How to forge victory. Operation Desert Storm

44


The first raid on the nuclear center in Al Tuwait took place during the day, January 18, 1991. The X-NUMX of the F-32C, armed with conventional unguided bombs, was accompanied by 16 F-16C fighters, four EF-15 jammers, eight K-111 F-4 radar hunters.

- from the report of the commander of the Air Force of multinational forces in the Persian Gulf, Lieutenant General Chuck Norris Horner.

At that time, the "captains of heaven" failed to break through the dense anti-aircraft fire and hit the designated targets. The strategically important object was destroyed the next night with the help of F-117A airplanes and laser-guided GBU-27 guided bombs.

F-16 as a tactical bomber. A formation of 75 aircraft, more than half of which are support and cover vehicles. And as a result of the efforts made, it was not enough - the Americans needed a repeated night raid with the use of stealth.

Acquaintance with such facts can cause confusion. This contradicts the Pentagon’s claims of a victorious “blitzkrieg” and the widespread conviction that the war with Iraq was an ordinary war with the “Papuans”.

Training - the key to success

The relatively low losses (the Yankees and their allies lost for various reasons 75 aircraft) and the absolute technical superiority of the winners over the vanquished did not make the war an "easy walk". The victory over Iraq cost huge costs for the countries of the anti-Iraq coalition. First of all, for the United States Air Force - the main actor in the Desert Storm 43-day air offensive operation.

2600 combat aircraft and support aircraft. 116 thousands of sorties in the conflict zone. Dozens of air bases in the Middle East, including civilian airports in the region from the United Arab Emirates to Egypt, were all made up of aircraft moving from all parts of the Earth.

How to forge victory. Operation Desert Storm


55 thousands of people of the flight and technical staff of the US Air Force were deployed to the region. In the shortest possible time in the middle of the desert, 5000 pre-fabricated residential buildings with a total area of ​​30 thousand square meters appeared. meters 16 airmobile hospitals with 750 capacity and 1250 beds were deployed. Stowed over 160 thousand square meters. meters of concrete pavement - on the eve of a major war, the Yankees strenuously engaged in developing the infrastructure of airfields in the Middle East, expanding their area under the base of a huge number of arriving aircraft.

The F-111E fighter-bombers from the 77 ssf-wing 20-ss squadron were transferred from Upper-Hayford airbase to the Turkish base of Inzhirlik in the first days of August 1990. Almost at the same time, the F-111F airplanes from the “fraternal” 493-es ect, F-XNUMX, from the “fraternal” XNUMX-es ect, were actually at the same time the F-XNUMXF aircraft from the “fraternal” XNUMX-es ect, F-XNUMX. to Zaragoza. Interestingly, the transfer of two squadrons of "semi-strategic" aircraft to advanced NATO airfields was motivated by conventional exercises.

In Saudi Arabia, the first X-NUMX F-20F aircraft from the 111 and 492-th squadrons of the 493-13 tactical air wing appeared on August 48. The fighter-bombers made a non-stop flight with several refueling in the air on the route Leykinhirt Air Base - Taif Air Base. The aircraft flew with combat load - each carried four 25-pound GBU-2000 adjustable bombs and two SE "Sidewinder", underwing containers for shooting IR traps and dipole reflectors, in the back of the fuselage were attached containers AN / ALQ-15 with EW equipment . Twenty more F-131Fs flew to Saudi Arabia on September 111. The flight was carried out with suspended adjustable bombs and sidewind missiles. EF-2F EW aircraft were also based at the typhoid airfield.

- Chronicle of the "teachings" of the US Air Force for 1990 year.

Arriving at the place did not sit idly by. The flight crew immediately began testing the equipment in desert conditions. Intelligence monitored the state of the enemy aviation and air defense, highlighting the possible options for making "corridors" in the Iraqi air defense system.

In the afternoon countless planes circled over the dunes. And when the sun was hiding beyond the horizon, the desert again shook from the roar of aircraft engines - from the Saudi air base to them. King Khalid rose black silhouettes "stealth". The F-117A pilots drove their cars to the very border with Iraq, and, satisfied with the result, returned to dawn at dawn. The Iraqi air defense did not react at all to the presence of “invisibles” - in contrast to conventional aircraft, whose appearance immediately raised the alarm (change in radar operating modes, the connection of additional stations).



The Desert Storm air offensive began on the night of January 17 on 1991. In the first week, the density of the Coalition's air strikes exceeded 1000 sorties per day - every few hours deadly “waves” of bombers rushed over Iraq, accompanied by fighters and support aircraft. After the scouts flew in and evaluated the results of the bombing. "Difficult targets" were knocked out with the help of "stealth" and the Tomahawk SLCM.

43 of the day of the triumph of "aerocracy" of the United States and NATO countries. Iraq lost a significant part of its armed forces and was forced to leave Kuwait.

According to official statistics, own losses from enemy fire amounted to 37 aircraft and 5 "turntables", of which only one F / A-18C fighter was shot down in air combat. Real losses were probably higher. After the war, there was an increase in the number of decommissioned aircraft of the US Air Force - a direct consequence of combat and non-combat damage, development of a resource, and so on. The unpleasant consequences of participating in hostilities.

In the cloudless sky of statistics


The US Air Force was able to deploy an air force against Iraq:

120 fighter-interceptor F-15 "Eagle".
The main task of the "Orlov" was to achieve air superiority. In general, they coped with this task - the Iraqi military aviation practically did not show activity throughout the war. In total, during the war with Iraq, F-15C fighters made 5685 combat missions.

X-NUMX fighter-bomber F-244 Fighting Felken.
Winged "workers of war", 13 087 sorties in the conflict zone.


