Title: Page born:April 01 2002

Desert Storm Missions

In the book"Team Stealth"(1994) there is a listing all of the misisons flownduring DESERT STORM. The following is from "Team Stealth", pages60-93. (NOTE: The webmaster has added aditional information in brackets.)

Following itsdeployment to Saudi Arabia, the deployed stealth wing was designated the37th Tactical Fighter Wing Provisional-37th TFW(P). The followingday-by-day chronology of the 37th TFW(P)'s missions during DESERT STORMwas compiled by the wing's historian.

While reading thischronology, one must keep in mind the unique mission of the world's onlyoperational stealth unit-to attack high value targets in a dense threatenvironmant during the dark of night. Therefore, some combat missionswere completed during the late evening hours of one day while othermissions were tasked in the early morning hours of the following day-twoseperate days in terms of calender days, but within one shroud ofdarkness.

As an example, onDay (Night) 3 of the air campaign, two waves of stealth fighters attacked theirassigned targets, the first wave just after dark and prior to midnight onJanuary 18, the second wave after midnight on January 19. Both waves wereconducted under one shroud of darkness, but actually on two differentdates when considering calander days. Unless otherwise noted, all timereferences are to local time in area of operation.

January 17, 1991

Night 1, Wave One
At 12:22 AM, the 415th TFS launched F-117As against a combinedintegratedoperations center/ground control intercept site at Nukhayb, two airdefense control sector headquarters, and the Iraqi Air Force Headquartersin Bagdad, as well as numerous other targets that included radarfacilities, telephone centers in Bagdad, and other targets of highpriority.

Night 1, Wave Two
Twelve F-117As repeated strikes onthe Iraqi Air Force Headquarters, airdefense sector headquarters, and telephone exchanges in Bagdad; the AlTaqaddum integrated operations center/ground control intercept facility;military related facilities at North Taji; and the Presidental grounds atAbu Ghurayb. New targets included troposcatter stations, televisiontransmitter stations, international radio transmitters, Rasheed Airfield,and communications satellite terminals.

Night 1, Wave Three
A third wave of eight F-117As attacked sector operations centers, moreheadquarters buildings, ammunition stores, and a chemical/biologicalfacility. The "Voice of America" reported anti-aircraft fire as bombsexploding in Bagdad at 3AM. [Due to bad weather, Wave Three only scored five hits. Of the 49 bombsdropped the first night (out of 60 carried), only 28 were hits due toweather and other factors]

January 18

Night 2, Wave One
Twelve 415th TFS jets werelaunched against Iraqi targets in Bagdad andthe other centers. Due to an air abort (the aircraft in questionreturning safely to base), only 11 aircraft completed successful runsagainst radio transmitters, command and control bunkers, the intelligenceservice headquarters, the Iraqi airborne warning and control system(AWACS), integrated operations centers, sector headquarters, and thenational computer center.

Night 2, Wave Two
Twelve 416th TFS jets attacked integrated operations centers, headquartersbuildings, communication sites, a nuclear reactor, and ammunition bunkers.Bagdad was hit again, as were a number of high-priority locations.

Night 3, Wave One
The 415th TFS attacked communications sites, integrated operations centers, anuclear reactor, sector headquarters, the Ministry of Culture and Information,Hawk missile sites and training centers, and the Ministry of defense. Pilotsencountered bad weather, which hampered weapons deliveries.

January 19

Night 3, Wave Two
Ten 416th TFS aircraft attacked various targets, including Scud missile sites,signals intelligence facilities; a highway bridge; and command. control, andcommunications facilities. The weather was so poor most pilots attempted todrop both bombs on alternate targets. [Due to the weather, only six hits were scored on Night 3]

Night 4, Wave One
415th TFS pilots attacked bridges, command and control bunkers, integratedoperations centers/ground control intercept sites, sector headquarters, sectoroperations centers, radio transmitter stations, ammunition storage dumps, andtwo telephone exchanges. Weather was once again a factor and limitedsuccess.

