1st Tactical Fighter Wing during Operation DESERT SHIELD and DESERT STORM 1990-1991

1st Tactical Fighter Wing during Operation DESERT SHIELD and DESERT STORM 1990-1991 by 1st FW History office and Peter Bartos
2 Aug 1990	Iraq invades Kuwait
7 Aug 1990	1 TFW began deploying for Operation DESERT SHIELD. 71st TFS deployed with its F-15Cs to Saudi Arabia in a 14.5-hour direct flight from Virginia to Saudi Arabia, utilizing up to 6 aerial refuelings per jet en route.
8 Aug 1990	71 TFS arrived at King Abdul-Aziz Air Base in Dhahran, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and immediately commenced round-the-clock combat air patrols (CAPs) of the Saudi-Kuwait-Iraq border areas to prevent further Iraqi advances. Only a skeleton crew of crew chiefs arrive with the initial force of F-15s as some of the supporting airlift aircraft are delayed for various reasons. Exhausted pilots and crew chiefs adapt to the 122 degree heat, jet lag, and chaotic initial operating environment and settle down into a smooth operating tempo within a few days. 27th TFS deploys for Operation Desert Shield, including 1FW/CC, Col McBroom. Eventually, a total of 48 of the 1st FW F-15Cs are deployed to Saudi Arabia, with the 94th FS remaining at Langley AFB to continue training the Wing's new pilots and maintainers. Many of the seasoned 94th FS pilots and maintainers augmented the 27th and 71st Expeditionary Fighter Squadrons to allow round-the-clock deployed operations.
16 Jan 1991	At midnight, the UN deadline for Iraqi military force withrawal from Kuwait passes. Operation DESERT SHIELD ends. The 1st FW had amassed 4,207 sorties protecting Saudi Arabia's borders as Desert Shield came to a close. The 1st FW figures included 13,053.7 flying hours, with an average sortie duration of 3.1 hours while maintenance recorded a fully mission capable rate of 76.9 percent for the deployed F-15s.
17 Jan 1991	Operation DESERT STORM begins. At 0115 local Saudi Arabia time, sixteen 1st Fighter Wing F-15s departed King Abdul-Aziz Air Base and headed toward Iraq to participate in Operation Desert Storm, the liberation of Kuwait from the Iraqis. In the early morning darkness, Captain Steve Tate of the 71st Tactical Fighter Squadron shot down an Iraqi F-1 Mirage with a radar-guided AIM-7 Sparrow missile, which turned out to be the wing's only kill during the war.
18 Jan 1991	The Iraqis fired their first Scud at King Abdul Aziz Air Base, however, the Army Patriot battery detected, tracked and intercepted it before it could do any damage. 1st Fighter Wing assigned defensive CAP locations along Saudi border areas, while other F-15 units carry the fight forward, effectively ending Iraqi fighter operations in just 3 days.
22 Jan 1991	The warhead from an intercepted Scud missle detonated near the F-15 alert area. Debris from the missle damaged one F-15 (83-026)-the only battle damaged 1st FW aircraft during the war. Two patriot missles fired at a phantom Scud missle. They were quickly destroyed, however, pieces from the warhead damaged one revetted missle and punctured a fuel bladder at King Abdul Aziz Air Base, Saudi Arabia.
24 Jan 1991	At 1230L Saudi time, the Command Response Center informed Colonel McBroom that Royal Saudi Air Force F-15s had engaged and destroyed two Iraqi F-1s about 70 miles up the coast from Dhahran, bringing the coalition F-15's combat record for Operation Desert Storm to 33 kills versus 0 losses.
23 Feb 1991	The ground war began as Allied Forces struck Iraqi troops all along the Saudi Arabian and Kuwaiti borders.
25 Feb 1991	Baghdad radio reported that Saddam Hussein ordered his troops out of Kuwait. That night, however, a Scud missle struck an Army barracks near King Abdul Aziz Air Base killing 28 and wounding 98. The 1st Air Transportable Hospital treated seven of the wounded soldiers.
26 Feb 1991	Iraq agreed to the United Nations cease-fire terms.
7 Mar 1991	After seven months in Saudi Arabia, the wing began to return to Langley Air Force Base.
8 Mar 1991	The 1st Tactical Fighter Wing returns to Langley AFB, VA after amassing a total of 2,564 sorties during Operation Desert Storm. A total of 14,276 hours were flown, for an average sortie duration of 5.6 hours while maintenace recorded an 85.2 percent fully mission capable rate.
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