The 1990–1991

Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

was the last major

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

combat operation of the 20th Century. The command and control of allied forces deployed to the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

initially as part of

Operation Desert Shield , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

, later engaging in combat operations during

Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

, were assigned to United States Central Command Air Forces (USCENTAF), the USAF component of the Joint

United States Central Command The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM or CENTCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Defense. It was established in 1983, taking over the previous responsibilit ...

. United States Air Force units were initially deployed to

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

in August 1990, being assigned directly to CENTAF with a mission to defend the kingdom. In November 1990, the decision was made to enhance the force into an offensive-capable one, and additional units were ordered deployed to CENTAF. As a result, CENTAF set up a table of organization which established provisional Air Divisions to prevent too many units reporting directly to CENTAF headquarters. These were as follows:Gulf War Air Power Survey, Vol V, A Statistical Compedium and Chronology, ADA 279745, p.21-25, accessed at https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a476253.pdf, 2015. Also accessed a

October 2015. * The 14th Air Division (Provisional) commanded deployed primarily

Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Lang ...

and

United States Air Forces in Europe United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

units with the mission of destroying enemy air, missile and ground forces, as well as enemy infrastructure targets. To accomplish this mission, the 14th-controlled

A-10 Thunderbolt II The Fairchild Republic A-10 , also infamously known under the nickname , is a single-seat, twinjet, twin-turbofan, straight wing, straight-wing, Subsonic aircraft, subsonic attack aircraft developed by Fairchild Aircraft, Fairchild Republic ...

ground attack aircraft;

F-15C Eagle The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an American twin-engine, all-weather fighter aircraft designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing). Following reviews of proposals, the United States Air Force (USAF) selected McDonnell Douglas's desi ...

and

F-16 Fighting Falcon The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superio ...

fighters;

F-111 The General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark is a retired supersonic, medium-range, multirole combat aircraft. Production models of the F-111 had roles that included attack (e.g. interdiction), strategic bombing (including nuclear weapons capabilit ...

light tactical bombers; EF-111 Raven electronic combat aircraft and the

F-117 The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk is an officially retired American single-seat, subsonic, Twinjet, twin-engined, stealth aircraft, stealth attack aircraft developed by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed's secretive Skunk Works division and operated ...

stealth attack aircraft. The division also provided electronic warfare, reconnaissance, and in-theater attached

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile compon ...

refueling support. * The 15th Air Division (Provisional) commanded deployed

units with a reconnaissance and electronic warfare mission focused on defeating enemy ground base air defenses and increasing the effectiveness of friendly formations. Aircraft deployed included RF-4C Phantom II tactical reconnaissance; F-4G Phantom II anti-radar; EC-130H Compass Call electronic warfare and two prototype E-8A Joint Stars battle management and control, and

E-3 Sentry The Boeing E-3 Sentry is an American airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft developed by Boeing. E-3s are commonly known as AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System). Derived from the Boeing 707 airliner, it provides all-weath ...

AWACS Airborne Warning And Control System aircraft. * The 1610th Airlift Division (Provisional) controlled

Military Airlift Command The Military Airlift Command (MAC) is an inactive United States Air Force major command (MAJCOM) that was headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. Established on 1 January 1966, MAC was the primary strategic airlift organization of ...

C-130E/H Hercules theater airlift, aeromedical evacuation and

Air Force Special Operations Command Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Florida, is the special operations component of the United States Air Force. An Air Force major command (MAJCOM), AFSOC is also the U.S. Air Force component command ...

forces.

deployed strategic electronic warfare and reconnaissance units also attached. * The 17th Air Division (Provisional) commanded primarily provisional air refueling wings created from active-duty

KC-135 The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling tanker aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It has a narrower fuselage and is shorter than the 707. Boeing gave ...

KC-10 The McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender is an American tanker and cargo aircraft that was operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1981 to 2024. A military version of the three-engine DC-10 airliner, the KC-10 was developed from the Adv ...

units of the Strategic Air Command's

Fifteenth Air Force The Fifteenth Air Force (15 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base. It was reactivated on 20 August 2020, merging the previous units of the Ninth Air Forc ...

and SAC

Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia (United States), militia of each U.S. ...