January 20

Night 4, Wave Two
Nine F-117A's of the 416th TFS attacked a target list comparable to the previousthree nights. Good weather permitted a much higher degree of success: 10 hits.This wave concentrated on targets in and around Bagdad; Scud sector operationscenters, chemical and biological warfare centers, ammunition storage dumps, asignals intelligence station, military related facilities, bridges, command andcontrol bunkers, and an integrated operations center. [Again, weather limited success to 17 hits on Night 4.]

January 21

Night 5, Wave One
Ten 415th jets attacked a biological warfare facility, a troposcatter station,radar and satellite ground stations, a Bagdad television transmitter/radio relayterminal, and the headquarters for the Ministry of Defense and Iraqi Air Forcein Bagdad. [As an attempt to have better weather over targets, Wave One's launch was delayeduntil after midnight]

Night 5, Wave Two
The 416th flew 13 sorties. In spite or poor weather, targets hit includedammunition dumps, surface-to-air missile sites, Scud missile bunkers, a combinedintegrated operations troposcatterr station, and a Scud and Frog missilesite. [Due to "unreliable aircraft systems and target aquisition erroes", weather, and two 415th TFS air aborts and one 416th TFS ground abort, only 17 hits were scored on Night 5.]

Night 6, Wave One
Fourteen 415th TFS jets attacked a radio relay terminal, Iraqi Air ForceHeadquarters, the main signals intelligence station, the international radiocommunications transmitter-receiver, two telephone exchanges, and the nuclearresearch center in Bagdad. Squadron pilots registered 20 bomb hits. [The 415th TFS suffered two air aborts]

January 22

Night 6, Wave Two
The 416th TFS sent a wave of [14] F-117As to bomb Iraqi targets at Bagdad andsurrounding areas, targeting surface-to-air missile sites; Internal Security,Ministry of Defense, Intelligence Service, and the Air Force headquarters, alongwith numerous other high-priority targets. Twenty-six hits [Out of 28 attempts] marked the 37th'sbest performance of the air war thus far. [Eight 416th TFS jets made one pass each of the BagdadNuclear Research Center. Also, it was this wave that attacked a biological warfare facility-otherwise known as the infamous "baby milk factory" of Iraq.]

Night 7, Wave One
Fourteen 415th TFS aircraft [launched at dusk] attacked Balad Southeast Airfield, where 21 bombhits were recorded. [One pilot was forced to divert to an alternate target. Although 21 hits wererecordedon the airfield, they inflicted little damage to the hardened shelters. For some reason,the mission planners "above the 37th TFW(P)" decided to limit the F-117As to using a specific weapon that was not capable of damaging the HAS. The mission planners never told the F-117A squadrons which weapons to use after this night again.]

January 23

Night 7, Wave Two
Ten 416th TFS jets took off on time at midnight to bomb missile handlingfacilities, the main signals intelligence station, and transportaion facilitiesin Bagdad; highway bridges over the Euphrates River at Nasiriyah and As Samawahand a highway bridge at Al Quranah. Pilots recorded 16 bomb hits. [Four F-117As were cut when alast second change in targets occured. CENTAF was also unable to supply appropiate target photosand other critical information]

Night 8, Wave One
The 415th TFS launched 13 of 14 scheduled jets against road bridges in Iraq;however, bad weather limited pilots to only three bomb drops. [A record 23 no drops]

January 24

Night 8, Wave Two
The 416th TFS launched 14 sorties against bridges, communication centers, and anairfield, scoring 11 direct hits.