"Brigade" in the collection

X-NUMX Fighter-bomber F-82 "Anteater" (modifications 111E and 111F)
Tactical strike vehicles with a "semi-strategic" flight range. Perfect onboard aiming and navigation complex. Combat load 14 tons. "Anteaters" had the best combat performance among all the airplanes of the anti-Iraqi coalition aircrafts (correlation of successful 3: 1 sorties). In total, 2881 was flown over enemy territory. According to statistics, F-111F dropped 80% of laser-guided bombs.

132 anti-attack attack aircraft A-10 "Thunderbolt"
Awkward, but very tenacious "field workers" performed 8566 combat sorties in the conflict zone. Thunderbolts are considered to be the leaders in the number of AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground type air defense missiles (90% of all missiles of this type).

42 tactical low-profile strike aircraft F-117A "Nighthok"
“Night hawks” performed a 1271 combat sortie in the conflict zone, dropping tons of guided ammunition to 2000 Iraqis. The first-generation stealth was one of the "trump cards" of the US Air Force, with their 40% priority objectives destroyed: nuclear reactors in Al-Tuva, 112-meter radio tower in Baghdad, an interceptor and tactical missile control center, air defense systems in Central Iraq ( which allowed later to conduct carpet bombing using B-52).

In general, the F-117A proved to be the most awkward, expensive and useless aircraft - a vivid example of the "budget cut" and the usual American stupidity. At least, this is what F-117A looks like in the eyes of most “experts”.



X-NUMX fighter-bomber F-48E "Strike Eagle"
Operation Desert Storm became a baptism for Strike Needles. The newest aircraft, equipped with the LANTIRN sighting and navigation system for supersonic breaks at low altitude in the dark, were regularly used to search for and destroy enemy mobile rocket launchers, first and foremost the Scud missile system. The results of the combat use of F-15E do not look very convincing - the Iraqi "Scuds" continued to fall on the heads of American soldiers and urban areas of Tel Aviv until the very end of the war.

X-NUMX strategic bombers B-66G “Stratofortress”
Carpet bombing is a costly, but sometimes very effective way of waging war. Instead of ballistics, statistics work. The accuracy of the bombing on a specific object does not matter - the whole area of ​​the intended target location is covered with bombs. The method is good against clusters of enemy troops in the absence of long-range air defense systems from the enemy. An additional bonus is that such a bombardment has a strongly demoralizing effect on the army of the enemy. 38% of US bombs (relative to their total mass) were dropped in this way.

1620 sorties. One bomber was shot down. The other was heavily damaged by an AGM-88 HARM anti-radar missile - the missile was launched from one of the F-4Gs flying behind and accidentally attacked the radar of the Stratofortress defense aft installation.

61 "radar hunter" F-4G "Wild caress"
Modification of the old "Phantom", designed to solve the problems of a breakthrough and suppression of the enemy air defense system. “Wild caresses” were used to accompany strike groups, and also flew in “free hunting” mode - 2683 combat sorties over Iraqi territory.


F-4G demonstrates a set of anti-radar missiles of different generations: AGM-45 Shrike, AGM-78 Standard-ARM, AGM-88 HARM and Air-to-Surface AGM-65 Mavrick


18 EF-111 "Raven" electronic suppression aircraft
“Insurance policy” for formations of strike aircraft. The Raven’s equipment made it possible to detect radio emission sources in a timely manner, “deceive” the homing heads of anti-aircraft missiles and air-to-air missiles, jam radio communications and “hammer” enemy radar stations. The Ravens carried out 1105 sorties.

Do not forget that in the composition of the air force there were many specialized machines, without which it is difficult to imagine any modern air operation:

- E-3 “Sentry” (AWACS) long-range radar detection and control aircraft;
- RF-4C photo prospectors;
- high-altitude reconnaissance U-2;
- electronic reconnaissance aircraft of the RC-135 family;
- EW EC-130 aircraft;
- C-130 “Hercules” transport aircraft of the theater of operations, AC-130 ganships and special operations forces MC-130 aircraft;



And, of course, AIR PRINCIPLES. Without the participation of tankers, Operation Desert Storm could not take place. Most of the sorties were carried out with a pair of refueling stations, one on each side. No wonder that the Americans had to redeploy 256 Stratotankers and 46 Extenders to the Middle East to ensure the work of a huge group!

According to dry statistics, the US Air Force aircraft dropped 90% of all guided bombs, fired 55% anti-radar missiles and 96% air-to-surface missiles. You can talk straight - the US Air Force won the war. The participation of all other allies and pilots of the US Navy can be neglected.

Marine Corps Aviation

One of the curious features of the US military is the existence of the Marine Corps - a large, well-trained expeditionary army with its own armored forces and aircraft. KMP Aviation is a simplified version of the Air Force, whose aircraft are based on the same airfields, shoulder to shoulder with the "ordinary" F-15 and F-16. The main differences of the aviation aviation are uniforms and aircraft - the "marines" fly in lighter vehicles, unified with the deck aircraft of the naval forces.

To support Operation Desert Storm, the ILC command allocated the following forces:


F-111 can carry all these bombs at once.

X-NUMX attack aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing AV-86B "Harrier II"
Exotic cars, which is the "calling card" of KMP aviation. Part of the aircraft operated from the board of the universal landing ships-helicopter carriers "Tarawa" and "Nassau". The rest flew from the shore. In total, they made 3359 combat missions.

In general, the role of the Harriers in Operation Desert Storm was symbolic. Aircraft hung over the front edge, rarely penetrating deep into enemy territory. Ordinary F-16 would have looked much more efficient, but the Yankees wanted to fly on VTOL.

84 multipurpose fighter / bomber F / A-18 "Hornet" (mod. A, C and D)
Famous car. Once the twin-engine "Hornet" competed with the single-engine F-16 in the tender for the creation of a "light fighter", as a result, both were adopted. F-16 went to serve in the Air Force. The twin-engine F / A-18, as more reliable, was chosen for service on aircraft carriers and in the KMP aviation.

