Page 83 - History of War - Issue 01-14

OPPOSING

FORCES

AIRPOWER
COALITION IRAQ
In total, 2,600 coalition Saddam had around 750
aircraft were used in the aircraft at his disposal at
war. Making its combat the beginning of the war.
debut was the now-iconic These consisted of over 600
Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, combat planes – primarily
a twin-engined stealth plane. Soviet MiGs, but also the
Stalwarts such as the B-52 French Dassault Mirage
bomber, the F-14 Tomcat and F1 and the Sukhoi Su –
the Royal Air Force’s Tornado and 160 helicopters that
continued to excel, while the included the Soviet Mil Mi-8.
AH-1 Cobra helicopter – By the time the ceasefire

a veteran of the Vietnam War came into effect on 3 March
– was deployed in both the 1991, nearly 350 of the

first Gulf War and the US’s aircraft had been either
invasion of Iraq in 2003. destroyed or driven into exile.
TROOPS
COALITION IRAQ
A total of 697,000 The Iraqi army comprised
Allied troops fought in more than 950,000 troops,

the conflict. More than 545,000 of which were said
500,000 of these were to be stationed in Kuwait
American, including almost after the invasion. Many of
40,000 women – the largest these were young conscripts
deployment of women who were poorly trained and
in US military history. equipped. Their weaponry
Weaponry included the M16 included the Soviet AK-47

assault rifle and the Barrett assault rifle, PK machine gun

M82 anti-materiel rifle. and Dragunov sniper rifle.
TANKS
COALITION IRAQ
The US supplied around Saddam’s forces were
850 tanks for use in the backed up by between
war, including the IMP1 2,200 and 2,600 tanks,
Abrams, the M60 Patton including the Soviet T-72
and the M551 Sheridan, and its Iraqi-built derivative,
while Britain deployed The Lion Of Babylon. These
116 Challenger 2s and were supported by some
Centurions – the latter of 3,700 armoured vehicles.

which was first used in However, the Iraqi vehicles
1945. The coalition also were inferior in quality
boasted nearly a thousand to the coalition’s and
armoured vehicles, including Saddam’s troops were not
the M2 Bradley, the M109A1 fully trained in operating
Paladin (both US), the them. Furthermore, they
FV101 Scorpion, the FV432 rarely made efforts to
Trojan, the FV510 Warrior repair the tanks in-field,

and the Ferret (all British). often abandoning them.
MISSILES
COALITION IRAQ
During the conflict, 297 Iraq launched SCUDs

Tomahawk missiles – costing (tactical ballistic missiles
$3million each – were fired developed by the Soviet

at surface-to-air missile Union) at Israel and Saudi
sites, command-and-control Arabia after the coalition’s
centres and power facilities. air strikes began. Designed
They were even credited with to be launched from the
destroying Iraq’s Presidential ground to hit other ground
Mary Evans provide weight and stability. was outdated as they were
targets, their technology
Palace. At 20 feet long, the
missile contains Depleted
Uranium (DU) in its tip to
not always guided by lasers
and had poor accuracy.
HISTORY WAR 83
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