayle-Vice
President of the United States
*Colin Powell-Chairman
Joint chiefs of Staff
*Norman Schwarzkopf-CENTCOMM
Commander
*Jim Baker-Secetary
of State
*John Sununu-President's
Chief of Staff
*Dick Cheney-Secretary
of Defense
Bibliography
Desert
Storm.com
World Book, Inc. Copyright 1992 Page 300-305
Photo File. International Masters Publishers. 1994 Numbers
5 & 26 of Group 6 Pamphlets
Websites
Return to Main Page
Mr. Jenkins Main Page
Hammond High School