Fixed Wing Combat Aircraft Attrition in Desert Storm

Vulture's Row ^ | Unknown | Robin Lee

[hc87]

The following table is a representation of all combat damage and losses reported by the Coalition during the 1991 Gulf War. Times are expressed either in Zulu (Z) or Local (L); D/L indicates whether this was combat damage (Damage) or a combat loss (Loss); all unit designations are American unless otherwise noted; abbreviations for Allied air forces are as follows: RAF (Royal Air Force), FAF (French Air Force), KAF (Kuwaiti Air Force), IAF (Italian Air Force), RSAF(Royal Saudi Air Force). Common causes are either AAA or SAMs, either infra-red (IR-SAM) or radar-guided (R-SAM). Two cases are listed as "DEA-Other", which indicates Direct Enemy Action - Other, usually a crash resulting from manuevers against a threat.

Sources: Gulf War Airpower Survey, Vol. 5; Norman Friedman, Desert Victory; World Air Power Journal. Additionally, Mark Bovankovich and LT Chuck Chase offered corrections and several intriguing details on these incidents. All errors, however, remain entirely mine.

DATE/TIME D/L TYPE UNIT LOCATION CAUSE

1/17 2012Z Loss F-15E 4 TFW 16nm SW Basra AAA

1/17 1933Z Loss GR.1 617 Sqn (RAF) 8nm NWW Tallil AAA

1/17 1327Z Loss A-4 KAF 25nm S Kuw.City R-SAM

1/17 0200Z Loss F/A-18C VFA-81 29nm SE Baghdad MiG-25PD

1/17 0632Z Loss GR.1 15 Sqn (RAF) 1nm W Basrah R-SAM

1/17 2000Z Loss A-6E VA-35 10nm SW H-3 R-SAM

1/17 Damage Jaguar FAF AAA

1/17 Damage Jaguar FAF ?

1/17 Damage A-6E VA-35 Over H-3 AAA

1/17 Damage Jaguar FAF AAA

1/17 0700Z Damage A-10A 10 TFW SE Iraq AAA

1/17 0210Z Damage F-111F 48 TFW 15nm E Salman Pak AAA

1/17 Damage Jaguar FAF SA-14/16?

1/17 1200L Damage A-10A 354 TFW AAA

1/17 Damage B-52G 42 BW SA-3/6?

1/17 0130Z Damage F-111F 48 TFW 1nm S Balad Afld AAA

1/17 0230Z Damage F-111F 48 TFW AAA

1/18 1540Z Loss A-6E VA-155 Marsh, SW Abadan AAA

1/18 0001Z Loss GR.1 IAF 20nm NW Kuw.City ?

1/18 0610Z Loss OV-10 USMC Ras Al Mishab IR-SAM

1/19 0642Z Loss GR.1 617 Sqn (RAF) 51nm SE Tallil IR-SAM

1/19 1700Z Loss GR.1 15 Sqn (RAF) H-3 R-SAM

1/19 2219Z Loss F-15E 4 TFW Al Qiam SA-2

1/19 Loss GR.1 RSAF AAA

1/19 1404Z Loss F-16C 401 TFW 36nm W Tallil R-SAM

1/19 0255Z Loss F-4G 35 TFW 1nm N KKMC AAA

1/19 1557Z Loss F-16C 401 TFW Baghdad R-SAM

1/21 0354Z Loss F-14A+ VF-103 H-2/H-3 SA-2

1/21 Damage A-6E USN

1/21 0900Z Damage F-16C 388 TFW Baghdad Nuclear Research Ctr R-SAM

1/21 1900Z Damage AC-130 1 SOW IR-SAM

1/22 0200Z Loss GR.1 16 Sqn (RAF) N3306 E04002 ?

