Day 14: 30 Jan 1991

30 January 1991 (Wednesday): DAY 14

GENERAL:

v Marines, Saudi, and Qatar troops re-take Khafji with 500 x POW's

v A-10's, AV-8B's, A-6E's, and AH-1W work CAS at Khafji

v Harriers kill 24 MBT's in a reinforcement column

v Sheik Abdul-Aziz Bin Baz, Saudi Arabia's leading Islamic Law expert

labels Saddam Hussein an "Enemy of God"

v Germans announce $5.5 billion more in contributions

AIR WAR:

v total sorties pass 30,000, 3500 USN from 6 carriers

v Targets summarized as:

... (26) Leadership Targets struck, 60% destroyed or severely damaged

... all 31 targeted nuclear, chemical, and biological facilities have been

attacked with over 535 sorties (mostly PGM) and Tomahawk Missiles

- Bagdad Nuc Research Facility considered destroyed

- over 50% of the rest heavily damaged or destroyed

... 33% of Iraqi Command, Control, and Communications destroyed or inop

... 25% of Iraqi Power generation capability inoperative

... 29 air defense sites hit with over 800 dedicated sorties

... 29 aircraft shot down to date

... 38 of 44 key airfields have been bombed in 1300 dedicated sorties

- 9 considered inoperative

- 70 hardened shelters destroyed

- forced dispersal and escape of aircraft

... 33 of 36 Key Bridges have been bombed in over 790 sorties

- KTO now considered isolated from road travel

- resupply degraded from 20,000 tons to 2,000 tons daily

... Republican Guards have been hit with over 300 sorties daily

- B-52's participate

v more than 100 of Iraq's 300 hardened aircraft shelters, which were mainly

built by Western companies, have been destroyed

- 30% were built by a Belgian Company

... Project 505 was worth $380 million during 1984-85

... Six Construct International, now with Societe Belge des Betons

... hardened control towers, admin buildings, barracks, generator

plants, and storage buildings

... 98 x new shelters are constructed, 12 x each at each of 8 x new

Bases including: Khurmatu AB, Qualat Salih AB, As Salman AB, and

the Radifal Khafi Highway (160 km south of Bagdad)

... these 8 Bases protect 50% of Iraq's key fighter bombers

- 70% by British, German, Swiss, Yugoslav, and Italian Companies

... UK Project 303 to Scott, Wilson, and Kirkpatrick

... electrical generation provided by UK and German Companies

... stress calculations done by the French

- 1.2m concrete roof covered with sand, 60 cm doors with concrete blast

walls located 40m away

v Coalition F-117, F-111, F-15E, Tornado GR-1, and Buccaneer's have been

dropping GBU-27 (900 kg), GBU-24m Paveway III (900 kg), GBU-16

Paveway II (455 kg), GBU-10 (900 kg) with great success destroying these

shelters. GBU-27 has a penetrator steel casing. French Jaguars are employing the

Laser Guided AS-30L guided missile, and some GBU-15 data link video guided

weapons have been utilized.

v Iran described three Iraqi pilots who brought in aircraft as deserters

v Iraq compained that the US was using Iranian airspace to go after their aircraft.

It is possible that one or more kills were made on or near the border.

v 2 x Canadian CF-18's scored hits on an Exocet carrying missile boat that was

within range of Allied ships

v General Schwarzkopf's assessment of the Air Campaign

- 80% reduction of truck traffic on some routes

- 30 key bridges destroyed on key routes

- 25% of electrical power generators destroyed, 50% damaged

- 75% of command facilties damaged

- Air Defense units are in Battery control

- over 500 sorties against Chem/Bio/Nuc storage & research

facilities

v (8)FPB's sunk by USN F-18/A-6 strikes as Brits sink boats with Sea Skua's

F-117 HIGHLIGHTS (30Jan/Day 14):

v Day 14/Wave Three: 6 x F-117's from the 416th TFS

4 x F-117's from the 415th TFS

- Scored 4 hits with 9 PGM attempts (44%) & 9 no-drops

- takeoff during the a.m. of Day 14/30th to hit targets on Day 14/30th

- the 30th is Day 14, this is the last Wave of Day 14, the next Waves will

launch in the evening of the 30Jan but strike targets during the early hours

of the 31Jan which is Day 15, thus Day 15/Wave One.

- the 415th TFS bombed bridges at: Al Fifl, An Nasiriyah, and Al Madina

the 416th went scoreless against Chemical & Biological Facilities at Salmon Pak and a

Ammunition Depot at Tikrit due to bad weather

v Day 15/Wave One: 6 x F-117's from the 416th TFS

4 x F-117's from the 415th TFS

- Scored 9 hits with 14 PGM attempts (65%)

- takeoff during the evening of Day 13/29th to hit targets on Day 14/30th

- Main Targets were obscured by bad weather, went to alternatives

- Highway Bridges at: Al Basrah, Saqash, & Ash Shuaybah

- the Ash Shuaybah Telephone Exchange

- The Air defense Sector Operations Center at Ali Al Salem Air base

- Several Communications Facilities

v Day 15/Wave Two: 14 x F-117's from both the 415th & 416th TFS

- all aircraft pressed the attack dropping all weapons

- Scored 16 hits out of 28 PGM attempts (57%)

- Bridges at Al Basrah, Saqash, and Tannunah

- Airfield facilities at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Ubaydah Bin Al Jarrah (in

Kuwait), and Tallil Air Base

- Communications Systems Center at Al Basrah and Um Qasr

KILLS: None Recorded

LOSSES:

v no reported losses but Iraq claims three including one in a dogfight over Iraq

SCUDS:

v attacks on Israel have killed 2 and caused the deaths of 10 others

v 33 SCUD's engaged by Patriot with 33 successes

Gulf War 1991 Chronology

Day 14: 30 Jan 1991