KC-135 units deployed within the CENTAF AOR. * The SAC

7th Air Division The 7th Air Division (7 AD) served the United States Air Force with distinction from early 1944 through early 1992, earning an outstanding unit decoration and a service streamer along the way. History Hawaii As the 7th Fighter Wing, the divis ...

commanded deployed Air Refueling and

B-52 Stratofortress The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic aircraft, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the ...

Bombardment Wings located outside of the CENTAF AOR. * The 7440th Composite Wing was a

(USAFE) Provisional Wing under Joint Task Force Proven Force that flew combat missions over Northern and Central Iraq from

Incirlik Air Base Incirlik Air Base () is a Republic of Turkey, Turkish air base of slightly more than 3320 ac (1335 ha), located in the İncirlik quarter of the city of Adana, Turkey. The base is within an urban area of 1.7 million people, east of the city ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

Aftermath

After the end of combat operations, most of the combat forces of CENTAF returned to their home stations. The provisional organizations established were inactivated; their temporary nature meaning that no official lineage or history was retained by the USAF. On 13 March 1991, Headquarters

activated the 4404th Tactical Fighter Wing (Provisional) at Prince Sultan Air Base, Al Kharj, to replace the provisional Air Divisions. The original assets of the 4404th TFW came from the 4th TFW (Provisional), which had operated during the Gulf War. The long-term effect of the deployment and organization of Air Force Wings and Groups to CENTAF for the Gulf War eventually led to an Air Force-Wide reorganization of its Cold War command structure; the result being the modern Air Force organization structure which exists today. Air Force Expeditionary units, which are activated and inactivated as needed to support deployments were developed, replacing the "Provisional" units of the Gulf War.

14th Air Division (Provisional)

Brigadier General Buster Glosson served as commander, 14th Air Division (Provisional), and director of campaign plans for U.S. Central Command Air Forces, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. *

1st Tactical Fighter Wing The 1st Fighter Wing (1 FW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command Fifteenth Air Force. It is stationed at Langley Air Force Base, VA. where it is a tenant unit, being supported by the 633d Air Base Wing. Its 1s ...

(Provisional) : Deployed from

Langley Air Force Base Langley Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Hampton, Virginia, adjacent to Newport News. It was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established after the entry of the United States into World War I in April 1 ...

, Virginia : Headquarters: King Abdul Aziz Air Base, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia * 4th Tactical Fighter Wing (Provisional) : Deployed from

Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Seymour Johnson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located in Goldsboro, North Carolina. The base is named for U.S. Navy Lt. Seymour A. Johnson, a test pilot from Goldsboro who died in an F4F Wildcat crash near Norbeck, Mary ...

, North Carolina : Headquarters: Prince Sultan Air Base, Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia * 33d Tactical Fighter Wing (Provisional) : Deployed from

Eglin Air Force Base Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida panhandle, located about southwest of Valparaiso, Florida, Valparaiso in Okaloosa County, Florida, Okaloosa County. The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test ...

, Florida : Headquarters: King Faisal Air Base, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia * 37th Tactical Fighter Wing (Provisional) : Deployed from

Tonopah Test Range Airport Tonopah Test Range Airport , at the Tonopah Test Range (Senior Trend project site PS-66) is southeast of Tonopah, Nevada, Tonopah, Nevada, and northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a major airfield with a runway, instrument approach faciliti ...

, Nevada : Headquarters:

King Khalid Air Base King Khalid Air Base (Arabic: قاعدة الملك خالد الجوية) (KKAB) is an airbase of Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) in the south-west of Saudi Arabia, near Khamis Mushait. History The airbase, with code KMX, has a paved runway withou ...

