Conflict catalog

1991 Iraqi No-Fly-Zone Conflict: Weapons and Equipment

Enforcement of northern and southern Iraqi no-fly zones after the 1990 Gulf War.

The 1991 Iraqi No-Fly-Zone Conflict covered the U.S.- and coalition-enforced no-fly zones over Iraq after the 1991 1990 Gulf War, including Southern Watch and Northern Watch.

This catalog tracks weapon systems directly documented in Iraqi no-fly-zone operations.

Entries should be limited to systems with direct conflict-use sourcing.

9 weapon systems

Conflict Actors

United States and coalition forces / Iraq

Iraq

0 weapon systems in this catalog

Context

Status
Published catalog
Domains
air

Weapons

1991 Iraqi No-Fly-Zone Conflict Weapon Systems

Category

Aircraft & UAVs

Crewed aircraft, drones, and loitering munitions.

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F-14 Tomcat, Carrier-based air superiority fighter, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsF-14 TomcatCarrier-based air superiority fighterSide: United States and coalition forcesRole: No-fly-zone enforcement fighterBuilt: Grumman Corporation / United StatesThe Grumman F-14 Tomcat was a carrier-based, two-seat, variable-sweep-wing fighter built for U.S. Navy fleet defense and later adapted for strike, reconnaissance, and targeting missions. Its long-range radar-and-missile concept shaped Cold War carrier air defense, while later F-14B and F-14D upgrades kept the type in combat from the Gulf of Sidra through Iraq, Afghanistan, and Iran's surviving fleet in the 2026 Iran War.
F-15 family fighter aircraft, Fighter aircraft family, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsF-15 family fighter aircraftFighter aircraft familySide: United States and coalition forcesRole: No-fly-zone patrol fighterBuilt: McDonnell Douglas / Boeing / United StatesThe F-15 family covers U.S.-origin Eagle air-superiority fighters, F-15E Strike Eagle attack aircraft, and export or modernized derivatives such as the F-15 Baz, F-15I, F-15S, and F-15EX. The catalog records its air-to-air, interdiction, long-range strike, no-fly-zone patrol, and evacuation-cover roles from the 1982 Lebanon War and 1990 Gulf War through Israeli, Saudi, U.S., and coalition operations in the 2020s.
F-16 Fighting Falcon, Multirole fighter aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsF-16 Fighting FalconMultirole fighter aircraftSide: United States and coalition forcesRole: No-fly-zone patrol and air-to-air interceptionBuilt: General Dynamics / Lockheed Martin / United StatesThe F-16 Fighting Falcon is a U.S.-designed single-engine multirole fighter family used for air defense, air-to-air combat, suppression support, and precision strike missions. This entry covers the F-16C/D production branch requested by the F-16C designation alongside F-16AM/BM MLU aircraft documented from Kosovo and Libya to Ukrainian service.

Category

Munitions

Standalone missiles, bombs, rockets, torpedoes, and guided or unguided explosive payloads.

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GBU-16 Paveway II, 1,000-pound laser-guided bomb, MunitionsMunitionsGBU-16 Paveway II1,000-pound laser-guided bombSide: United States and coalition forcesRole: Carrier-based precision strike bombBuilt: Raytheon / Lockheed Martin / United StatesThe GBU-16 Paveway II is the 1,000-pound member of the U.S.-origin Paveway II laser-guided bomb family, combining a Mk 83 or BLU-110-class bomb body with seeker, control, and airfoil kit components. It requires reflected laser energy from a designator rather than autonomous target search, and its documented record spans U.S. Navy carrier aviation, allied operators, and Saudi/UAE-led coalition airstrikes investigated in Yemen.
AIM-54 Phoenix missile, Air-to-air missile, MunitionsMunitionsAIM-54 Phoenix missileAir-to-air missileSide: United States and coalition forcesRole: No-fly-zone interceptor missileBuilt: Hughes Aircraft Company / Raytheon Co. / United StatesThe Hughes AIM-54 Phoenix was a long-range radar-guided air-to-air missile built around the F-14 Tomcat's fleet-defense mission and AWG-9 fire-control system. U.S. Navy sources describe the Phoenix as an all-weather, multiple-target weapon carried operationally only by the F-14, while conflict records tie its combat use to Iranian Tomcats in the Iran-Iraq War and U.S. Tomcats enforcing Iraqi no-fly zones.
AIM-120 AMRAAM, Beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, MunitionsMunitionsAIM-120 AMRAAMBeyond-visual-range air-to-air missileSide: United States and coalition forcesRole: Beyond-visual-range fighter interceptionBuilt: Raytheon / United StatesThe AIM-120 AMRAAM is Raytheon's U.S.-built, all-weather beyond-visual-range missile family with inertial midcourse guidance, active radar terminal homing, and a first-service AIM-120A model. It entered U.S. service in 1991, became a combat air-to-air weapon in the 1991 Iraqi No-Fly-Zone Conflict, and is also fired from NASAMS launchers as a surface-to-air interceptor in Ukraine.
1,000-pound drop bomb, Free-fall bomb, MunitionsMunitions1,000-pound drop bombFree-fall bombSide: United States and coalition forcesRole: UnknownBuilt: General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems / United StatesThe 1,000-pound drop bomb is a U.S. low-drag general-purpose bomb-body class represented by the Mk 83 and BLU-110 family. Air Force and Army references frame the Mk 83/BLU-110 as a 1,000-pound free-fall body that can accept fins, fuzes, laser/GPS guidance kits, or mine-kit hardware, while direct U.S., NATO, and Human Rights Watch evidence documents Mk 83 use from Vietnam and Desert Storm through Kosovo, Iraq, and Yemen.
AGM-130, Powered air-to-surface standoff missile, MunitionsMunitionsAGM-130Powered air-to-surface standoff missileSide: United States and coalition forcesRole: Standoff strike missile against Iraqi air-defense targetsBuilt: Boeing North American / United StatesThe AGM-130 was a U.S. powered air-to-surface standoff missile derived from the GBU-15 guided-bomb family and carried by the F-15E Strike Eagle. Air Force, DoD, and conflict-reporting sources document its television or imaging-infrared terminal guidance, two-way data link, GPS/INS midcourse upgrade, Mk 84 or BLU-109-class warheads, and combat use in Iraqi no-fly-zone enforcement, Operation Allied Force, and the 2003 Iraq War.

Category

Naval Systems

Warships, submarines, unmanned surface vessels, naval craft, and maritime combat systems.

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HMS Illustrious (R06), Invincible-class light aircraft carrier and helicopter carrier, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsHMS Illustrious (R06)Invincible-class light aircraft carrier and helicopter carrierSide: United States and coalition forcesRole: UnknownBuilt: Swan Hunter / United KingdomHMS Illustrious (R06) was a Swan Hunter-built Invincible-class light aircraft carrier that entered Royal Navy service in 1982 and later served as a helicopter and commando carrier. Public military records tie her to Operation Southern Watch, Operation Palliser, Afghanistan-era tasking, and later evacuation/support operations, while UK disposal records trace her 2014 decommissioning and 2017 recycling.