1/22 Damage F-15C 1 TFW "Home Station" DEA Other

1/23 1630L Damage A-10A 23 TFW AAA

1/24 Damage GR.1 RAF R-SAM

1/26 0313Z Damage B-52G 1708 PBW AAA

1/26 0313Z Damage B-52G 1708 PBW AAA

1/27 Damage B-52G 1708 PBW AAA

1/28 0707Z Loss AV-8B USMC 15nm S Ahmadi AAA

1/29 0900L Damage A-10A 354 TFW AAA

1/31 0325Z Loss AC-130H 1 SOW 12nm N Khafji IR-SAM

1/31 1600L Damage A-10A 354 TFW AAA

1/31 Damage OA-10A 23 TASS AAA

1/31 1015L Damage A-10A 926 TFG N3010 E04620 IR-SAM

2/1 Damage A-10A 354 TFW AAA

2/1 Damage A-10A 23 TFW AAA

2/2 0925Z Loss A-10A 23 TFW 20nm SW Kuw.Cty IR-SAM

2/2 0840Z Loss A-6E USN 20nm E Kuw.Cty AAA

2/2 Damage A-10A 354 TFW AAA

2/5 0610Z Loss F/A-18 USN 40nm E. Kuw.Cty

2/5 1500L Loss A-10A 354 TFW AAA

2/6 1100L Damage A-10A 354 TFW IR-SAM

2/7 Loss GR.1 27 Sqn (RAF) R-SAM

2/9 1340Z Loss AV-8B USMC 24nm SW Kuw.Cty IR-SAM

2/9 Loss F/A-18 USMC IR-SAM

2/11 1130L Damage A-10A 23 TFW AAA

2/11 Damage A-10A 23 TFW AAA

2/12 Damage AV-8B VMA-542 AAA

2/13 0630Z Loss F-5E RSAF Near Wadi Al Kirk AAA

2/13 2239Z Loss EF-111 20 TFW 30nm NW Arar DEA Other

2/14 0545Z Loss GR.1 15 Sqn (RAF) 50nm NW Baghdad R-SAM

2/15 1335Z Loss A-10A 354 TFW 60nm NW Kuw.Cty SA-13

2/15 1335Z Loss A-10A 354 TFW 60nm NW Kuw.Cty SA-13

2/15 Damage A-6E USN

2/15 0830L Damage A-10A 23 TFW IR-SAM

2/19 0622Z Loss OA-10A 23 TASS 62nm NW Kuw.Cty IR-SAM

2/21 Damage F/A-18 VMFA-314 IR-SAM

2/21 Damage F/A-18 VMFA-121 IR-SAM

2/21 Damage A-6E VMA-224 AAA

2/21 Damage F/A-18 VMFA-333 IR-SAM

2/22 1500L Loss A-10A 23 TFW IR-SAM

2/22 Damage F/A-18 VMFA-451 IR-SAM

2/23 1930Z Loss AV-8B VMA-542 2nm W Kuw.Cty IR-SAM

2/23 Damage AV-8B VMA-311 AAA

2/24 Damage F/A-18 VMFA-314 IR-SAM

2/24 Damage F/A-18 VMFA-314 IR-SAM

2/25 0945Z Loss OV-10 VMO-1 S. Kuwait IR-SAM

2/25 0700Z Loss AV-8B VMA-542 Ali Al Salem IR-SAM

2/26 1030L Damage B-52G 379 BW R-SAM

2/26 1230Z Damage F-16A 174 TFW IR-SAM

2/26 Damage F-16C 388 TFW

2/26 1029L Damage B-52G 379 BW R-SAM

2/27 0932Z Loss OA-10A 23 TASS KKMC IR-SAM

2/27 0345Z Loss AV-8B VMA-331 30nm NNE Kuw.Cty AAA

2/27 1600L Loss F-16C 50 TFW AAA

2/27 1330L Damage F-16C 388 TFW IR-SAM

2/27 Damage F/A-18 USMC Small arms

[hc87]

This should bring some perspective to the losses over the last few days. According to this site, by day 6 of Gulf War I, we had lost 19 fixed wing aircraft. As of day 6 of the Iraq War, we had lost 1 aircraft to enemy fire,1 to friendly fire and 3 to accidents. All but one are helos.

[servantoftheservant]

Good post. This war is is total victory so far. The Iraqis are reduced to scattered 'terrorist' attacks by Fedayeen and Republican Guard in civilian dress. They have gotten lucky a couple of times. However, most of the time they've tried this tactic, they've done a little shooting and a lot of dying.

Let's put this in perspective. We've lost about 20 KIA (tragic), but moved nearly 300 miles in 4 days against one of the largest armies in the world, that has had at least 9 months to prepare for us.

[wardaddy]

Good perspective...hard to maintain in our instant info age sadly.

[paws_and_whiskers]

Good article. bttt

[Physicist]

This post is a keeper. You wouldn't happen to have the figures for losses due to accident/malfunction for GWI, would you?

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

Wing of Navy A-6E damaged by AAA during Desert Storm.

[hc87]

This post is a keeper. You wouldn't happen to have the figures for losses due to accident/malfunction for GWI, would you?

According to CNN, coalition forces lost a total of 75 aircraft (fixed wing and helos) in Gulf War I, 42 to hostile fire, 33 to non-combat related reasons. http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/gulf.war/facts/gulfwar/

[hc87]

Wow. The A-6s could really take a pounding, couldn't they?

[aristeides]

How well do our aircraft do in sandstorms?