In the hot winter of 1991, both cars met in the same line - just like his F-16 counterpart, the Hornet wore clusters of unguided bombs under its wing, carrying out the tasks of destroying ground targets. 4936 sorties. They did everything they could.


"Hornets" and "Prowlers" of the Marines at AB Sheikh Isa (Bahrain)


20 subsonic attack aircraft A-6E "Intruder"
The aircraft were based at the air base in Oman. "Intruder" KMP was made 795 combat missions.

Aircraft Electronic Warfare EA-6B "Prouler"
Functionally, they were analogous to the EF-111. From the point of view of construction, the “Prowler” is a four-seater modification of the A-6 marine attack aircraft. Machines of this type performed 504 combat sorties.

РџР ° Р »СѓР ± РЅР ° СЏ Р ° РІРёР ° С † РЁСЏ

The actions of naval aviation in Operation Desert Storm were reviewed in detail here: http://topwar.ru/40888-burya-v-pustyne-udar-palubnoy-aviacii.html#

I will confine myself to general remarks. On board six aircraft carriers based:

- F-99 Tomcat Interceptor 14 (4004 Combat Departures)
- 85 F / A-18 fighter-bombers (4449)
- 95 subsonic attack aircraft A-6 "Intruder" (4824)
- 24 subsonic attack aircraft A-7 "Corsair II" (737)
- n-th number of S-3B aircraft (1674 combat sorties. I wonder how many Iraqi submarines could be detected?)

Also, when analyzing “Storm in the Desert”, it is impossible to ignore helicopters of the Army and Marine Corps:

- 274 attack helicopter AN-64 "Apache"
- 50 attack helicopters AN-1W (upgraded "Cobras" Marine Corps)

Allies or "allies"?

In addition to the US Air Force, combat aircraft from nine countries took part in the operation. The contribution of the allies was small - 17 300 departures for all, including departures of tankers and scouts.

The king of Saudi Arabia was most worried - the war was fought at the very borders, the fate of his state depended directly on the outcome of the operation “Desert Storm”. The Saudis were able to put the grouping in the composition:

- n-th number of interceptors F-15C (approximately five dozen cars);
- 24 fighter-bomber "Tornado";
- 87 obsolete F-5 fighter.


Panavia Tornado IDS

In addition to the Saudis, the Anglo-Saxon brothers helped the Americans - the Royal British Air Force sent to the region:

- 39 fighter-bomber "Tornado";
- 12 Stormtroopers "Jaguar";
- 12 Stormtroopers "Bukanir";
- 3 aircraft electronic intelligence "Nimrod";
- some number of air tankers "Victor" K. 2.

The French sent a couple dozen fighters "Mirage" F.1 and attack aircraft "Jaguar"; Italy, Belgium, Germany, Canada, Bahrain were brought together on the little things, there were some scraps of the Air Force captured by Kuwait. A simple fact speaks about the combat qualities of the “allies”: during the sortie flight on the night of January 17, out of six Tornadoes, the Italian Air Force was able to refuel only one. But no one completed the combat mission - the only refueled bomber was shot down on the way to the target.

Small lyrical digression

Injirlik, Darkhan, Al-Dafra, King Khalid, Isa, Tabuk, King Faisal, Garcia, Moron, Mazirah and Hofuf (further not rhyme) Dyarbakir, Jordanian H-4, Cairo West, Typho, Prince Sultan, King Abdul Aziz, Riyadh ...

As the reader has already guessed, it was a list of the bases of the multinational forces in Operation Desert Storm. When the Americans lacked countless bases, aircraft were deployed without a word at international airports: Al Ain (UAE), King Fahd (Saudi Arabia), Muscat (Oman), at Sharjah International Airport and Cairo - wherever the place and necessary infrastructure.

A “modest” local war against a small Iraq required a gigantic overstrain of forces. Thousands of aircraft, dozens of air bases and 43 day of continuous bombing. Moreover, they could not completely bomb Iraq and destroy its army - otherwise, with whom did the Yankees fight in 2003?


F-15C and A-4KU Kuwaiti Air Force who managed to leave the occupied country





They didn’t fly on mission this way, but the fact of the suspension of forty-eight 227-kg bombs says a lot. "Anteater" just a beast



"Stratotanker" runs the "Prowler" deck aircraft. In the background, there is a refueling of the "Prouhler" from KA-6D



F-14 Tomcat. At 99 interceptors - one air victory, Mi-8 helicopter



Tornado Air Force Saudi Arabia


Based on:
http://www.airwar.ru
http://vadimvswar.narod.ru
http://usmilitary.about.com
Gulf War Air Power Survey Summary Report, TAKEANY and EACohen, Washington, DC 1993.
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44 comments
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  1. +8
    11 March 2014 10: 49
    Yeah. Against such an armada, the Iraqi Air Force looked like a fly in front of an elephant.
    1. +5
      11 March 2014 11: 06
      Interestingly, the United States will strike a preemptive strike before Ukraine on March 16?
      1. +10
        11 March 2014 11: 09
        Quote: Civil
        Interestingly, the United States will strike a preemptive strike before Ukraine on March 16?

        Of course not. Crimea Europe and the United States merged unambiguously.
        1. +1
          12 March 2014 00: 20
          I want to believe that Yatsenyuk also has a brain. At least the dorsal ((((
    2. +8
      11 March 2014 17: 02
      Quote: Alexander12
      Against such an armada, the Iraqi Air Force looked like a fly in front of an elephant.


