Archie to SAM: A Short Operational History of Ground-Based Air ...

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BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENSE psychological weapon, so too were the Patriots. They provided great theater, with live videos of fiery launches, smoke trails, and aerial fireworks made more vivid with a dark, night background that had a positive impact on civilians and decision makers in the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Israel. (There is no indication that any Iraqis saw this very visible performance, and, if so, what impact it had on them.) The situation was manageable for the defenders as long as the Scud attacks were limited in number, accuracy, and lethality. Missile warning protected civilians from death and injury, while active missile defenses bolstered morale. The Patriots were an important factor in keeping Israel out of the war. Another factor in deterring Israel’s intervention was the intense direct offensive campaign waged against the Scuds. The Airmen flew almost 4,000 sorties, about 3.5 percent of the total scheduled by the coalition and three times the planned effort. 81 The Army joined the Air Force in the anti-Scud campaign with both surface-to-surface rockets ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) and American and British Special Forces. According to secondary sources, they claimed between 10 and 20 Scud launchers destroyed. But to be clear, despite this massive coalition air and ground effort, similar to the World War II experience against the V-2, there is no confirmation of the destruction of a single mobile Scud launcher. 82 In short, the Scuds were the greatest difficulty encountered by US forces in the Gulf War. Although not a military threat and inflicting few casualties, they certainly presented a valid challenge to the coalition’s unity and diverted considerable resources. While the Airmen did not perform as they would have liked against the Scuds, they did enough to help keep the Israelis out of the war. The Airmen also can take some credit for reducing the Iraqi launch rates from a one-third to one-half that seen in the Iran-Iraq War, even though the Iraqis had more missiles in 1991. Suppressing the launch rate meant the Iraqis could not fire in salvos that had the potential to swamp the Patriots. 83 The Scuds were much less deadly than the German V-2s. In brief, although the Iraqis beat the coalition tactically with the Scuds, as coalition forces could not find and thus destroy the dated tactical ballistic missiles, the coalition was able to manage 207
BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENSE the political aspects by using the Patriot. However questionable BMD was in fact, it appeared successful to the press and public, and this political and psychological impression was most important. 84 The Patriot-Scud duel had implications well beyond the Persian Gulf War. The Iraqi Scud indicated the threat that faced the United States and its friends. The war showed how this crude weapon could create great political problems and force a significant diversion of military resources. Especially grave were the implications of ballistic missiles armed with nuclear, biological, or chemical warheads. At the same time, the apparent success of the Patriot against the Scud gave impetus to BMD programs. Notes 1. A fuller version of the ballistic missile defense story can be found in this author’s “Hitting a Bullet with a Bullet: A History of Ballistic Missile Defense,” CADRE Research Paper 2000–02 (Maxwell AFB, Ala.: College of Aerospace Doctrine, Research and Education, 2000). 2. United States Strategic Bombing Survey, Overall Report (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office [GPO], 1945), 88–89; Adam Gruen, Preemptive Defense: Allied Air Power versus Hitler’s V-Weapons, 1943–1945 (Washington, D.C.: Air Force History and Museums Program, 1998), 15; Robert Allen, “Counterforce in World War II,” in Theater Missile Defense: Systems and Issues—1993 (Washington, D.C.: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 1993), 109; and Military Intelligence Division, Handbook on Guided Missiles of Germany and Japan, February 1946, R. 3. David Johnson, V-1, V-2: Hitler’s Vengeance on London (New York: Stein and Day, 1981), 168–69. 4. Donald Baucom, The Origins of SDI, 1944–1983 (Lawrence, Kans.: University Press of Kansas, 1992), 4; and Frederick Pile, Ack-Ack: Britain’s Defence against Air Attack during the Second World War (London: Harrap, 1949), 388. 5. Army Ordnance Missile Command, Surface-to-Air Missiles Reference Book, V-1, 2, R; Stephen Blanchette, “The Air Force and Ballistic Missile Defense” (thesis, Air Command and Staff College, February 1987), 10–11, 15–16, AUL; Baucom, The Origins of SDI, 4, 6, 12–13; Georgia Institute of Technology, “Missile Catalog: A Compendium of Guided Missile and Seeker Information,” April 1956, 101, 128, 130, R; “History of Air Research and Development Command: July–December 1954,” vol.1, 225–27, Historical Research Agency, Maxwell AFB, Ala.; and James Walker, Frances Martin, and Sharon Watkins, Strategic Defense: Four Decades of Progress (n.p.: Historical Office, US Army Space and Strategic Defense Command, 1995), 4. 208
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Report Documentation Page Form Appr
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Air University Library Cataloging D
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Contents Chapter Page DISCLAIMER .