Night 9, Wave One
CENTAF (Headquarters Central Air Command Air Forces) tasked the 37th TFW(P) toresume flying three waves of F-117As against military targets. For the firstwave, the 416th TFS sent 14 aircraft against airfields at Qayyarah West, AlAssad, and Kirkuk. One aircraft aborted after takeoff (returning safely tobase). The remaining 13 jets scored 20 hits. [The 416th TFS was refragged at the last minute toattack Al-Taqqaddum Air Base. Here F-117As destroyed 3 of 8 "Badger" bombers sitting on the runway. Intellegence reports indicated that these aircraft were loaded with chemical weapons for use onAllied ground troops. The bombers were full of fuel when attacked. The next day a conventionalstrike destroyed the remaining bombers.][This was the first night that CENTAF allowed tankers into Iraqi airspace. This allowed the F-117As toattack farther north. One F-117A returned to base because of lack of tanker support at the begining ofNight 9]

Night 9, Wave Two
The 416th TFS launched the day's second wave againsthighway bridges.

January 25

Night 9, Wave Three
Seven 415th TFS and three 416th TFS jets concentrated on enemy airfields butbad weather hindered the effort. [This wave ended with 1 miss and 19 no drops]

Night 10, Wave One
The 415th TFS and 416th TFS each sent three F-117A's after several bridges andan airfield at Tallil. Six more F-117As flew from Langley to King Khalid AirBase. These aircraft were assigned to the 416th TFS.

Night 10, Wave Two
Four 415th TFS jets took off at 10 PM, and at 11PM four additional jets werelaunched. All eight jets attacked Iraq's H-2 and H-3 airfields. Post strikeassessment indicated eight hits.

January 26

Night 10, Wave Three
For this wave, the 416th TFS sent eight aircraft to bomb the H-3 airfields.

Night 11, Wave One
Ten F-117As attacked Iraqi airfields, ammunition depots, and a joint integratedoperations center/ground intercept site.

Night 11, Wave Two
Thirteen aircraft (eight 415th TFS and five 416th TFS) attacked Iraqi airfields,an integrated operations center/ground intercept site, and an air defensecontrol sector facility. The Qayyarah West Airfield was shrouded in badweather, but the alternate target at Al Assad bore the brunt of seven directhits, while Kirkuk ground control site and sector headquarters were also rockedby direct hits.

January 27

Night 11, Wave Three
The 37th TFW(P) dedicated a third wave to the destruction of Iraq's H-2 airfieldand various Scud missile sites. Six 416th TFS aircraft took part in theattacks, scoring nine hits.

Night 12, Wave One
Three waves of aircraft were sent to strike airfields, shelters, ammunitiondumps, and other miscellaneous targets in Iraq. In the first wave, 10 jets weredispatched to attack airfields at Balad Rasheed, as well as communicationsfacilities in Bagdad, including the Iraqi Intelligence Service Headquarters. [The Balad RasheedAirfield was revisited because of the bad mission planning that happend on the Night 7. this timethe F-117A squadrons used their weapon of choice-the GBU-27 instead of the GBU-10. (Which "bouncedoff like tennis balls" off the targets the first time.)]

Night12, Wave Two
The second wave (six from the 415th TFS and eight from the 416th TFS) achievedgreat success bombing airfields; a chemical/biological warfare research,production, and storage facility; highway bridges; and the Bagdad NuclearResearch Center. Twenty-four bombs found their targets.

January 28

Night 12, Wave Three
Ten F-117As raided Iraqi airfields, ammunition dumps, and a missile site. Six415th TFS jets concentrated on the ammunition storage facilities, as well as H-3airfield shelters and a surface-to-air missile site. Four pilots of the 416thTFS spent their bombs exclusively on targets at Iraq's H-2 and H-3 airfields.Sixteen hits were recorded.

Night 13, Wave One
The 415th TFS and the 416th TFD contributed four and six aircraft respectively,attacking various missile and communications sites in and around Bagdad.Fifteen targets were hit.

Night 13, Wave Two
Eight 415th TFS and six 416th TFS F-117As attacked chemical and biologicalwarfare facilities, the Republican Guard barracks, one missile facility, andairfield, ammunition stores, Central Intelligence Headquarters, Security ServiceHeadquarters, and several highway bridges.

