With 7,000 surface-to-air missiles, 10,000 anti-aircraft artillery guns, and a massive fleet of Mirage F1s, Su-24s, MiG-25s, and MiG-29s, the Iraqi anti-aircraft defense network was practically impenetrable by conventional means.
However, US forces had at their disposal the EF-111A Raven, and it was anything but conventional.
As the most advanced electronics warfare warplane on earth, the Raven had the ability to do the impossible. Piercing the Iraqi border at Mach 2.2 speeds with the other fighters, the Raven could unleash a storm of electronic chaos, turning Iraq’s priceless AAA system into a paperweight for a brief time.
Armed with the cutting-edge AN/ALQ-99E jamming system, nestled in a pod that took the place of the F-111's traditional bomb bay, the Raven had the power to blind enemy radars and scramble communications across a broad spectrum, turning her into a force of nature.
But the Raven's arsenal didn't stop there. She was also kitted out with the Terminal Threat Warning System, an advanced suite providing real-time threat detection and situational awareness, through a massive receiver attached to the tail that gave the EF-111 its unmistakable profile and iconic look.
Unmatched in electronic warfare, the Raven burst into the first-ever operation of the Gulf War, a high-stakes gamble to destroy Sadam Hussein's precious AAA network.
Yet, for all of its might, the Raven had one weakness: it was not armed with a single conventional weapon.
In the heat of combat, an enemy Mirage F1 somehow intercepted one of the Ravens. About to be obliterated, the crew would have to resort to extraordinary measures and push their warbird to the absolute limits if they were to survive…
6 май 2024
