The Journey of Flight.pdf - Valkyrie Cadet

Chapter Chapter Chapter 5 5 - - - A AAviation:
A viation: F FFrom
FF
rom the the Cold Cold Cold W WWar
W ar to to Desert Desert Desert Storm Storm
Storm
Although there is some debate, most agree that the key element of the Cold War was economics.
The United States simply outspent the Soviets. When President Reagan decided to build a strong
military to counter the Soviet threat, the Soviet Union reacted. Bigger tanks led to more tanks, better
airplanes led to even better airplanes, and better missiles led to better missile defense. Missile defense
was probably the straw that broke the camel’s back. President Reagan’s missile defense system, called
“Star Wars” by some and the Strategic Defense Initiative officially, was a huge undertaking and a great
expense.
The Soviet Union’s economy simply could not sustain the pace. The communist central planning
system was plagued with problems that resulted in labor and food shortages, and in turn, hurt industrial
productivity. With the economic problems at home and the constant military struggles overseas, the
Soviet Union was overextended.
The wall that separated East and West Berlin came down, and the Soviet Union separated into
independent states.
War ar in in the the Desert
Desert
With the end of the Cold War, the stage was set for the most dominating display of air power the
world had ever seen. On August 2, 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait over a dispute concerning oil and
outstanding Iraqi loans. The Emir of Kuwait fled and the Iraqis were in complete control by
August 4th.
By 1990, Iraq had built the fourth largest Army in the world. Over the previous 10 years, Iraq used
oil money to buy over $80 billion worth of military equipment. Over $23.5 billion was spent on Soviet
equipment alone. The Iraqi’s bought over 5,000 tanks, 3,500 artillery pieces, 750 combat aircraft, and
16,000 surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). Iraq had some of the best equipment that money could buy, and
now had over 550,000 armed combat troops in Kuwait and southwestern Iraq.
Operation Operation Operation Operation Operation Desert Desert Desert Desert Desert Shield Shield Shield Shield Shield
Fearing an advance into the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, King Fahd
asked the Kingdom’s Allies for
defensive assistance on August 6th. The
United Nations immediately passed
Resolution 660 demanding an Iraqi
withdrawal, and President Bush
ordered an immediate military
deployment to defend Saudi Arabia
from Iraq. By August 8th, Tactical Air
Command’s 71st Fighter Squadron was
in Saudi Arabia and ready to defend.
To get there that quickly, F-15C air The F-117 Nighthawk has the radar signature of an insect.
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