January 29

Night 13, Wave Three
The 415th TFS and the 416th TFS repeated the pattern of the first wave by flyingfour and six sorties, respectively. Objectives included the Rasheed Airfield,chemical and biological facilities, the Republican Gueard Headquarters inBagdad, and ammunition bunkers, where 15 hits were recorded.

Night 14, Wave One
The 415th TFS attacked enemy targets with 10 F-117As. Most of the primarytargets were obscured by poor weather. Pilots struck alternate targets,including highway bridges and an ammunition depot.

Night 14, Wave Two
Roughly 30 minutes after the first wave was launched, the 416th TFS launched thesecond wave. The aircraft hit ammunition dumps, the Presidential grounds, IraqiAir Force Headquarters, Intelligence Service Headquarters, and a nuclearresearch center in Bagdad.

January 30

Night 14, Wave Three
The squadrons combined forces on the last wave of the day to bomb bridges. The416th TFS was hampered by poor weather over the targets.

Night 15, Wave One
The squadrons again combined operations for the first combat wave of the night.Four 415th TFS aircraft joined six 416th TFS aircraft to attack bridges at AlBasrah, as well as telephone exchanges, sector operations centers, and variousother communication facilities. Despite bad weather pilots managed nine bombhits.

Night 15, Wave Two
Just before midnight, 14 F-117As attacked bridges, airfield facilities, andcommunications systems.

January 31

Night 15, Wave Three
Seven jets attacked ammunition stores, as well as chemical and biologicalfacilities. Eleven hits were recorded.

Night 16, Wave One
Nine F-117As from the 415th TFS and seven from the 416th TFS attacked bridges,communications systems, and ammunition stores. Twenty-three hits wererecorded.

February 1

Night 16, Wave Two
Combined operations concentrated on bridges at Al Basrah, communicationsfacilities, chemical bunkers, ammunition storage facilities, and Ubaydah Bin AlJarrah Airfield.

Night 17, Wave One
The first wave consisted of six aircraft from the 415th TFS and four from the 416th TFS. Neraly 2 1/2hours into the misson the stealth fighters reached their objectives, hitting bridges and communicationsinstallations. In this strike, stealth pilots acheived 18 hits.

Night 17, Wave Two
The second wave concentrated on communications installations and military headquarters buildings, aswell as airfields at Ahmed Al Jaber and Tallil. Six 415th TFS and seven 416th TFS aircraft joined inthe attacks, scoring 20 hits.

February 2

Night 17, Wave Three
Five F-117As (three 415th TFS and two 416th TFS) attacked Tallil Airfield and ammunition storagefacilities, scoring five hits.

Night 18, Wave One
Poor weather resulted in only two launches against an ammunition storage depot at Karbala, which wassuccessfully attacked.

Night 18, Wave Two
The 415th TFS and 416th TFS launched a combined attack (six aircraft from each squadron) againsthardened aircraft shelters at Ubaydah Bin Al Jarrah Airfield. Eleven hits were recorded.

February 3

Night 19, Wave One
Each squadron launched eight aircraft against Bagdad telephone exchanges, highway bridges, and thenuclear research center, as well as airfields and chemical/biological warfare facilities. Bad weatherlimited attack results to 17 hits-mostly on secondary targets.

February 4

Night 19, Wave Two
Twelve aircraft in mixed-unit operations attacked chemical warfare bunkers, bridges, and alternateairfield targets.

Night 20, Wave One
The first wave of four 415th TFS and five 416th TFS jets left before sunset to bomb Iraqi communicationssites (primarily radio and television), where 14 bomb hits were recorded.

Night 20, Wave Two
The two squadrons combined forces for strikes against chemical warfare bunkers. Additional targetsincluded the Ministry of Defense, Air Force, andIntelligence Service headquarters in Bagdad.

February 5

Night 20, Wave Three
Five 415th TFS and four 416th TFS aircraft joined in a concentrated attack against the chemical andbiological warfare research labratories at Salmon Pak. Independent operations by the 416th TFS targetedthe short-range ballistic missile assembly plant in Bagdad, as well as other high-value targets in thearea, including Iraqi Air Force Headquarters.