, Khamis Mushait, Saudi Arabia * 48th Tactical Fighter Wing (Provisional) : Deployed from

RAF Lakenheath Royal Air Force Lakenheath or RAF Lakenheath is a Royal Air Force List of Royal Air Force stations, station near the village of Lakenheath in Suffolk, England, UK, north-east of Mildenhall, Suffolk, Mildenhall and west of Thetford. The insta ...

, England : Headquarters: Taif Air Base, Taif, Saudi Arabia * 354th Tactical Fighter Wing (Provisional) : Deployed from Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, South Carolina : Headquarters:

King Fahd International Airport King Fahd International Airport (; KFIA) , also known as Dammam International Airport or simply Dammam Airport or King Fahd Airport, is the international airport serving Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The airport is located 31 kilometres (19 miles) north ...

, Dammam, Saudi Arabia * 363d Tactical Fighter Wing (Provisional) : Deployed from

Shaw Air Force Base Shaw Air Force Base (Shaw AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located approximately west-northwest of downtown Sumter, South Carolina. It is one of the largest military bases operated by the United States, and is under the jurisdict ...

, South Carolina : Headquarters: Al Dhafra Air Base, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates * 388th Tactical Fighter Wing (Provisional) : Deployed from

Hill Air Force Base Hill Air Force Base is a major U.S. Air Force (USAF) base located in Davis County, Utah, just south of the city of Ogden, and bordering the Cities of Layton, Clearfield, Riverdale, Roy, and Sunset with its largest border immediately adja ...

, Utah : Headquarters: Al Minhad Air Base, Dubai, United Arab Emirates * 401st Tactical Fighter Wing (Provisional) : Deployed from

Torrejón Air Base Torrejón Air Base (Base Aérea de Torrejón de Ardoz) is both a major Spanish Air and Space Force base and the co-located Madrid–Torrejón Airport, a secondary civilian airport for the city and metropolitan area of Madrid, east-northeast of t ...

, Spain : Headquarters:

Doha International Airport Doha International Airport () is an airport in Doha, Qatar. It was Qatar's commercial international airport until Hamad International Airport opened on 27 May 2014. While all scheduled commercial traffic ceased, the airport site and existing ru ...

, Qatar * 4410th Operational Support Wing (Provisional) : Deployed from Eglin AFB, Eglin Aux Fld#3, Florida : Headquarters: King Khalid Military City, Saudi Arabia

15th Air Division (Provisional)

* 35th Tactical Fighter Wing (Provisional) : Deployed from

George Air Force Base George Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located within the city limits, 8 miles northwest, of central Victorville, California, about 75 miles northeast of Los Angeles, California. Established by the United States Army Air C ...

, California : Headquarters: Shaikh Isa Air Base, Bahrain * 552d Airborne Warning and Control Wing (Provisional) : Deployed from

Tinker Air Force Base Tinker Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force base, with tenant U.S. Navy and other Department of Defense missions, located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, adjacent to Del City and Midwest City. The ba ...

, Oklahoma : Headquarters:

, Khamis Mushait, Saudi Arabia * 41st Electronic Combat Squadron (Provisional) : Deployed from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona : Headquarters: Bateen Air Base, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates : EC-130H Compass Call (Tail Code: DM), 27 August 1990 – 17 April 1991 * 4411th Joint Stars Squadron : Headquarters:

, Khamis Mushait, Saudi Arabia : E-8A Joint Stars, December 1990-March 1991 (2 Aircraft)

1610th Airlift Division (Provisional)

* 314th Tactical Airlift Wing (Provisional) : Deployed from

Little Rock Air Force Base Little Rock Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately northeast of Little Rock, Arkansas. The facility covers 6,217 acres (2,516 ha) with a resident population of over 3,300 and working population of approximate ...

, Arkansas : Headquarters: Al Bateen Air Base, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates * 317th Tactical Airlift Wing (Provisional) : Deployed from

Pope Air Force Base Pope Field is a U.S. military facility located northwest of the central business district of Fayetteville, in Spring Lake, Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States.. Federal Aviation Administration. effective 15 November 2012. Forme ...