      I wouldn’t say that. In terms of size and equipment, the Iraqi Air Force was significantly inferior only to the US Air Force. Fighter aircraft mainly consisted of 3rd generation fighters of Soviet and French production, which the Iraqis were good at fighting (proved by the events of 1980-1988). Iraqis 42 MiG-29B also complemented the power of the already well-equipped Air Force. So talk of poor equipment is too exaggerated.
      1. 52
        +1
        11 March 2014 19: 40
        Lack of drills and support information from satellites, purchased high command ... Well, yes, bj, victory is inevitable ...
        1. +2
          11 March 2014 22: 18
          Do not forget that Mishka Mechny leaked to the amers all the operating frequencies of the Iraqi air defense, which consisted of Soviet systems. So the F-4s didn’t strain much.
      2. The comment was deleted.
      3. +1
        12 March 2014 19: 54
        Quote: supertiger21
        I wouldn’t say so. In terms of size and equipment, the Iraqi Air Force was significantly inferior only to the US Air Force

        And in pieces is it possible?
        In the Technique of Youth of those times, a sign was given.
        The ratio of aviation to Iraq and the United States.
        The numbers were from 1 to 10 to 1 to 100.
        Taking into account the codes "friend or foe" merged by Gorabchev for the air defense systems sold to Irk, this is not an option at all.
  2. +6
    11 March 2014 10: 51
    This contradicts the Pentagon’s claims of a victorious “blitzkrieg” and the widespread belief that the war with Iraq was a normal war with the “Papuans.”

    As far as I remember, the United States has always considered Iraq a strong adversary. And not only them. Until January 1991 so thought the whole world, including the USSR. I perfectly remember the forecasts that our military gave in periodicals (now you can’t find them, there were no scanners, not to mention the Internet ...), everyone predicted a new Vietnam, a sea of ​​blood and a string of coffins covered with star-striped. All comparisons of armaments boiled down to the fact that the MNF had only quantitative and somewhat (as it was supposed to be) qualitative superiority despite the fact that they were opposed by an army that had a wealth of combat experience with the strongest air defense in the region.
    A “modest” local war against a small Iraq required a gigantic overstrain of forces. Thousands of aircraft, dozens of air bases and 43 day of continuous bombing. Moreover, they could not completely bomb Iraq and destroy its army - otherwise, with whom did the Yankees fight in 2003?

    What are 3000 aircraft of all kinds for the United States and its allies in 1991? Where does the information come from, that it was the maximum and where did Oleg see signs of overvoltage?
    Speaking about the quality of airstrikes, it should be understood that mainly unguided munitions were used. In 2003 the number of guided munitions used has increased, and the number of aircraft has more than halved, and there is a transition from quantity to quality. Now the United States would have reached even the same forces with the same tasks.
    1. 0
      11 March 2014 19: 00
      Quote: Nayhas
      As far as I remember, the United States has always considered Iraq a strong adversary.

      Someone claimed the opposite?

      Deset Storm was not a "brilliant operation" and a "high-tech war of the new generation" (the example of the raid on Osirak - 1980 and 1991 is indicative).

      Americans stupidly drenched Iraq, weakened without Soviet help, with absolute quantitative and quality excellence. Moreover, they wet it with a big roar, but low efficiency - the Scuds could not be neutralized, most of the Iraqi BTT safely left Kuwait under its own power, the Hussein regime moved fins for 12 years

      My associations

      Quote: Nayhas
      I perfectly remember the forecasts that our military gave in periodicals

      Marshal N. Ogarkov at the beginning of the 80's expressed his fears that the Soviet concept of database maintenance adopted at that time was outdated with the development of high-precision weapons and their massive entry into service of Western armies
      Quote: Nayhas
      What are 3000 aircraft of all kinds for the USA

      For six months they formed a group, they had to score all military and civil airports with them
      Quote: Nayhas
      that the main attacks were unguided munitions. In 2003. the number of guided munitions used increased

      Funny excuse. Tell it to the Jews in 1980 year)))
      1. +5
        11 March 2014 19: 46
        Quote: SWEET_SIXTEEN

        For six months they formed a group, they had to score all military and civil airports with them

        We spent more time on the formation of the Ministry of Taxes and Duties, the collection of units, the formation of the rear, coordination of actions. Sorry Oleg, but it’s not difficult to drive planes and deliver fuel and ammunition both in time and effort. Aircraft on their own in a matter of hours can be assembled, much worse with armored vehicles and infantry.
        Quote: SWEET_SIXTEEN
        Deset Storm was not a "brilliant operation" and a "high-tech war of the new generation" (the example of the raid on Osirak - 1980 and 1991 is indicative).

        Well, to hell with him, the operation was carried out clearly and efficiently, despite the large number of participants speaking different languages. In the second Chechen one, despite the already sad experience we had with great difficulty interacted between the Airborne Forces-Navy-VV-MVD, how many guys died due to inconsistent actions, although they all spoke the same language.
        Quote: SWEET_SIXTEEN
        Americans stupidly wet Iraq, weakened without Soviet help, with absolute quantitative and qualitative superiority.

        God be with you, when did he manage to weaken it? The embargo was introduced only in August 1990. Has it weakened for half a year?
        Quote: SWEET_SIXTEEN
        The scuds could not be neutralized, most of the Iraqi BTT safely left Kuwait under its own power, the Hussein regime moved its flippers for another 12 years

        And what's the point? The army’s command and control system has been destroyed, there is no single command, the sky is in the hands of the enemy, those troops that could not flee surrender en masse. And this is a huge merit of the Ministry of Taxes and Aviation. The fact that Saddam moved for another 12 years does not mean that then in 1991. MNF could not occupy all of Iraq.
        Quote: SWEET_SIXTEEN

        Funny excuse. Tell it to the Jews in 1980 year)))

        Justification of what? Is there a limited amount of ammunition in the United States? Do you think that Israel had an order of magnitude more? Even if you agree with you, you cannot but admit that the United States every year increases both the range of guided weapons and the number of their carriers.
        1. +2
          11 March 2014 23: 43
          Quote: Nayhas
          worse with armored vehicles and infantry.