Night 21, Wave One
Six 415th TFS and four 416th TFS jets attacked various missile production and launch facilities. Wingaircraft released 17 bombs and scored 17 direct hits.

Night 21, Wave Two
Twelve stealth fighters (six from each squadron) attacked hardened aircraft shelters on Balad Airfield.Also attacked were telecommunications centers, biological warfare facilities, ammunition depots, andheadquarters buildings for the Iraqi Intelligence Service, Security Service, and the RepublicanGuard.

February 6

Night 21, Wave Three
twelve F-117As (six from each squadron) attacked chemical and biological warfare targets and ammunitiondepots. Pilots racked up 16 hits.

Night 22, Wave One
Hardened aircraft shelters, ammunition stores, fuel tanks, and the main runway at Rasheed Airfield wereattacked by six 416th TFS pilots and four 415th TFS pilots, resulting in 15 direct hits in spite of poorweather.

Night 22, Wave Two
The wing sent 14 jets (eight from the 415th TFS and six from the 416th TFS) to attack chemical warfaresites and key targets in Bagdad, hitting 26 of their 27 targets.

February 7

Night 22, Wave Three
Ten sorties (four 415th TFS and six 416th TFS) attacked the Bagdada nuclear reactor, an airfield, abiological warfare facility, and an ammunition storage depot.

Night 23, Wave One
Twelve jets (six from each squadron) attacked communications sites, the Balad Air Defense OperationsCenter, key bunkers in Bagdad, and communications centers, scoring 18 direct hits.

Night 23, Wave Two
Another 12 F-117As (again, six from each squadron) converged on the chemical warfare facilities atSamarra, where pilots dropped 22 bombs with excellant results: only three missed their mark.

Wave Two, Milestone Event
A 416th TFS pilot, Capt. Scott Stimpert, acheived a milestone for the 37th TFW(P) as he delivered the1000th F-117A bomb against Iraq in Operation Desert Storm. Stimpert's mission was against Samarrachemical warfare weapons bunkers, where he successfully dropped two bombs.

February 8

Night 23, Wave Three
Ten jets attacked chemical warfare bunkers, K-2 Airfield, a pumping station, a signals intelligencefacility, and a radio relay station. Target evaluations revealed tremendous success-18 hits in 18attempts.

Night 24, Wave One
Six aircraft from each squadron attacked various bunkers, where 20 bombs hit their targets.

Night 24, Wave Two
Twelve F-117As targeted the Rasheed and Al Taqaddam airfields, a liquid fuel rocket facility, a motorproduction plant, and a chemical warfare production factory.

February 9

Night 24, Wave Three
Ten sorties (four from the 415th TFS and six from the 416th TFS) were targeted against chemical warfarebunkers. Sixteen targets were struck.

Night 25, Wave One
Targets for this wave included chemical warfare production facilities, an aircraft engine repair andtest factory, bridges, and communications sites.

Night 25, Wave Two
Fourteen aircraft (six from the 415th TFS and eight from the 416th TFS) concentrated on varioussurface-to-air missile sites, communications centers, and key military targets in Bagdad, achieving 24hits in as amny attempts. [The 415th TFS F-117As struck SA-2 and SA-3 sites as a prelude to amassive B-52 strike the following night. The 415th TFS wanted to use Cluster Bombs on these sites,however, the ordinance just could not be brought to the remote base of the F-117As]

February 10

Night 25, Wave Three
The last wave included 10 aircraft targeted against ammunition depots and the Qayyarah West Airfield.Weather was a factor as only six hits were recorded. Secretary of Defense Richard B. Cheney and Gen.Colin Powell, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited the 37th TFW(P). Cheney commended the wingfor doing a great job and for exceeding all expectations.

Night 26, Wave One
The 415th TFS launched four aircraft and the 416th TFS launched six to bomb Iraqi surface-to-air missilesites, where 18 hits were recorded. [This strike was executed by dropping GBU-10's on the radar vans of the SAM sites. The vans would not be replaced by the time the B-52 raid occured later thatnight. Gen Buster Glosson said "We would have lost several B-52s without the F-117As taking the SAMS out".]

