Description

Great Book by Osprey Publishing. 96 pages
The F-16 has been the most prolific fighter in US and coalition operations in the Middle East for over a decade. Since the 1991 Gulf War, it has been the work horse of the UN-sanctioned operations in the Middle East region, working in Wild Weasel, ground attack and air superiority roles.Operation Southern Watch and Operation Northern Watch followed the first Gulf War and were designed to discourage Iraqs military regime from persecuting Shiite and Kurdish peoples. It required daily and continuous combat patrols over Iraqi territory for over a decade; a task that was made simpler by the bountiful supply of F-16s in USAF service and the fact that there F-16 is able to assume multiple roles and uses. When US President G.W. Bush ordered his forces into Iraq in March 2003, the F-16CJ was the second aircraft to enter Iraqi airspace-proper, sweeping the skies for electrons in a bid to find, identify and kill Iraqs comprehensive air defence system. With the mission fulfilled, hordes of other coalition fighters followed, including the F-16CG, which was used with great success to strike fixed- and mobile-ground targets.