Desert Storm's Opening Shots Came From This Daring Helicopter Raid 25 Years Ago Today (1-17-2016)

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Desert Storm's Opening Shots Came From This Daring Helicopter Raid 25 Years Ago Today
Tyler Rogoway    1-17-16



You have to kick down an enemy’s front door somehow, and in the case of Operation Desert Storm, a novel use of AH-64A Apache and MH-53J Special Operations Pave Low helicopters did just that for their fast-flying fighter jet comrades. The top-secret mission was dubbed Task Force Normandy, and it occurred 25 years ago today.

The thought that a critical portion of Iraq’s elaborate radar “fence” was blinded by helicopters seems strange in this day and age of stealthy standoff weaponry. But 25 years ago today, the choices for kicking open a hole in Iraq’s radar defenses weren’t so plentiful. The fact that these sites were located in the vast featureless desert along the border of Saudi Arabia and Iraq made the task even more challenging.



Originally, it was briefed to General Schwarzkopf, the larger-than-life four-star General that would head the war, that special forces would be deployed to the radar sites and take them out the old fashioned way by raiding them. Another plan had these operators laser-designate the sites for attack aircraft to strike. The General rejected these plans due to the inherent risk of ground forces being compromised by unforeseen factors.


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