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CONTENTS Chapter Page 7 BALLISTIC M
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CONTENTS Figure Page 30 George Pred
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CONTENTS Figure Page 70 Blowpipe .
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Foreword Dr. Kenneth Werrell’s hi
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About the Author Dr. Kenneth P. Wer
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PREFACE excluded from the original
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PREFACE always been a factor in air
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Artillery Institute
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ANTIAIRCRAFT DEFENSE THROUGH WORLD
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Figure 7. British 40 mm light antia
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FROM GUNS TO MISSILES American air
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FROM GUNS TO MISSILES company deliv
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FROM GUNS TO MISSILES (discussed la
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FROM GUNS TO MISSILES flak rockets
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FROM GUNS TO MISSILES 1953, the rat
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FROM GUNS TO MISSILES to 1,285 in J
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FROM GUNS TO MISSILES Figure 40. Ar
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FROM GUNS TO MISSILES cember 1958,
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Figure 42. Nike Hercules. The Nike
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FROM GUNS TO MISSILES Airmen test-f
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FROM GUNS TO MISSILES Bomarc failed
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FROM GUNS TO MISSILES Despite knowl
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FROM GUNS TO MISSILES Figure 47. Ha
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FROM GUNS TO MISSILES Army decided
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FROM GUNS TO MISSILES The third fam
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FROM GUNS TO MISSILES with both les
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FROM GUNS TO MISSILES that fired ov
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FROM GUNS TO MISSILES Figure 53. Br
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FROM GUNS TO MISSILES The two-decad
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FROM GUNS TO MISSILES A. H. Peterso
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FROM GUNS TO MISSILES “SAMs Spur
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Chapter 3 Airmen versus Guerrillas:
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AIRMEN VERSUS GUERRILLAS the next y
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AIRMEN VERSUS GUERRILLAS war with t
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AIRMEN VERSUS GUERRILLAS Figure 56.
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AIRMEN VERSUS GUERRILLAS firings fr
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AIRMEN VERSUS GUERRILLAS American A
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AIRMEN VERSUS GUERRILLAS but modifi
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AIRMEN VERSUS GUERRILLAS In all, du
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AIRMEN VERSUS GUERRILLAS least an e
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AIRMEN VERSUS GUERRILLAS War Vietna
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AIRMEN VERSUS GUERRILLAS D.C.: Depa
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AIRMEN VERSUS GUERRILLAS 97, 121; a
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Chapter 4 Operations between Vietna
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OPERATIONS BETWEEN VIETNAM AND THE
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Chapter 8 Summary, Trends, and Conc
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SUMMARY, TRENDS, AND CONCLUSIONS ev
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SUMMARY, TRENDS, AND CONCLUSIONS te
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SUMMARY, TRENDS, AND CONCLUSIONS EC
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Index A-1, 128, 227-28, 232 A-4, 12
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INDEX Convair, 98 Crotale, 158 D-da
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INDEX Gulf of Tonkin incident, 115
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INDEX Remagen, 24, 57, 270 RF-4C, 1
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INDEX SAM, 34, 74, 81-82, 84, 87, 9
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Archie to SAM A Short Operational H
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