Day 10: 26 Jan 1991

26 January 1991 (Saturday): DAY 10

GENERAL

v Marines shell 155mm barrage against Iraq at night, 3 KIA's in vehicle accident

v the last hevy equipment of VII Corps arrives in country

v VII Corps claims 1st combat use of ATACM's against a SAM site wich it killed

v Germany pledges $3.5 billion

v Saudi Arabia pledges $13.5 billion

v USS Louisville, launches first sub-launched cruise missile

v Tens of Thousands protest War in the Gulf in Washington

AIR WAR:

v At night the F-111F's attack Iraq's best (super) shelters and succeed which forces

Iraq to reconsider where to "store" the aircraft, which becomes the exodus to Iran

v 7 x Iraqi pilots flee to Iran with one aircraft that crashes on landing

v 3 x MiG Kills are referenced on Gen McPeak's Briefing

v Reports state that Saddam has executed his Air Force and Air Defense Forces

Commanders after they decided to encourage a "retreat" to Iranian Bases

v Sortie total passes 20,000

v KILL's to date are totaled at: (including today's score)

- 8 x MiG-29, 2 x MiG-25, 2 x MiG-21, 1 x MiG-23, & 8 x F-1

v The USN utilizes its SLAM missile for the first time going after an Iraqi

Nuclear Power Plant with two weapons dropped from A-6's and guided by an

A-7 pilot off the USS Kennedy.

v (1)PB and (1)TNC-45 sunk by USN A-6's and both left burning

v UK Jaguars hit a Silkworm site

v 1st 3 x Buccaneers from No 12 Sqdn arrive, five more in the next two days

- commanded by WngCdr Bill Cope

- Westinghouse AN/AVQ-23E Pave Spike Laser Designators

v 48th TFW F-111F's were launched with GBU-15's to shut down a pair of oil pumping

manifolds at an Iraqi-sabotaged pumping facility in Kuwait that was sending millions

of gallons of crude into the Gulf. 4 x F-111F's with one airborne back-up was used

according to Col Tom Lennon, Wing Commander. One section high would drop the

bombs and a second sction low outside the AAA/SAM range would guide them. Two days

to plan. #3 developed mech problems during refueling, #5 steps in, #5 drops, #1

guides but fails, #2 takes over but has both bombs to guide now and does it.

v 1 x Iraqi aircraft crashes on landing and 2 x are badly damaged landing in Iran

F-117 HIGHLIGHTS (26Jan/Day 10):

v F-117 Total aircraft resources at KKAB becomes 42

v Day 10/Wave Three: 8 x F-117's from the 416th TFS

- took off on Day 10 and hit targets on Day 10

- Scored 8 hits with 11 PGM attempts (0%), 5 x no-drops

- targets were H-2 & H-3 airfields but bad weather obscured targets

v Day 11/Wave One: 10 x F-117's from the 415th

- takeoff during the evening of Day 10/26th to hit targets on Day 11/27th

- 3 x F-117's air aborted, leaving 7 x to press the attack with 14 weapons

- Scored 8 hits with 14 PGM attempts (57%)

- targets were airfields at: Mosul, Kirkuk, and Al Asad

- Ammunition Supply Depots at: Kirkut and Tikrit

- Joint Integrated Air Operations Center and GCI Site at Al Mawsil

v Day 11/Wave Two: 8 x F-117's from the 415th

5 x F-117's from the 416th

- takeoff during the evening of Day 10/26th to hit targets on Day 11/27th

- Scored 19 hits out of 26 PGM attempts (73%)

- Attack Iraqi Airfields at:

Qayyarah West, Al Asad, Kirkuk, Al Muhammed, and Tikrit

- Qayyarah West Airfield was obscured from weather and not hit, but the

alternate target at Al Asad bore the brunt of the raid (7 x direct hits)

- Joint Integrated Air Operations Center, GCI Site, and Air Defense Control Sector facility at Kirkuk Airfield Complex

- the Kirkuk Airfield took 8 x hits and the GCI Site and Sector HQ each took one

- the Al Muhammed Airfield took 3 x direct hits

KILLS:

v 4 x 58th TFS/33rd TFW (Eglin AFB) F-15C's saw Iraqi MiG-23's fast and

low along flying along the underbelly of a cloudbank, coming out from H2/H3 airfields

in Western Iraq as the second "gaggle" of MiG's.

