This document summarizes the Gulf War air campaign and strategies used by the Coalition forces. It discusses how shaping the battle space through extensive air strikes disrupted Iraqi command and control, degraded infrastructure, and grounded the Iraqi air force. It also describes the use of special forces, electronic warfare, lethal and non-lethal fires, rapid tempo of operations, and deception to neutralize Iraqi forces and gain air superiority early in the conflict.

1. GULF WAR
OP ART CASE STUDY
SHAPING THE BATTLE SPACE,
OP FIRE, TEMPO OF OPS &
DECEPTION

2. SHAPING THE BATTLE
SPACE

3. SHAPING THE BATTLE SPACE
• AIR CAMPAIGN – BEGINNING
OF OP DESERT STORM.
• 2700 COMB ACs.
• COMB HEPTRs.
• 1,10,000 SORTIES IN 43 DAYS
AVG 2560 SORTIES PER DAY.
• PEAK OF 4,000 SORTIES ON
28 FEB 1991.

4. AIR WAR OBJs OF COALITION FORCES
• BATTLE FD INT - PRE WAR ACQN OF INT.
• DEGRADATION OF C2 NETWK.
• DESTR OF NBC CAPABILITIES.
• DEGRADATION OF LONG RG SURFACE TO
SURFACE CAPABILITY.
• DESTR OF INDUSTRIAL FACILITIES AND
SURFACE COMN.
• DESTROY AIR FDS, PORTS, HIGH WAYS, BRS.

5. AIR WAR OBJs OF COALITION FORCES
• ACHIEVE COMPLETE AIR SUPREMACY AND NEUTR
IRAQ’S SVL AND EW SYS, THEREBY GROUNDING AF.
• PHY ATTRITION OF IRAQ’S GRND FORCES AND BREAK
THEIR WILL TO FIGHT.
• DENY MOV OF RES.
• PROVIDE CAS TO GRND FORCES ON LAUNCH OF
OFFN.
• PROVIDE COMB MOB TO GRND FORCES INCL AIRLIFT.
• DEM OF INDUSTRIAL BASE TO DENY THE
WHEREWITHAL TO GENERATE SIMILAR THREAT IN
NEXT FEW DECADES.

6. PHASES OF AIR CAMPAIGN
• PHASE I - DESTROY IRAQ’S VITAL COG.
• PHASE II & III - NEUTR IRAQI ARMY IN KTO.
• PHASE IV - WIN AIR / GRND CAMPAIGN BY
PROVIDING INT, FIRE POWER AND PROTECTIVE
AIR COVER FOR GRND FORCES.

7. STRAT AIR CAMPAIGN
• CsOG. C3 SYS, WAR SP INFRASTRUCTURE, NBC
WPNS CAPABILITY AND REPUBLICAN GUARD.
• IRAQ’S OIL REFINING AND PROD CAPABILITY
WAS SHUT DOWN BY END OF FIRST WEEK.
• ELECTRIC POWER GRID KNOCKED OUT.
• COMNs SEVERELY DISRUPTED.
• SUPPLY LINES OF IRAQI GRND FORCES
SERIOUSLY DISRUPTED.
• NBC FACILITIES TARGETED EXTENSIVELY.
• MOB SCUD LRS TARGETED BUT NOT VERY
SUCCESSFUL.

8. SPL FORCES OPS
• BRITISH SAS INFLT BEFORE AIR CAMPAIGN.
• PERFORMED RECCE MSNS AND DESIGNATED
TGTs FOR AIR DROPPED PGMs.
• TGTs WERE COMD BUNKERS, AD RDRs, MOB
MSL LRS, BRS, COMNS FACILITIES,
CONTAMINATING IRAQI AC FUEL.
• CAPTURING 30 DOCU GIVING DETAILS OF
WPN EMP PLANS AND LGS CAPABILITIES.

9. EW
• PRIME INGREDIENT IN SHAPING THE BATTLE
FD. USED FOR:-
– SVL AND TGT ACQN.
– DECISION MAKING.
– WPN EMP.
– ECM.
– LOC MOB MSL LRS.
– DECEPTION.

10. PENETRATION OF HOSTILE AIRSPACE
• INCR CHANCES OF PENETRATING HOSTILE
AIRSPACE W/O BEING INTERCEPTED OR
SHOT DOWN.
• MEANT GREATER BOMB LOAD TO TGT
RATIO.
• REDUCED ATTRITION.

11. ENHANCEMENT OF WPN LETHALITY
• TECHNIQUES USED WERE:-
– LASER AND RDR DESIGNATORS.
– INSTALLATION OF MINI CMPTRS.
– USE OF GPS.
– LLTV, THERMAL IMAGER, IMAGE INTENSIFIER, IR
DEVICES FOR NI OPS.
– GYRO STAB OF WPN PLATFORMS AND SIGHTING
DEVICES.
– BUILT IN ELECTRONIC INTERCEPTION AND LOCK ON
DEVICES.
– COMPUTERISED FCS.

12. OP FIRES

13. LETHAL OP FIRES
• AIR
– BOMBERS - B52.
– DEEP INTERDICTION - JAGUAR AND MIRAGE.
• SSM - BALLISTIC AND CRUISE MSLS.
• STRAT ARTY RESOURCES.
– LONG RG MSL SYS - TOMAHAWK.
– EXTENDED RG AND HIGH CAL GUNS.
• NAVAL GUN FIRE.

14. NON LETHAL OP FIRES
• EW.
– ESM.
– ECM.
– ECCM.
• PSY OPS.
– RADIO.
– LEAFLETS.
– AGENTS.

15. APPL OF OP FIRES
• DESTR OF C2.
• SHAPING THE BATTLE FD.
• ISOLATION OF BATTLE FD.
• PREVENTION OF IRAQI FORCES MVRE.
• FACILITATION OF OWN MVRE.
• DEGRADATION.
• PSY OPS.

16. TEMPO OF OPS

17. TEMPO OF OPS
• PHY MOBILITY.
• TAC RATE OF ADV.
• COMN.
• C2I.
• LGS.
• RECCE.
• WIDE FRONT OF OPS.
• RES.
• XG OF OBST.

18. DECEPTION

19. DECEPTION - COALITION FORCES
OP LEVEL DECEPTIONS.
• AMPH DEMO.
– AMPH TRG.
– PREPONDERANCE OF LDG
CRAFTS
– MINE CLEARNACE.
– DESTR OF IRAQI NAVAL
VESSELS.
– MARINE TPS ONBOARD
SHIPS.
– CAPTURE OF TWO
ISLANDS.
– NGFS BY BATTLE SHIPS.

20. DECEPTION - COALITION FORCES
OP LEVEL DECEPTIONS.
• WIDE MVRE BY VII AND XVIII CORPS.
– DESTR OF SVL RESOURCES.
– LEAFLETS.
– ELECTRONIC EMMISSIONS.
TAC LEVEL DECEPTIONS.
• LOUD SPEAKERS.
• FALSE RAIDS.

21. DECEPTION – IRAQI FORCES
• DUMMIES.
• PAINTING OF RUNWAYS.
• SCUD LR SITES.

22. ?