Direct proof of use
The Mk-77 firebomb is directly documented in the 1990 Gulf War through public U.S. Marine Corps unit history and weapon-reference reporting. GlobalSecurity's Mk-77 page states that the Marine Corps dropped almost all of the roughly 500 Mk-77s used in the Gulf War, that they were delivered primarily by AV-8 Harriers from relatively low altitude, and that Operation Desert Storm Mk-77s were used to ignite Iraqi oil-filled fire trenches in southern Kuwait.
A Marine Attack Squadron 231 history hosted by 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing gives a squadron-level corroboration point. It says VMA-231 flew daily Desert Storm combat operations against Iraqi forces in Kuwait and expended 78 Mk-77 firebombs among its listed ordnance totals.
Sources: GlobalSecurity MK-77 Fire Bomb, VMA-231 Squadron History
Timeline
On 17 January 1991, Operation Desert Shield became Operation Desert Storm. The VMA-231 history records the squadron flying combat missions that day and then daily air operations during Desert Storm, including battlefield air interdiction, deep air support, close air support, and attacks on trench lines, fire trenches, field fortifications, equipment, and troops.
During February 1991, as the air war intensified and the ground campaign approached, VMA-231 accumulated 966.2 flight hours and finished Desert Storm with 987 combat sorties. Its published ordnance total included 78 Mk-77 firebombs, while the broader GlobalSecurity account describes Marine Corps Mk-77 use in the campaign as roughly 500 weapons, mostly delivered by AV-8 Harriers.
Sources: VMA-231 Squadron History, GlobalSecurity MK-77 Fire Bomb
Narrative
In this conflict, the documented operator was U.S. Marine Corps aviation on the coalition side. The available public sources connect the Mk-77 most clearly to AV-8 Harrier operations, including VMA-231's Harrier combat record and GlobalSecurity's statement that AV-8 Harriers were the primary delivery aircraft for Desert Storm Mk-77 use.
The documented role was low-altitude, air-delivered incendiary attack. GlobalSecurity identifies the specific campaign use as igniting Iraqi oil-filled fire trenches that formed part of barriers in southern Kuwait. The VMA-231 history gives the wider mission context: Harriers flew battlefield air interdiction, deep air support, close air support, escort, rescue combat air patrol, and reconnaissance against Iraqi occupation forces in Kuwait, and their targets included trench lines and fire trenches.
The sources support confirmed coalition use and a squadron-level expenditure count, but they do not publicly list every Mk-77 sortie, individual impact point, or total campaign casualty effect. The page therefore treats the roughly 500-weapon campaign figure and the 78 VMA-231 weapons as documented expenditure/use claims, not as a complete target-by-target strike record.
Sources: GlobalSecurity MK-77 Fire Bomb, VMA-231 Squadron History