February 11

Night 26, Wave Two
The second wave of eight aircraft were targeted against an amored vehicle repair facility, SaddamInternational Airfield buildings, and a liquid propellant plant. Six 416th TFS aircraft attackedhardened shelters, surface-to-surface missile production facilities, and a radio relay station.

Night 26, Wave Three
Ten aircraft (four from the 415th TFS and six from the 416th TFS) focused their attackes on Iraqicommunications centers. Bombs were also dropped on a commando camp at Al Jahrah.

Night 27, Wave One
The 415th TFS led off with six aircraft, while the 416th TFS followed in takeoff sequence with fourjets. Their targets included airfield and ammunition stores. Seventeen hits were recorded.

Night 27, Wave Two
The 416th TFS dispatched nine aircraft to bomb hardended aircraft shelters. Additional bombing raidsstruck the Iraqi Intelligence Services, the Ministry of Information, and the Ba'ath Party Headquarters.The 415th TFS sent six jets to attack hardened aircraft shelters. Pilots registered 23 hits.

February 12

Night 27, Wave Three
Ten jets in a mixed-unit operation bombed hardened aircraft shelters at aeveral different airfields, aswell as key targets in Bagdad, resulting in 17 direct hits.

Night 28, Wave One
The 415th TFS attacked the Ministry of Defense building in Bagdad, as well as numerous other targets,scoring 15 direct hits.

Night 28, Wave Two
Eight 415th TFS and six 416th TFS jets bombed a fighter direction post/interceptor operations center,various radio and television communications centers, and the IraqiCentral Intelligence Agency in Bagdad.the Ba'ath Party building was also revisited. Twenty two hits were recorded.

February 13

Night 28, Wave Three
Four 415th TFS and six 416th TFS aircraft were launched to bomb bridges; missile sites; command, controland communications bunkers; and various headquarters buildings in Bagdad.Pilots recorded 17 hits.

Night 29, Wave One
Six 415th TFS and four 416th TFS jets attacked a military barracks, as well as communicationsfacilities, command posts and a commando camp, achieving 15 direct hits.

February 14

Night 29, Wave Two
Fourteen jets (six from the 415th TFS and eight from the 416th TFS) attacked Iraqi military barracks andgarrisons at Al Abrad, communications sites, and airfield bunkers at Kirkuk.

Night 29, Wave Three
The final wave of attacks for the night concentrated on communications sites in Bagdad, radar sites, andthe Navy Headquarters at Al Basrah.

Night 30, Wave One
Ten F-117As attacked hardened aircraft shelters, along with surface-to-air missile sites and a rocketmotor test facility. Pilots struck successfully with 15 hits.

Night 30, Wave Two
The wing launched 14 aircraft against a nuclear weapons facility, ammunition depots, command posts, andcommunications sites at Al Basrah. Pilots scored 22 direct hits.

February 15

Night 30, Wave Three
Four 415th TFS jets bombed communications sites, while six 416th TFS aircraft attacked anassortment of targets-including military garrisons, a radar facility, and communicationssites-recording 16 hits.

Night 31, Wave One
Six 415th TFS aircraft went after Bagdad's aircraft repair depot, a chemical/biological facility, aScud missile production facility, and two surface-to-air sites. The 416th TFS launched fouraircraft to attack five missile sites, a chemical/biological research plant, and a missileproduction site. F-117A pilots achieved 16 direct hits.

Night 31, Wave Two
In preparation for the start of the ground war, the second wave was tasked with the destruction ofelements of Iraq's extensive barrier system. Six F-117As of the 415th TFS and eight from the 416thTFS attacked distribution points and pump stations. Stealth pilots also attacked a missileresearch and developement facility. Pilots scored 24 hits, including the destruction of theT-junctions. distribution points, and pump stations. [This night 500lb GBU-12's (Mk-82 bombs withPaveway II kits) were dropped. Intelligence photos were not available so piltos attacked usingsketch maps. Considering the lack of target photos, the one miss and three no drops were asuccess.]