          How else? Gulf War Has Not Been Without 100-Hour Land Phase
          Quote: Nayhas
          but it’s not difficult to bring aircraft, to bring fuel and ammunition

          Up to a certain number of units. aircraft When the bill went to thousands of modern jet aircraft, there were tough problems: I had to build additional runways, taxiways, erect hangars and residential buildings.

          Transport Galaxy was not enough - I had to hire Ukrainian Ruslans and rent planes of other airlines around the world
          Quote: Nayhas
          the operation was carried out clearly and efficiently, despite the large number of participants speaking different languages

          Well, not so optimistic
          24% loss l / s - friendly fire. Scuds flew until the end of the war. columns of Iraqi BTT unhindered left Kuwait. And this is 43 of the day of continuous bombing strikes - according to the number of forces involved, Desert Storm has no analogues since Vietnam!

          Regarding the language, negotiations between air traffic controllers are traditionally conducted in English. And no difficulty - all pilots know English. Like all NATO officers
          Quote: Nayhas
          In the second Chechen

          Compare too. The coalition of the richest countries in the world and today's Russia
          Quote: Nayhas
          half a year weakened?

          Immediately, as soon as he lost the political (and therefore economic and military assistance) of the USSR. Otherwise, the Union could throw modern weapons through Syria. Iraq would not have saved it, but the Yankees would have been thoroughly battered. (Another question - why is this necessary? To help Iraq was to throw millions into the wind, without concrete returns.)
          Quote: Nayhas
          Army control system destroyed

          Giant group, 43 day of airstrikes - the Yankees expected more. Under pressure from irrefutable evidence, the results of attacks on Iraq were subsequently revised downward - by 3-4 times!
          Quote: Nayhas
          Xnumx years stirring doesn't mean

          This means that the country's infrastructure has not received severe damage.
          Quote: Nayhas
          Do you think that Israel had an order of magnitude more?

          Israel didn't have it at all. The raid on the nuclear center is a reference to the raid on Osirak (Babylon, 1980). Eight F-16s with conventional bombs were enough for Jews
          1. +1
            12 March 2014 07: 40
            Transport Galaxy was not enough - I had to hire Ukrainian Ruslans and rent planes of other airlines around the world

            The American army has shown the ability to conduct large-scale military operations anywhere in the world. What other army is capable of this?

            24% loss l / s - friendly fire.

            Mmm ... L / s did not drive with sticks on machine guns? Therefore, losses from enemy fire are small.
            1. -1
              12 March 2014 12: 08
              Quote: Dunno
              What other army is capable of this?

              Which is spent on a trillion dollars a year
              Quote: Dunno
              L / s did not drive with sticks on machine guns?

              So there were practically no ground battles
  3. +3
    11 March 2014 11: 15
    Or maybe the Yankees did not dare to do a ground operation due to the fact that they did not have time to prepare the fifth column in Iraq at that time?
    Thank you for the article and photo selection.
    1. +2
      11 March 2014 11: 51
      Quote: saturn.mmm
      Or maybe the Yankees did not dare to do a ground operation due to the fact that they did not have time to prepare the fifth column in Iraq at that time?

      I mean did not dare? Actually, there was a land operation, just Oleg did not indicate about it.
      PS: The search everywhere for the notorious "fifth column" is a sign of adherence to conspiracy theories and outright stupidity.
      1. 0
        11 March 2014 13: 26
        Quote: Nayhas
        the search everywhere for the notorious "fifth column" is a sign of adherence to conspiracy theories and outright stupidity.

        And the denial of the creation, in some regions, by the Americans of the fifth columns, is a sign of frivolity and carelessness.
        Quote: Nayhas
        I mean did not dare? Actually, the land operation was

        In the sense of Kuwait, that’s all.
        1. +3
          11 March 2014 13: 56
          Quote: saturn.mmm
          In the sense of Kuwait, that’s all.

          Well Duc etozh military operation was with tanks and other pieces of iron on wheels and tracks. The fact that they did not go to storm Baghdad (and everyone expected it) was of course a big mistake, the army of Saddam fled, the path to the north was clear.
          Quote: saturn.mmm
          And the denial of the creation, in some regions, by the Americans of the fifth columns, is a sign of frivolity and carelessness.

          By "fifth column", of course, you mean everyone who thinks differently. This is stupidity. Wherever power is usurped by a group of persons, anyone who opposes this becomes not just an enemy, but a member of a certain fifth column, for a respectable citizen does not make sense to be indignant at the existing outrages, because without him they will see everything and put things in order. All this has already happened hundreds of times in the history of mankind and most likely will be in the future, all totalitarian regimes end their existence equally sadly.
          PS: For many years the USSR tried to grow the so-called "fifth column" in the United States spending millions of dollars on Gas Hall, and where is it?
          1. -1
            11 March 2014 16: 13
            Quote: Nayhas
            By "fifth column" you of course mean everyone who thinks differently.

            Well, you already answered for me whom I mean.
            Quote: Nayhas
            Everywhere where power is usurped by a group of people, anyone who opposes this becomes not just an enemy, but a member of a certain fifth column, for a respectable citizen does not make sense to be indignant at the outrages that exist, because without him everyone will see and put things in order.

            Apparently, you got sick somewhere, but in principle I’m quite like an adequate person and I understand that the beliefs in society are different and the US Department of State is not always involved in this.
            Quote: Nayhas
            For many years the USSR tried to grow the so-called "fifth column" in the United States by spending millions of dollars on Gas Hall, and where is it?

