Desert storm Iraqi AF Losses ( claimed vs actual )

The Iraqis claimed that No.2 MiG-25 pilot Capt. Mohammed Jasim Alsamarai / ( Pilot No.1 was Capt. Mahmood Awad ) damaged one of the F-15C , the American deny this and say the plane damaged 2 days earlier one jettison EFT while engaging MiG-23 on route to Iran .

I don't understand ... The 79 was a ground attack squadron ?! It flow 5 intercept sorties in the first 3 days !

Yes that's because they were in better condition compered with 89Sq in Abu Ubaidah AB which was heavily under attack. Especially those who locate at Saddam airbase till 0600 they got the first airstrike.

On Feb 2nd , an F-15 piloted by Greg Masters downed a transport plane IL-76 with Gun !

...and say the plane damaged 2 days earlier one jettison EFT while engaging MiG-23 on route to Iran .

True. The pilot of that F-15 was a FAIP with me and gave me my first checkered in the AF.

...and say the plane damaged 2 days earlier one jettison EFT while engaging MiG-23 on route to Iran .

True. The pilot of that F-15 was a FAIP with me and gave me my first checkered in the AF.

Muddy ?

On April 6th 2 Su-25s downed on their way to Iran also with them 2 MiG-21 were providing air cover to them - also downed , the Pilot who destroyed the MiG-21s was Dietz while the one who downed the Su-25s was Hehemann .. Both used Sidewinders and they were from 36/58 .
Also on this date an A-10 piloted by Swain destroyed a helicopter Bo-105 using Gun . It was fro m706 TFS
Also an F-14 from VF-1 piloted by Bruce and Mcelrat also destroyed a Helicopter Mi-8 using Sidewinder

I also have aquestion regarding the first day : What was the thinking of the Iraqi AF by sending old MiG-21s against modern US aircrafts ?!!

The purpose of sending them was ambush, tow MIG-29s from H3 delay in the take-off should fly right behind them.

I also have aquestion regarding the first day : What was the thinking of the Iraqi AF by sending old MiG-21s against modern US aircrafts ?!!

The purpose of sending them was ambush, two MIG-29s from H3 delay in the take-off should fly right behind them.

And when they learned about what happened to them they aborted the mission I guess

I mean why these MiG-23s and Mirage took off ?? To engage coalition aircrafts or to escape to Iran ?

The MIG-23s evacuated to another base, the Mirage was on it's way to Iran.

What was the type of the MiG-23s that were escaping to Iran ML or BN ?

Yes it was BN

These 3 MiG-23ML were evacuating from Saad AB to Bakr AB and two were downed ... Were they armed ??

Not sure but MIG-23s pilots said to me they did clashed with no more details..

On Jan 26 while transporting the aircrafts to Iran , Su-24 from squadron 121 hit a mountain in Iran pilot killed , co-pilot fate unknown.
Another Su-24 from squadron 119 also hit a mountain pilot killed but co-pilot managed to eject.
Both Planes were heading from Bakr ( Balad AB ) toward Karmanshah AB.

The first one led by Capt. Mohammed Ali Abdullah Mafraji Squander 121 Al-Baker AB crashed at Kermanshah Mountains due to poor visibility.
The second one crashed on Kermanshah airbase runway his Co-pilot said that he meant to crash the plan preferred not to be delivered to Iran (both eject safely).

On Feb 2nd , an F-15 piloted by Greg Masters downed a transport plane IL-76 with Gun !

No Il-76 shot down during DS 1991 as Squadron 33 members confirmed to me.

What about the MiG-23s of Jan 28 and 29 ?

On April 6th 2 Su-25s downed on their way to Iran

The war stop before April..

2 Su-25s downed on their way to Iran also with them 2 MiG-21 were providing air cover to them - also downed , the Pilot who destroyed the MiG-21s was Dietz while the one who downed the Su-25s was Hehemann .. Both used Sidewinders and they were from 36/58 .

Yes we lost two SU-25 during the evacuation process both aircraft from Habbaniyah AB, but honestly i couldn't find any one knows more about losses of MIG-21s (so give me time to make double check with this subject)..

Also on this date an A-10 piloted by Swain destroyed a helicopter Bo-105 using Gun . It was fro m706 TFS
Also an F-14 from VF-1 piloted by Bruce and Mcelrat also destroyed a Helicopter Mi-8 using Sidewinder

Yes that's right and also there is Mi-8 helicopter crashed and both pilots killed, two days after the end of the war (caused by U.S F-15 pass very low on it while the helicopter was just took-off and became out of control)...

I wonder what the psyche was of the Iraqi pilots..

Meaning, did they think they stood a chance or were they just up there doing their job? I'm sure they felt overmatched in many respects (C3I), but they also had the home field advantage/ground control intercept radar.

Overall, sounds like a valiant effort and some gutsy tactics/flying, and fighting to protect their country.

Yes its my mistake ... It was February 6

I wonder what the psyche was of the Iraqi pilots..

Meaning, did they think they stood a chance or were they just up there doing their job? I'm sure they felt overmatched in many respects (C3I), but they also had the home field advantage/ground control intercept radar.

Overall, sounds like a valiant effort and some gutsy tactics/flying, and fighting to protect their country.

mixelflick If you want to destroy any army just give it's led to political leadership and this what happened to whole Iraqi army in 1991, However Iraqi air force commanders they calculated correctly and accurately and tolled president Saddam Hussein facing United States inevitable loss "no way to victory" and they have made alternative proposals (which we can't say everything on public maybe i should pm you) but Saddam Hussein didn't listen and relied too much on his daughter's husband hypotheses Mr.Hussein Kamel, and gone beyond all of that even when he miscalculations the timing of the starting military operations when President Bush gave last warning to him..
Trust me Iraqi air force did more than what can it do in that war and Iraqi pilots felt they must to stood and make a chance to do their job, but at the end the war was larger than what is available in their hands..

I wonder what the psyche was of the Iraqi pilots..

Meaning, did they think they stood a chance or were they just up there doing their job? I'm sure they felt overmatched in many respects (C3I), but they also had the home field advantage/ground control intercept radar.

Overall, sounds like a valiant effort and some gutsy tactics/flying, and fighting to protect their country.

mixelflick If you want to destroy any army just give it's led to political leadership and this what happened to whole Iraqi army in 1991, However Iraqi air force commanders they calculated correctly and accurately and tolled president Saddam Hussein facing United States inevitable loss "no way to victory" and they have made alternative proposals (which we can't say everything on public maybe i should pm you) but Saddam Hussein didn't listen and relied too much on his daughter's husband hypotheses Mr.Hussein Kamel, and gone beyond all of that even when he miscalculations the timing of the starting military operations when President Bush gave last warning to him..
Trust me Iraqi air force did more than what can it do in that war and Iraqi pilots felt they must to stood and make a chance to do their job, but at the end the war was larger than what is available in their hands..

According to the archive of Iraqi AF .... One of the plans was to attack an American aircraft carrier on the cost of losing 34 planes