Desert Storm and the first combat test
The Gulf War tested a new aircraft and its crews against a complex target set and demanding conditions. The missions exposed both capability and limitation, while establishing experience that would shape later training, tactics and equipment.
No-fly zones, the Balkans and Afghanistan
Sustained operations over Iraq were followed by Allied Force and Enduring Freedom. Each campaign asked different questions of the aircraft: long-duration presence, precision attack, close coordination and the ability to respond to rapidly changing operational demands.
A networked aircraft in later wars
Targeting pods, data links, improved processing and new weapons changed how crews found, understood and attacked targets. Part 2 includes detailed narratives from later operations, including previously classified missions in Djibouti and against ISIL.
Why first-hand narratives matter
Mission summaries rarely explain uncertainty, cockpit workload or the improvisation required when a plan meets reality. The two-book history places those human accounts alongside technical and strategic context so that the aircraft’s combat record can be understood rather than merely catalogued.