            She is in a stunted state because the US authorities spent billions of dollars fighting her and made total surveillance of their citizens, and in every possible way try to maintain a high standard of living in their country (How many trillions were borrowed for this year? Something about 2 like.)
            Have you ever wondered how the Cold War began?
            PSthere was a big mistake
            Or maybe a cold calculation? Maybe the Iraqi army has not so clearly fled?
            1. +4
              11 March 2014 20: 06
              Something does not fit you. The USSR could not "grow the fifth column" in the United States because
              Quote: saturn.mmm
              US authorities spent billions of dollars fighting her and made total surveillance of their citizens

              or
              Quote: saturn.mmm
              in every possible way try to maintain a high standard of living in their country

              Why spend billions on total surveillance (this is obvious nonsense, in which case no one in the United States could hide from tax evasion) if it is enough to maintain a high standard of living? In addition to the United States, there are still quite a few countries where the USSR tried to "grow the fifth column", for example, the Federal Republic of Germany, both by legal means and through Rote Armee Fraktion. And what is the result?
              1. -1
                11 March 2014 21: 00
                Quote: Nayhas
                Quote: saturn.mmm US authorities spent billions of dollars to fight it and made total surveillance of their citizens or Quote: saturn.mmm in every way they try to maintain a high standard of living in their country

                And where is the contradiction?
                Quote: Nayhas
                The USSR tried to "grow the fifth column", for example, the FRG

                And what is wrong with the RAF? They remember their activities now, moreover, the organization officially ceased to exist only in 1998, probably this speaks of something.
                Quote: Nayhas
                Why spend billions on total surveillance (this is obvious nonsense, in this case no one in the United States could hide from tax evasion) if it is enough to maintain a high standard of living?

                They probably believe that maintaining a high standard of living (and it doesn’t work out with all citizens) is not enough, so they work comprehensively and follow. Do you pay taxes in the USA?
                Sheer delirium, outright stupidity-maximalist you however.
  4. -3
    11 March 2014 12: 14
    Americans just bought the leadership of the Iraqi armed forces !!! Stupidly outbid !! As always !!! If you hadn’t bought everything, everything would have gone differently!
    1. +6
      11 March 2014 14: 44
      I can’t agree with you - if you bought it - then why did the SCADS fly on their heads and in Tel Aviv until the end of the war? For all my dislike of US politics, they carried out the operation in Iraq very well, the only thing they failed to prevent was the launch of the SCADs, which caused a lot of trouble for both them and Israel ...
  5. 0
    11 March 2014 12: 45
    And which conclusion follows from this?
    1. +1
      11 March 2014 17: 10
      Quote: EvilLion
      And which conclusion follows from this?


      That the Yankees spent a lot of money and effort against Iraq, which led to their victory, respectively, but the victory (in economic terms) turned out to be a little expensive.
  6. 0
    11 March 2014 15: 03
    Only eight F16 were enough for the Jews to bomb the reactors without loss. 10 years before the Yankees disgraced
    1. +2
      11 March 2014 17: 48
      Quote: Tlauicol
      Only eight F16 were enough for the Jews to bomb the reactors without loss.


      No matter how much the F-16 was, nobody resisted them anyway. All Iraqi air defenses were engaged in the destruction of Iranian aircraft during the 1980-1988 war.

      Quote: Tlauicol
      10 years before the Yankees disgraced


      Not a fan of the Yankees, but in 1991 they performed very well in Iraq. You can call Vietnam a shame, where they really raped them, but in the Middle East they showed themselves only from a strong side.
      1. +1
        11 March 2014 19: 09
        Yeah, they sent all the air defense to the front, but left the nuclear power plants, General Staff, weapons factories, chemical plants, arsenals, airfields without cover? The nuclear power plants were then tightly covered, but it didn’t stop the Jews, as did the Saudi Arabian air defense through which they flew twice
        But the Yankees, having gathered such power, could not repeat such a raid even after 10 years of continuous war between Iraq and Iran
        1. 0
          11 March 2014 22: 10
          Quote: Tlauicol
          Yeah, they sent all the air defense to the front, but left the nuclear power plants, General Staff, weapons factories, chemical plants, arsenals, airfields without cover?


          It seems like it was practically what

          Quote: Tlauicol
          The nuclear power plants were then tightly covered, but it didn’t stop the Jews, as did the Saudi Arabian air defense through which they flew twice


          If the Iraqis wanted to, they would have resisted the Israeli air group, but this was not profitable. The F-16s were covered by the F-15s, which Iraqi less modern fighters could do little. The qualifications of Israeli pilots were also higher. therefore, it was not profitable for them to repulse then. There are so few planes for the war with Iran, and here, too, the Israelis are driven away. Judge for yourself ...
          1. +1
            12 March 2014 14: 53
            Yes, they just missed the raid and that's it. do you think they didn’t cover strategic objects from Iran? Huh!
            is it not profitable to cover nuclear power plants? nda already .. it is not profitable to repulse six F15? - bomb on your health - we do not need nuclear development!? And then, the objects are still covered from the Iranians, even they opened fire, but it was too late
            1. +1
              12 March 2014 23: 38
              Exactly what they missed. Before that, there was at least one attempt by the Iranians to gouge the object, so the next attack was expected from the east.
  7. +1
    11 March 2014 15: 40
    And most of all I like the story of dad Assad.

    A wise and honest politician who until 30 years defended Syria from the brutal American imperialists and other abominations of the Western world. The only faithful ally of Russia in the Middle East!

    For most observers, the decision of the Syrian government came as a complete surprise. start military cooperation with the long-standing enemies of Syria, the United States and Great Britain. Violent protest demonstrations began inside the country, which were brutally suppressed. The first unit of over 1000 arrived in late August, at the same time Syrian heavy military equipment was delivered via the Suez Canal and the Red Sea.