February 16

Night 31, Wave Three
The 415th TFS attacked a missile research and developement facility and a missile production plant.Two jets went after a suspected missile facility and a rocket engine test facility. The 416th TFSconcentrated on similar targets with, by now, routine precision-14 direct hits.

Night 32, Wave One
Rather than three waves with intermixed squadron forces, the wing set up a wave of 14 jets fromeach unit. The 416th TFS conducted strikes against hardened aircraft shelters at three airfields,as well as the railroad yard at Al Basrah. In all, 21 targets were successfully attacked.

Night 32, Wave Two
Two hours after the first wave, the 415th TFS launched its 14 jets. Four aircraft revisited the AlBasrah rail yard, while others attacked tactical direction sites; radio transmitters, receivers,and relays; a repeater station; military barracks; and missile support facilities. The wavedelivered 24 direct hits.

February 17

Night 33, Wave One
Thirty-four combat missions were scheduled against targets in Iraq. Ten pilots attacked ammunitiondepots, surface-to-air missile sites, chemical/biological warfare research facilities, and the newairfield at Wadi Al Khirr.

Night 33, Wave Two
The second wave attacked a chemical/biological warfare research facilities, an arms plant, the WadiAl Khirr Airfield, surface-to-surface missile storage plants, a Scud assembly factory, a motor caseproduction plant, and an artillery production plant. Twenty-three targets were demolished.

February 18

Night 33, Wave Three
The final sorties of the night were flown against two Scud plants and a solid propellant assemblyplant, where nine pilots scored 14 direct hits.

Night 34, Wave One
Pilots of the two squadrons set out at dusk to destroy nuclear research facilities in Bagdad.Weather obscured the primary targets. Pilots attacked back-up targets, with eight direct hits on aroad bridge and an ammunition storage facility. The 416th TFS had better luck with the weather,allowing them to deliver nine bombs on target. Another 416th TFS aircraft added two more directhits in an attack on a previously targeted ammunition storage facility.

Night 34, Wave Two
Stealth pilots attacked hangers at Bagdad Muthenna Airfield, an ammunition dump, and the new IraqiAir Force Headquarters in Bagdad. Fourteen aircraft in a mixed-unit operation achieved animpressive hit ratio by putting 26 of 28 bombs on target.

February 19

Night 34, Wave Three
The third wave attacked an airfield and a tunnel.

Night 35, Wave One
The night's first wave concentrated on three familiar targets in Iraq: Bagdad's nuclear researchfacilities, Karbala's ammunition storage facility, and Latifiya's solid propellant plant. Twoaircraft also bombed a suspected biological warfare facility. Stealth pilots scored 28 directhits.

February 20

Night 35, Wave Two
Jalibah Southeat Airfield was the sole target for 10 F-117As. Bad weather hampered all 10 sorties andno bombs were dropped.

Night 36, Wave One
Four 415th TFS and six 416th TFS aircraft attacked strategic railroad bridges and a chemical plant.Four 415th TFS aircraft put eight bombs directly on target at the chemical plant. The 416th TFS putnine bombs on target.

February 21

Night 36, Wave Two
Targets included ammunition storage facilities, an arms plant, a rocket motor plant, an ammunitiondepot, and the Al Taqaddum Airfield. Pilots of the 415th TFS achieved a 12-for-12 bombing score. The416th TFS's pilots took on the balance of the night's work, putting 14 bombs on target.

Night 37, Wave One
Radio relays, bridges, bunkers, and an early warning facility were among the targets attacked by six415th TFS pilots. Nine bombs found their mark. Meanwhile, four 416th TFS jets targeted aninternational radio communications transmitter in Bagdad and chemical production facilities, and scoredeight hits for eight attempts.