, North Carolina : Headquarters: RAFO Thumrait, Oman * 435th Tactical Airlift Wing (Provisional) : Deployed from

Rhein-Main Air Base Rhein-Main Air Base was a United States Air Force air base near the city of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It was a Military Airlift Command (MAC) and United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) installation, occupying the south side of Frankfurt ...

, Germany : Headquarters:

Al Ain International Airport Al Ain International Airport (, transliterated: Maṭār Al-ʿAyn Ad-Duwalī) is an airport located west-northwest (login required) of Al Ain in the Eastern Region of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates. It was opened on 31 Mar ...

, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates * 1640th Tactical Airlift Wing (Provisional) : Detached from Headquarters

, Scott AFB, Illinois : Headquarters: Masirah Air Base, Oman * 1650th Tactical Airlift Wing (Provisional) : Detached from Headquarters

, Scott AFB, Illinois : Headquarters:

Sharjah International Airport Sharjah International Airport () is an international airport located east-southeast of Sharjah (city), Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. It is spread over an area of . It is the 3rd busiest airport in UAE, the country as well as List of the busie ...

, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates * 1670th Tactical Airlift Group (Provisional) : Detached from Headquarters

, Scott AFB, Illinois : Headquarters: Prince Sultan Air Base, Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia * Air Force Special Operations Command (Provisional) : Detached from Headquarters AFSOC, Hurlburt Field, Florida : Headquarters:

, Dammam, Saudi Arabia * 1612th Military Airlift Squadron (Provisional) : Detached from Headquarters

, Scott AFB, Illinois : Headquarters:

, Khamis Mushait, Saudi Arabia : C-21 Learjet, (8 Aircraft) : C-12 Huron (7 Aircraft) : RU-21 Learjet (7 Aircraft) Provided Special Air Mission transport for CENTAF/CENTCOM leadership and civilian VIPs from coalition nations and the United States.

17th Air Division (Provisional)

* 1700th Strategic Wing (Provisional) : Detached from Headquarters

, Ramstein AB, Germany : Headquarters:

, Khamis Mushait, Saudi Arabia * 1701st Air Refueling Wing (Provisional) : Headquarters: King Abdul Aziz Air Base, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia * 1701st Strategic Wing (Provisional) : Headquarters: King Abdul Aziz Air Base, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia * 1702d Air Refueling Wing (Provisional) : Headquarters: Seeb International Airport, Muscat, Oman. * 1706th Air Refueling Wing (Provisional) : Headquarters: Cairo West Airport, Egypt * 1708th Bombardment Wing (Provisional) : Headquarters: King Abdul Aziz Air Base, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia : 20 B-52G Stratofortresses. The lead unit within the 1708th BW (P) was the 524th BS/379th BW from Wurtsmith AFB, Michigan. Aircraft and crews were also drawn from the 62d and 596th BS/2d BW

Barksdale AFB Barksdale Air Force Base (Barksdale AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, in northwest Louisiana. Much of the base is within the city limits of Bossier City, Louisiana, along the base's western and northwest ...

, Louisiana; 69th BS/42d BW at Loring AFB, Maine; 328th BS/93d BW,

Castle AFB Castle Air Force Base (Castle AFB, 1941–1995) is a former United States Air Force Strategic Air Command base in California, northeast of Atwater, California, Atwater, northwest of Merced, and about south of Sacramento, California, Sacrament ...

, California, and the 668th BS/416 BW at Griffiss AFB, New York. B-52 operations at Jeddah were not possible prior to the initiation of combat so the wing gained its aircraft when the conflict began. Six aircraft from the 42d BW were moved to Jeddah from Diego Garcia on 17 January, and 10 more flew in from Wurthsmith, attacking targets en route. Although launched from Wurtsmith and flown by 379th BW crews, three of the aircraft came from the 93d BW at Castle and two from the 42d BW at Loring. * 1709th Air Refueling Wing (Provisional) : Headquarters: King Abdul Aziz Air Base, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia * 1712th Air Refueling Wing (Provisional) : Headquarters: Al Banteen Air Base, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates * 1713th Air Refueling Wing (Provisional) : Headquarters: Al Banteen Air Base, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