    Being equipped almost entirely with Soviet weapons, organized on the model of the Soviet Army and created in a totalitarian state, the Syrian army was more like the Iraqi army than coalition troops. In total, Syria sent and placed under the command of the United States and the International Coalition 19000 people, more than 50000 people were stationed next to the Syrian-Iraqi border. Syrian divisions were divided into four combat brigades, one of which was formed from military personnel. The 4th Panzer Brigade of the 9th Division was incomplete. The 9 division also included the 43 mechanized, 52 and 53 tank brigades. The total number of tanks in the division exceeded 250, mainly the old T-55 and T-62K / M tanks, most of its seven tank battalions had Soviet tanks at their disposal. Only one or two battalions had the T-72. Five mechanized battalions had BMP-1 and auxiliary models BTR-60. The division also included an artillery regiment and small anti-aircraft regiments, engineer and signal battalions, transport, sanitary and chemical defense companies. The artillery units have at their disposal X-NUMX-mm self-propelled howitzers D-122, anti-aircraft - anti-aircraft guns CA-30 and CA-8, the reconnaissance company is equipped with BRDM-9 vehicles

    The Syrian special forces unit was officially called the 4-th parachute group ("Fauj"). It included three small-sized battalions. By tradition, only soldiers belonging to the Alavit sect were included in their composition in order to ensure fidelity of these forces to the ruling regime. Not all of their personnel received appropriate training for participating in landing operations. Many fighters, however, participated in hostilities in Lebanon, and had vast experience in participating in hostilities in the desert. This unit, consisting of 600 people, was based in the UAE.
    1. 0
      11 March 2014 17: 53
      Quote: SWEET_SIXTEEN
      Being equipped almost entirely with Soviet weapons, organized on the model of the Soviet Army and created in a totalitarian state, the Syrian army was more like the Iraqi army than coalition troops. In total, Syria sent and placed under the command of the United States and the International Coalition 19000 people, more than 50000 people were stationed next to the Syrian-Iraqi border. Syrian divisions were divided into four combat brigades, one of which was formed from military personnel. The 4th Panzer Brigade of the 9th Division was incomplete. The 9th division also included the 43rd mechanized, 52nd and 53rd tank brigades. The total number of tanks in the division exceeded 250, mostly the old T-55 and T-62K / M tanks, most of its seven tank battalions had Soviet tanks at their disposal. Only one or two battalions had T-72s. Five mechanized battalions had BMP-1 and auxiliary models BTR-60. The division also included an artillery regiment and small anti-aircraft regiments, engineer and signal battalions, transport, sanitary and chemical defense companies. The artillery units have at their disposal 122-mm self-propelled howitzers D-30, anti-aircraft - anti-aircraft guns SA-8 and SA-9, the reconnaissance company is equipped with BRDM-2 vehicles


      Well, why are you surprised, Oleg? This is politics, and in politics there are no friends, just as there never were and never will be. There are only partners and sycophants, as well as temporary enemies and "traditional" enemies.
    2. +2
      11 March 2014 19: 17
      Egyptians, Syrians, Lebanese, Jordanians, Saudis - these are still chameleons! I am personally pleasantly surprised by Iran - after 10 years of the war with Hussein, the Iranians did not side with the United States in the Desert Bure, but directly said: Saddam is our enemy, but the truth is more expensive, you (USA) are cleaner than Saddam
      1. 0
        12 March 2014 20: 04
        Quote: Tlauicol
        Iran personally pleasantly surprises me

        Persians always live on their own.
  8. +1
    11 March 2014 16: 11
    Such potential was created for a large-scale war in Europe against the USSR and the Warsaw Pact; there was a great temptation to try it out. Forces deployed more than necessary.
  9. 52
    0
    11 March 2014 19: 50
    And I got a rather stupid question: "What is the combat capability and who owns a certain part of this armada today, and what are the remnants of a far from endless resource?"
  10. 0
    11 March 2014 20: 01
    That's just the way the Yankees are able to fight, 3-4 times superior in strength, cruise missiles, and other types, complete dominance in the air. As practice shows, the Second World War, Vietnam, Iraq and other cases.

    The Japanese were crushed by the number, + allies on the Pacific Theater, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Parts of the British Empire (modern India, Pakistan). Plus the little things the Philippines, Indonesia, etc.

    Plus fuss in China.

    And the destruction of the Manchu group by Soviet troops in the summer of 45gg.

    Troops refused to land on Japan, and the civilians Hiroshimo and Nagasaki razed the ground. Warriors.
    1. 52
      0
      11 March 2014 20: 32
      In this case, I completely agree - the Americans are fighting as if they consider any action as a logistic operation - they brought so many troops, tanks, aeroplanes, won ... NO? What the hell is Vietnam over? Then we leave "to the hut"! With "victory".
    2. The comment was deleted.
    3. The comment was deleted.
    4. +1
      11 March 2014 23: 20
      Quote: Kornilovist
      That's just the way the Yankees are able to fight, 3-4 times superior in strength, cruise missiles, and other types, complete dominance in the air. As practice shows, the Second World War, Vietnam, Iraq and other cases.

      The Japanese were crushed by the number ...