- 58th TFS "Gorillas"

- Kills 9/10/11 for the Squadron

v 1 x MiG-23 Flogger downed by an F-15C, 33rd TFW/58th TFS

- Capt Rhory R. Draeger (2nd Kill)

- 85-0108

- 1 x AIM-7 HIT, fireball, still flies, then explodes....KILL

- Forward Quarter Day Shot, descending

- MiG-23 was so low that it was kicking up dust

- was arming up a Sidewinder, but MiG exploded, seemed to have survived

the AIM-7 explosion for a couple of seconds.

- Kill verified by CENTCOM and Officially awarded by TAC

v 1 x MiG-23 Flogger downed by an F-15C, 33rd TFW/58th TFS

- Capt Anthony E. Schiavi

- 85-0104

- High Asset Value (HAV) CAP Protection for E-3B/C AWACS

- Western ("COUGAR") and Central ("BUCKEYE") were the two main

AWACS stations had HAVCAP's attached but after 1st week, these CAP's

would be on-call diverted for "pop-up" MiG traffic

- Western Tanker track was 80-90 NM south of H-2/H-3 airfields near

the Jordanian border.

- CHEVRON Flight

... Capt Rhory Draeger #1 (ended the War with 2 Kills)

... Capt Anthony Schiavi #2 (ended the War with 1 Kill)

... Capt Caesar Rodriguez #3 (ended the War with 2 Kills)

... Capt Bruce Till #4 (ended the War with 1 Kill)

- AWACS calls the MiG launch and Draeger gets permission to commit on them

- Game plan is to for a Wall-of-Eagles heading Northeast on a cut-off vector

- While proceeding at max speed with three tanks after the MiG-23's heading

northeast away from H2/H3, suddenly (4) more aircraft are called taking

off, thus placing the F-15's right in the middle. The formation is 80-90

NM into Iraq and still 80 NM away from the first gaggle of MiG's.

- AWACS eventually looses the first gaggle to range, and the F-15's turn around

and set up against the second group who are lower than 1000 ft. The F-15's

are painting the MiG's at 80NM's at low altitude.

- For some unknown reason, 1 MiG turns around and goes back to H2 and lands.

- The remaining (3) MiG's form into a Soviet "Vic" formation and continue.

- At 30NM the F-15 jettison their Wingtanks and start descending from the mid

20's in altitude setting up for AIM-7 shots. There is a low overcast so it is

feared that they may never see the targets.

- Draeger takes the lead ("map reader") and assigns the northwestern trailer to

Schiavi, and Rodriguez/Till are assigned the southern trailer together.

- Schiavi answers "CHEVRON 2 Sorted, 270° at 25"

- There are no indications that the MiG's have them locked-up ("spiked")

- Having had a long range ID, Draeger takes the first shot at 20 NM's

... Draeger Fox 1

... Schiavi Fox 1 (a couple of seconds later)

... Rodriguez Fox 1 (several seconds later)

- As the Sparrows start flying off, they get their first Tally-Ho's at 10 NM

A "sucker hole" in the weather opened up allowing them to get visual on the

MiG's, and they go down to the desert floor after the MiG's.

- Draeger's AIM-7 HIT, but MiG continued, then exploded....KILL

- Schiavi's AIM-7 HIT's and immediately explodes, KILL

- MiG-23 were camouflaged and 2 to 3 NM F-Pole

- Rodriguez's AIM-7 HIT's the 3rd MiG-23 first, and it explodes...KILL

- Till's AIM-7 gets there late and goes through the fireball....HIT

- Both Draeger & Schiavi jettison their CL tanks and egress home

- Kill verified by CENTCOM and Officially awarded by TAC

v 1 x MiG-23 Flogger downed by an F-15C, 33rd TFW/58th TFS

- Capt Caesar A. Rodriguez (2nd Kill)

- 85-0114 (both kills in this aircraft for Rodriquez)

- (1) AIM-7 KILL

- Forward Quarter to Beam Day Shot

- Kill verified by CENTCOM and Officially awarded by TAC

- Capt Bruce Till said that they were already in the F-15's WEZ (weapon's

engagement zone) before they knew what hit them

- four missiles fired and three downed MiG's

- Till's formation was watching Iraqi aircraft north of Bagdad, when the

MiG-23's took off from a closer base, seen by the AWACS.

- the MiG-23's were heading right for the F-15's at around 80NM

- the Iraqi's were low below clouds and the F-15's high

- Till did not lock-on until firing

- formation of F-15's jettisoned their tanks

- (1) AIM-7 no motor fire from Till's aircraft

- (1) AIM-7 HIT from Till's aircraft

SCUDS:

v SCUD's fired at Israel and Riyadh around 20:00, second salvo at Israel

all intercepted by Patriot

Gulf War 1991 Chronology

Day 10: 26 Jan 1991