Direct proof of use
The B-52 Stratofortress was used by U.S.-led coalition forces during the 1990 Gulf War. U.S. Air Force reporting on the 2nd Bomb Wing identifies seven B-52G Stratofortresses from the 596th Bomb Squadron flying the opening Operation Desert Storm mission against Iraq on January 16-17, 1991, a 35-hour mission known as Operation Senior Surprise.
The Air Force's B-52-specific Desert Storm anniversary fact sheet records broader combat employment after the opening mission. It states that B-52s flew 1,741 sorties without a combat loss and lists more than 72,000 bombs delivered from operating locations including Jeddah, Diego Garcia, Moron, and RAF Fairford.
Sources: Desert Storm: 2nd Bomb Wing Leads the Air War, Operation Desert Storm B-52 Specific
Opening mission
The first documented B-52 combat event in Desert Storm was the opening CALCM mission from Barksdale Air Force Base. Air Force and Barksdale accounts describe seven B-52Gs and crews flying from Louisiana to the Persian Gulf area and launching conventional air-launched cruise missiles against Iraqi targets at the start of the air campaign.
The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force ties individual B-52G nose-art examples to Desert Storm and identifies the aircraft Grim Reaper II as having launched AGM-86C Conventional Air-Launched Cruise Missiles during the initial attacks. GAO's later air-campaign evaluation separately reports that B-52s launched 35 CALCMs during Desert Storm.
Sources: Desert Storm: 2nd Bomb Wing Leads the Air War, 2nd Bomb Wing Fact Sheet, Brute Force Nose Art, GAO Air Campaign Evaluation
Conventional bombing role
After the opening standoff strike, B-52G crews were used as heavy conventional bombers. The Air Force B-52-specific fact sheet says planners initially used B-52Gs for night strikes with electro-optical viewing sensors, then shifted them to higher-altitude bombing as coalition air superiority improved.
The same fact sheet lists target categories including troop concentrations, airfields, command-and-control sites, ammunition factories, storage areas, fuel depots, Scud missile facilities, industrial sites, and Republican Guard formations. GAO's assessment of strike data shows the B-52 delivered more bombs than other compared platforms against several target categories, including ground-force kill boxes, lines of communication, military-industrial targets, nuclear-biological-chemical targets, offensive counter-air targets, and oil targets.
Sources: Operation Desert Storm B-52 Specific, GAO Air Campaign Evaluation
Operational role
The documented Gulf War record supports classifying the B-52 as a long-range strike and interdiction platform in this conflict. Its use included the long-range CALCM opening mission, theater-based conventional bombing, and attacks intended to disrupt Iraqi ground forces, logistics, military infrastructure, air bases, and missile-related facilities.
Public official sources support aggregate sortie, ordnance, and target-role claims, but they do not provide a complete mission-by-mission public list of every B-52 sortie flown during Desert Storm.
Sources: Desert Storm: 2nd Bomb Wing Leads the Air War, Operation Desert Storm B-52 Specific, GAO Air Campaign Evaluation
