1990 Gulf War

Hydra-70 rocket system in the 1990 Gulf War

U.S. Army AH-64 Apache crews fired Hydra-70 rockets in the opening Task Force Normandy attack of Operation Desert Storm and used 2.75-inch rockets again during the ground phase.

Weapon profileHydra-70 rocket system
SideCoalition forcesRoleFire Support
Hydra-70 rocket system, 2.75-inch air-launched rocket family, Munitions - 1990 Gulf War
Image source: US Army Latvia Hydra-70 article

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
U.S. Army AH-64 Apache crews used Hydra-70 rockets in the 1990 Gulf War.

Sources: Redstone Desert Storm Role, Army University Press Task Force Normandy

The first documented use was the January 17, 1991 Task Force Normandy attack on two Iraqi early-warning radar sites.

Sources: Redstone Desert Storm Role, Army University Press Task Force Normandy, AFSOC Task Force Normandy

The Task Force Normandy Apache crews fired about 100 Hydra-70 or 70 mm rockets during the radar-site attack.

Sources: Army University Press Task Force Normandy, AFSOC Task Force Normandy

U.S. Army attack-helicopter crews used 2.75-inch rockets again against fortified positions and bunker complexes during the ground offensive.

Sources: Redstone Desert Storm Role

Timeline

Hydra-70 rocket system In 1990 Gulf War

  1. Hydra-70 rockets fired in the opening attack

    U.S. Army AH-64 Apaches fired Hellfire missiles and Hydra-70 rockets against two Iraqi early-warning radar sites at the opening of Operation Desert Storm.

    Sources: Redstone Desert Storm Role, Army University Press Task Force Normandy

  2. Task Force Normandy rocket expenditure reported

    Army University Press and AFSOC accounts report that the Apache force fired about 100 Hydra-70 or 70 mm rockets during the radar-site attack.

    Sources: Army University Press Task Force Normandy, AFSOC Task Force Normandy

  3. 2.75-inch rockets used during the ground offensive

    Redstone's history says 2d Battalion, 229th Attack Helicopter Regiment crews used primarily 30 mm guns and 2.75-inch rockets against fortified positions and bunker complexes on the second day of the ground offensive.

    Sources: Redstone Desert Storm Role

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The Hydra-70 rocket system is directly documented in the 1990 Gulf War through U.S. Army Apache use during the first minutes of Operation Desert Storm. A U.S. Army Redstone Arsenal historical account states that eight AH-64 Apache helicopters fired Hellfire missiles and 2.75-inch Hydra-70 rockets at 02:38 on January 17, 1991, destroying two Iraqi early-warning ground-control radar sites within four minutes.

Army University Press separately describes the same Task Force Normandy attack. Its account says the Apache crews expended 100 Hydra-70 rockets, along with 27 Hellfire missiles and 4,000 rounds of 30 mm cannon fire, after moving in to finish the radar-site compounds.

Sources: Redstone Desert Storm Role, Army University Press Task Force Normandy

Task Force Normandy

Task Force Normandy paired U.S. Army AH-64A Apache attack helicopters with U.S. Air Force MH-53J Pave Low helicopters to open a corridor through Iraq's early-warning radar coverage. Army University Press says planners selected Apaches for the strike because they carried Hellfire missiles, Hydra-70 rockets, and 30 mm guns that could attack both hard and soft targets at the radar sites.

Air Force Special Operations Command identifies the force as four MH-53J Pave Low helicopters followed by eight U.S. Army AH-64A Apaches from the 1st Battalion, 101st Aviation Brigade. It reports that the Apaches fired 27 missiles, about 100 70 mm rockets, and about 4,000 rounds of 30 mm ammunition in less than two minutes against the Iraqi early-warning radar targets.

Sources: Army University Press Task Force Normandy, AFSOC Task Force Normandy

Broader Gulf War role

Redstone's Desert Storm history places Hydra-70 among the Army missile and rocket systems deployed to Southwest Asia and says Hydra-70 rockets were among the opening shots of the first air strike against Iraq on January 17, 1991. It also states that Army TACMS, Hydra-70, and MLRS were fired during both the air and ground offensives.

The same account describes a later ground-phase use of 2.75-inch rockets by the 2d Battalion, 229th Attack Helicopter Regiment from Fort Rucker, Alabama, against fortified positions and large bunker complexes on the second day of the ground offensive. In this record, that is treated as Hydra-70-family 2.75-inch rocket use because Redstone's Hydra-70 section connects those munitions to Apache use in Operation Desert Storm.

Sources: Redstone Desert Storm Role

Related Weapons by Role

2.75-inch rockets, Unguided 2.75-inch air-launched rocket family, MunitionsMunitions2.75-inch rocketsUnguided 2.75-inch air-launched rocket familyThe 2.75-inch rocket family covers the U.S. 70 mm unguided aerial rocket line from early FFAR/Mk 4 and Mk 40 rockets through the modern Hydra-70/Mk 66 system. Army and GD-OTS sources describe a modular air-launched rocket used with multiple warheads from fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, while official U.S. military sources document 2.75-inch rocket use from Vietnam and Desert Storm through Iraq, Afghanistan, Operation Inherent Resolve, and U.S. aid to Ukraine.
APKWS / WGU-59 guided rockets, Guided rocket munition family, MunitionsMunitionsAPKWS / WGU-59 guided rocketsGuided rocket munition familyAPKWS / WGU-59 guided rockets are BAE Systems laser-guidance-kit munitions that convert Hydra 70 / 2.75-inch aerial rockets into precision-guided weapons. The family includes WGU-59/B guidance sections, single-variant all-up rounds, and later AGR-20/FALCO counter-UAS adaptations documented by U.S. Navy, Air Force, manufacturer, and Ukraine-security-assistance sources on helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, and mounted launch systems.
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Sources