Night 37, Wave Two
Fourteen F-117As attacked suspected biological weapons storage and production facilites, a fiber opticsrepeater station, a radio relay station, and the H-2 Airfield. The 415th TFS scored 11 hits, while the416th scored 13 hits.

February 22

Night 37, Wave Three
Targets included a railroad yard, radio communications equipment, highway bridges, ammunition storagebunkers, an underground nuclear facility, and a Scud missile plant.

Night 38, Wave One
Ten aircraft (four 415th TFS and six 416th TFS) attacked targets in Bagdad, a Scud missile productionfacility, and a steel fabrication plant. The research facility in Bagdad received 10 hits from four415th TFS pilots and one 416th TFS pilot. Remaining 416th pilots added seven hits on other targets.

Night 38, Wave Two
Eight F-117As of the 415th TFS and six 416th TFS jets attacked a nuclear research facility in Bagdad,where pilots pounded the target with 19 direct hits.

February 23

Night 38, Wave Three
Ten jets (four from the 415th TFS and six from the 416th TFS) attacked the Iraqi Intelligence andSpecial Operations headquarters. Stealth pilots scored 15 direct hits.

Night 39, Wave One
Just before sunset, in preparation for the ground offensive, 31 F-117As were launched within 44 minutes.The largest stealth fighter attack to date concentrated attackes on a bomb assembly plant andheadquarters buildings in Bagdad, a chemical warfare site, a possible nuclear facility, and an armsplant. Forty-four bombs landed squarely on target.

February 24

Night 39, Wave Two
Four jets from the 415th TFS and two from the 416th TFS attacked communications equipment andfacilities. Bad weather over the target limited bombing activity so only four bombs were dropped.

Night 40, Wave One
Four 415th TFS and six 416th TFS aircraft attacked a possible fuze plant, a chemical storage building,and another target. Nineteen bombs hit their targets.

Night 40, Wave Two
Fourteen jets were launched to revisit the fuse factory, the special security services facility inBagdad, and an ammunition dump, as well as another high-priority target. Eighteen direct hits wererecorded.

February 25

Night 40, Wave Three
The 415th TFS launched four fighters with six 416th TFS jets to strike targets in and around Bagdad.Bad weather prohibited bomb release over Bagdad, but alternate targets suffered when 11 out of 12 bombsscored hits.

February 26

Night 41
CENTAF cancelled all stealth missions due to poor weather. [41 sorties were cancelled]

Night 42, Wave One
The wing initiated a 32-turn-32 flying schedule with each squadron contributing 16 aircraft. The 416thlaunched aircraft only to encounter poor weather over Iraq. Most aircraft returned without havingdropped their bombs. [Two of the 16 415th TFS F-117As were not launched due to ground abort, and twomore suffered air aborts when the tankers suffered an air abort. The 416th TFS was able to lauch 15 of the 16 scheduled in spite of several ground aborts.]

February 27

Night 42, Wave Two
Poor weather continued to inhibit stealth fighter operations. Of the 27 sorties launched [Five groundaborts], only eightbombs were dropped, but with effective results as all eight were direct hits.

Night 43, Wave One
Back on track, Team Stealth launched 10 aircraft from each squadron and enjoyed a bomb score of 32 for32 as they devastated the Ba'ath Party Headquarters [the "pick a window" mission] and the MuthennaAirfield in Bagdad, as well as achemical/biological research facility.

Night 43, Wave Two
Five aircraft from each squadron attacked a missile research, developement, and production plant and arocket motor test facility. [These were the Al-Musayyib rocket moter facility and the Al-Athirmissile complex.]

Night 43, Wave Three
At 11:30 PM, Headquarters Air Forces canceled the night's third wave. The commander of the 37th TFW(P)was instructed to put future attacks against Iraq targets on hold-but to stand by in case eventsdictated renewed assaults.

February 28

Air Campaign Ends
At 12:15 AM, CENTAF relayed the good news that all operations were suspended in order to give the Iraqisan opportunity to sign a cease-fire agreement.

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