Operation Granby - Royal Air Force

Royal Air Force

Within forty-eight hours of the invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990, 12 Panavia Tornado F3 interceptors had arrived in Saudi Arabia, alongside aircraft of the USAF. Soon after they were joined by SEPECAT Jaguar aircraft from RAF Coltishall and Tornado GR1s, redeployed from service in Germany. This action had the effect of maintaining the confidence of friendly nations, and limiting the potential for further Iraqi expansion. When an economic embargo was placed on Iraq, these aircraft also helped maintain it. The force of F3s was expanded to 18 drawn from the three British bases then housing F3s (Leuchars, Leeming and Coningsby), with 27 air crew and 350 ground personnel. They were based at the Royal Saudi Air Force base at Dhahran, from where they flew patrols inside the range of Iraqi ground radar systems. Before the launch of the operation to liberate Kuwait they flew over 2000 sorties. Hercules, VC10 and TriStar aircraft supplied both the air force and other military endeavours; Nimrod MR.2P aircraft assisted naval operations. At bases in Tabuk, Dhahran and Muharraq, the RAF deployed Rapier missiles as part of surface-to-air defences. In total, around 6,000 RAF personnel were deployed to the Gulf.

RAF commanders, along with the other partners in the coalition, deemed it necessary to prevent the Iraqi Air Force (IAF) operating to any significant degree. Believed to have around 700 combat aircraft, as well as Scud ballistic missiles and chemical weapons, they could not be left to help support Iraqi ground forces, now entrenched in positions on the border. Because of the level of supplies coming from Iraq to forces in Kuwait, it would have been impossible to separate targets merely in Kuwait from an offensive into Iraq. Coalition forces outnumbered the IAF 3-to-1.

The first part of the Gulf War air campaign was directed against the IAF. Early on January 17, the RAF's Tornado GR1s flew into Iraq, with tanker support. The first targets were Iraqi airbases, which housed a variety of defence systems and aircraft. These attacks were co-ordinated in Riyadh by the Joint Allied Headquarters, with Wratten now leading the British command; aircraft were almost totally integrated into a single coalition force. Support aircraft in raids, therefore, could be from any coalition power. Within 24 hours, a hundred sorties had been run. After seven days, the RAF's focus, like the rest of coalition air forces, was moved to targets related to the support of Iraqi forces in Kuwait. These included oil refinery and strategic bridges over the River Euphrates. During operations, civilians were killed when the sophisticated guidance systems on the weaponry used failed, and buildings close to these bridges (many in populated areas) were hit instead. On the whole, many pilots were frustrated by the lack of combat.

In every combat role, the RAF was second to USAF involvement, but ahead of other members of the coalition. Of the around 55 Allied aircraft lost, six were Tornadoes and one a Jaguar; these aircraft types flying a total of 2,500 sorties. Five air crew were lost in operations, and three in preparations.