Assessing The Air War

Under criticism, the Pentagon offered the first detailed, offical assessment Wednesday on targets hit in the week-long air war against Iraq. Gen. Colin Powell, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the allied forces have seized air superiority, but that the Iraqis are proving a resourceful enemy. Among the highlights: Iraqi Aircraft: More than 12,00 allied sorties have destroyed 41 Iraqi aircraft, either in air-to-air combat or on the ground. Iraq has an estimated 750 planes. Powell said the United States has lost at most one plane in air-to-air combat. Total U.S. aircraft losses are 10. Airfields: Iraq is using only five of 66 airfields struck by bombing raids in the last day,Powell said. He acknowledged that Iraqis have been repairing damaged airfields. Nuclear/Chemical: Air raids have destroyed two operating nuclear reactors, caused “considerable damage” to chemical weapons facilities and to several biological warfare plants, Powell said. Prisoners: U.S.Forces report holding 29 Iraqis prisoner, including six captured in the first skirmish in Saudi Arabia. Egypt is said to have accepted an unspecified number of Iraqi defectors. Clearing the Way: The air power now is intended to focus on bombing runs against Iraqi ground forces around Kuwait. The Milk Plant: U.S. Officials denied that allied planes had bombed a baby formula manufacturing plant, as charged by Iraq, saying that the plant was linked to production of biological weapons. Assessing Iraqi Response Radar Activity Source: The Pentagon Flight Activity U.S. count of Iraqi sorties. Dec. 30: 235 Jan. 17: 116 (Allied attack) 18: 41 19: 60 20: 31 21: 41 22: 41 Colin Powell “We’re dealing with an enemy that is resourceful, an enemy that knows how to workaround problems, an enemy that is ingenious. We are not getting complacent.” “The Iraqui Army in the field is, for the most part, sitting there waiting to be attacked. And attacked it will be. First, we’re going to cut it off. Then kill it.” The Numbers Refugees: 12,000 in Jordan Allied sorties: 12,000 Allied losses: 20 planes 10 American 4 British 1 Kuwait 1 Italian Iraqi losses: 41 planes Missing in action: 24 13 Americans 8 Britons 2 Italians 1 Kuwaiti Iraqi POWs: 29Iraqi claims: 178 allied aircraft downed 20 prisoners of war held 40 civilians killed 31 soldiers killed Allied Aircraft Lost U.S. Navy F-18C, one killed. Each aircraft: $30.8 millon. 2 U.S.Navy A-6 Intruders, 3 airmen missing, one rescued Each aircraft: $22 million U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle, crew of two missing Each aircraft: $50.4 million U.S. Air Force F-4G Wild Weasel, (mechanical problems, not a combat loss), crew of two rescued Each aircraft: $15.7 million U.S. Marine Corps OV-10A Bronco, crew of two captured Unit: out of production 2 U.S. Air Force F-16s, each with one-man crew Each aircraft: $18.4 million U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle, crew of two missing Each aircraft: $50.4 million UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter crash within Saudi Arabia, non-combat incident Each aircraft: $6.5 million Saudi Arabian Tornado with two crewmen missing 1 U.S. Navy F-14 Each aircraft: $71.9 million 1 U.S. AH-64 helicopter, non-combat Each aircraft: $11.7 million