7th Air Division

* 801st Air Refueling Wing (Provisional) : Headquarters: Morón Air Base, Spain * 801st Bombardment Wing (Provisional) : Headquarters: Morón Air Base, Spain : The 801st BW (P) consisted of 28 B-52G Stratofortresses and was formed around a nucleus provided by he 2d Bombardment Wing at

, Louisiana and drew aircraft from the crews of the 524th BS/379th BW, Wurtsmith AFB, Michigan; the 668th BS/416th BW at Griffiss AFB, New York and from 69th BS/42d BW at Loring AFB, Maine. One B-52G (52-6503) was sent from the 340th BS/97th BW at Eaker AFB, Arkansas. * 802d Air Refueling Wing (Provisional) : Headquarters:

Lajes Field Lajes Field or Lajes Air Base (; ), officially designated Air Base No. 4 (''Base Aérea N.º 4'', BA4) , is a multi-use airfield near Lajes and northeast of Angra do Heroísmo on Terceira Island in the Azores, Portugal. It is home to the Port ...

, Azores, Portugal * 804th Air Refueling Wing (Provisional) : Headquarters:

, Turkey * 806th Bombardment Wing (Provisional) : Headquarters:

RAF Fairford Royal Air Force Fairford or more simply RAF Fairford is a Royal Air Force (RAF) List of Royal Air Force stations, station in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom. While being an RAF station, Fairford hosts United States Air Force personnel. Since 20 ...

, England : The 806th BW (P) was formed around a cadre of air and ground crews provided by the 97th Bombardment Wing, Eaker AFB, Arkansas. It consisted of a total of 11 B-52G Stratofortresses, also being drawn from the 668th BS/416th BW at Griffiss AFB, New York; 596th BS/2d BW,

, Louisiana, and the 328th BS/93d BW at

, California. * 807th Air Refueling Wing (Provisional) : Headquarters:

, Turkey * 810th Air Refueling Wing (Provisional) : Headquarters:

, Turkey * 4300th Bombardment Wing (Provisional) : Headquarters:

Diego Garcia Diego Garcia is the largest island of the Chagos Archipelago. It has been used as a joint UK–U.S. military base since the 1970s, following the expulsion of the Chagossians by the UK government. The Chagos Islands are set to become a former B ...

, British Indian Ocean Territory IOT : The lead unit for the 4300th BW (P) was the 69th BS/42d BW from Loring AFB, Maine.Baugher, Joe
Service of Boeing B-52G Stratofortress, 2003
/ref> Aircraft were also drawn from the 328th BS/93d BW at Castle AFB, California. Six aircraft were transferred to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on 17 January 1991 and they were replaced by six B-52Gs from the 1500th SW (P) at Andersen AFB, Guam.

References

Department of Defense Final Report to Congress, "Conduct of the Persian Gulf War," April 1992
* Smallwood, 2005, ''Warthog: Flying the A-10 in the Gulf War'', Potomac Books Inc, * Mixer, Ronald E., ''Genealogy of the Strategic Air Command'', Battermix Publishing Company, 1999 and Mixer, Ronald E., ''Strategic Air Command, An Organizational History'', Battermix Publishing Company, 2006. * Steijger, Cees 1991, ''A History of USAFE'', Airlife Publishing Limited,

* ttp://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_fighters/f117_3.html Baugher, Joe, 2005, Developmental and Operational History of the F-117 Nighthawk
F-117A: Desert Storm

* ttps://www.scribd.com/doc/59441762/Gulf-War-Air-Power-Survey-Series-Vol-1 Gulf War Air Power Survey Series Volume I, Part 2 Command and Control, pp 475-476* HQ TAC/XPM "USCENTAF Provisional Divisions" (U) 15 January 1991; * OSD, Final Report to Congress, "Conduct of the Persian Gulf War," April 1992. {{Gulf War, state=collapsed * 20th-century history of the United States Air Force Gulf War orders of battle United States Air Force units and formations by war