      It is not possible to measure forces based on numbers, Iraq had superiority in it, and Americans were strained by their notorious combat experience of the 8-year war with Iran.
      Perhaps this is how they fight in overseas territories (we do not have such an experience), expeditionary forces to the maximum and take everything in plenty (so as not to make a second trip across the ocean). The problem is where to gather intelligence data? have the Papuans? and the database theater is unfamiliar and not studied. It should be understood that the US armed forces did not send overseas in the Pacific War each time forming a separate expedition to capture any island, atoll, or archipelago, the same formations fought (3rd and 7th fleet), but replenishment of losses in the ship's crew, aircraft and l / s, and taking into account the abandoned garrisons, i.e. there was a sequential sweep of the Pacific Ocean, regardless of the intensity of resistance or its absence, of course, the forces were divided in certain cases, but the Americans, like the Japanese, suffered from the absence and scarcity of intelligence, so the Americans in particular tried not to spray their forces in several directions, the Japanese the forces were sprayed. The war at sea in terms of awareness differs sharply from the land war in Europe in the same period, if only because of a more dense population and civilization (as far as this applies to this historical period).
      It should also be borne in mind that excessive superiority in the number of Americans is far-fetched. The fact that the USA preliminarily creates superiority is normal for everyone without exception, while the second (and third) echelon participating in operations DOES NOT directly participate in battles. Those. Considering the remoteness from the territory of the United States, a considerable proportion of the total number of military personnel is occupied with rear supply and support, organization and development of military infrastructure, a lot is employed (including communications protection) as part of the fleet (crews of ships, submarines and ships), army support units, and Air Force - all of them are involved in the operation (for example, the Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf).
  11. Andrew 58
    +2
    11 March 2014 23: 03
    Thanks for the article, read with interest.
  12. +3
    12 March 2014 00: 16
    There were times when I crushed the weight of cockroaches.
  13. +3
    12 March 2014 16: 55
    Quote: Nayhas
    As far as I remember, the United States has always considered Iraq a strong adversary.
    Someone claimed the opposite?
    Well, if no one claimed, then I have to. smile
    Both the Iraqi Air Force, and the country's air defense and air defense were far inferior to the corresponding combat arms of the USSR, which is understandable, but also the armed forces of the Warsaw Pact countries, and the Syrian armed forces of that time. Moreover, both qualitatively and quantitatively. For example, from 120 were delivered to Iraq up to 200 Shiloks, up to 200 BM Strela1 and 10,20 BM Osa and 35 Cubov batteries. Given that Saddam had more than 60 divisions (in terms of the number of hp and tanks the Iraqi infantry division corresponded to the Soviet MSD), it is easy to calculate how many Shilok 1 division. And then compare with the Soviet. This is not to mention the thuy heap of quality indicators.
    As for the Air Force, the picture was approximately the same. There was a zoo of 2-3 generations of aircraft, often in export design. Let's say the Iraqis didn’t have R-73 missiles, only R-60M.40 Mig-29s still couldn’t fix anything By the way, when after the Storm in a glass the command of the Air Force decided to reduce the number of types, only MiG-23 and MiG-25 were left.
  14. 0
    12 March 2014 18: 43
    I’ll clarify a little: up to 300 S-75 and S-125, more than 100 Cube, 80 Osa, more than 50 Osa-10 Soviet air defense systems, about 100 French Roland air defense systems (on the chassis of the AMX-30 tank), a significant number of MANPADS (Strela-2, Strela-3 and Igla-1).

    Combined arms divisions and brigades all over the world are traditionally armed with short-range anti-aircraft weapons, i.e. ZSU (ZAU) and MANPADS (ZRK). 200 ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" were in service with anti-aircraft divisions of 6-7 armored / mechanized divisions of the Republican Guard, army infantry divisions were equipped with 23-mm towed (transportable) ZU-23-2.
    Short-range / medium / long-range air defense systems are equipped with separate airborne divisions (regiments), or air forces, which are brought together in a separate brigade.
    1. 0
      12 March 2014 20: 36
      Quote: kplayer
      more 100 "Cube"

      - What a hundred?
      - Why Cube?)))

      What was meant - the number of PU / batteries / divisions ???
  15. 0
    12 March 2014 21: 56
    Quote: SWEET_SIXTEEN
    What was meant - the number of PU / batteries / divisions ???

    The generally accepted perception of SAM in units, or PU.
    Battery, from 3/4 to 6/8 launchers, depending on the type, then the anti-aircraft units can also have any organizational structure, the division can have 12-48 launchers.
    You can remind me of a typical set of air defense systems "Cube" in 4 launchers, 1 radar for detection and guidance and 1 KShM (target designation vehicle) from which the essence will not change, it can be equated to a battery, or it can be to a fire platoon, you can even reduce -In PU from 4 to 3, this is done so that the structure is suitable for equipping the required number of units.
    1. +1
      12 March 2014 22: 18
      As a result, all 600 systems of medium and short range (half of them - C-75 / Osa did not have real combat value due to bad characteristics and poor noise immunity)

      This is not even enough to cover large cities
  16. 0
    12 March 2014 22: 52
    Namely, that Pushek, which, in general, is pointless. Even sheep are considered by their heads, not by their legs. So, the battery is the minimum tactical unit capable of independently solving combat missions. They put 35, which would be enough on 7 standard regiments of air defense systems.
    As for the Rolads, almost all (about 100) were put up in a shelter version, based on Mana. Accordingly, they have no relation to air defense
    By the 75th there was a detailed weight distribution on the BMP. (Although it does not take into account Chinese crafts) But there it is also very sad for Saddam, of course
  17. +1
    12 March 2014 22: 58
    Yes, I forgot MANPADS. There were about 1100 of them (maybe bigger, but the order is about that). That is, 60 divisions and 20 brigades were good if fifty MANPADS. For comparison, there were so many regiments in the MSD. At the same time, no PU -12, nor, moreover, PRPR-1 were not delivered to Iraq, respectively, there were no tablets for MANPADS either.
  18. 0
    13 March 2014 00: 16
    25 SAM S-75M "Volga" (4 - 1974, 3 - 1975, 4 - 1976, 4 - 1977, 2 - 1979, 4 - 1980, 4 - 1981 )
    10 SAM S-75M3 "Volga" (3 - 1984, 3 - 1985, 4 - 1986)
    11 TDN S-75M
    1336 V-755 + 192 missiles
    680 missiles V-759 + 25 training missiles
    34 SAM S-125M "Pechora-M"
    16 SAM S-125M1A "Pechora-M1A"
    16 TDN S-125M
    2321 missile V-601PD + 131 training missile
    21 TH "Accord-75/125"
    8 P-14F radar
    6 radar "Defense-14"
    1 ACS ASURK-1ME
    ------------------------------
    I especially liked -1ASURK for all this economy
  19. pt730
    0
    26 March 2014 01: 54
    Good article! Thank)

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