1990 Gulf War

P-35/P-37 Bar Lock radar in the 1990 Gulf War

Iraq used Soviet P-35M and P-37 Bar Lock radars in its Gulf War air-defense network for wide-area surveillance, early warning, fighter-control support, and target handoff to lower-level air-defense sensors.

Weapon profileP-35/P-37 Bar Lock radar
SideIraqRoleAir DefenseReconnaissance & SurveillanceTargeting Support
P-35/P-37 Bar Lock radar, Transportable 2D air-surveillance and GCI radar, Air Defense - 1990 Gulf War
Image source: Commons Soviet P-37 radar system

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
Iraq used Soviet P-35M and P-37 Bar Lock radars in its strategic air defenses during the 1990 Gulf War.

Sources: Air Power Australia Desert Storm EW

The P-35/37 Bar Lock family formed part of Iraq's early-warning network on the first night of Desert Storm.

Sources: War on the Rocks Iraqi Bar Lock

Iraqi Bar Lock radars appear in the Gulf War air-defense record alongside other Soviet radar types.

Sources: CSIS Gulf War Chapter Six

The documented role was early warning, GCI support, and handoff to lower-level air-defense sensors rather than direct engagement.

Sources: Air Power Australia Desert Storm EW, GlobalSecurity P-35/37 Bar Lock, GlobalSecurity Iraqi Air Defense

Timeline

P-35/P-37 Bar Lock radar In 1990 Gulf War

  1. Coalition ELINT begins mapping Iraqi air defenses

    During Desert Shield, coalition ELINT aircraft monitored Iraqi radar emissions and mapped Iraqi air-defense batteries, supporting radar systems, and command frequencies before combat operations.

    Sources: Air Power Australia Desert Storm EW

  2. Desert Storm air campaign attacks Iraqi early-warning network

    The coalition opened the air campaign with attacks on Iraqi early-warning sites, sector operating centers, KARI command-and-control nodes, and radar emitters.

    Sources: CSIS Gulf War Chapter Six

  3. Iraqi radar activity drops sharply

    CSIS reports that Iraqi radar activity had fallen massively by the third day of the war after coalition attacks, jamming, and anti-radiation missile pressure.

    Sources: CSIS Gulf War Chapter Six

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The P-35/P-37 Bar Lock family is directly documented in Iraqi service during the 1990 Gulf War. Air Power Australia describes Iraq's strategic air defenses as using Soviet P-35M and P-37 Bar Lock Ground Controlled Intercept/Early Warning radars for wide-area surveillance and early warning, with the systems placed to cover principal air bases and population centers.

War on the Rocks identifies Soviet-supplied P-35/37 Bar Lock radars as the backbone of Iraq's early-warning network on the first night of Desert Storm. CSIS, summarizing Gulf War Air Power Survey and postwar defense reporting, also lists Bar Lock among Iraqi radar systems in the Gulf War air-defense record.

Sources: Air Power Australia Desert Storm EW, War on the Rocks Iraqi Bar Lock, CSIS Gulf War Chapter Six

Timeline

During Operation Desert Shield, coalition electronic-intelligence aircraft mapped the Iraqi integrated air-defense system before the air campaign began. Air Power Australia describes this work as locating Iraq's air-defense batteries, supporting radar systems, command frequencies, and control network.

On 17 January 1991, Operation Desert Storm opened with attacks on Iraqi early-warning sites, sector operating centers, and command-and-control nodes. CSIS describes coalition attacks on KARI air-defense targets, early-warning sites, and active radar emitters, followed by a sharp reduction in Iraqi radar activity by the third day of the air campaign.

Sources: Air Power Australia Desert Storm EW, CSIS Gulf War Chapter Six

Operational role

In Iraqi service, the Bar Lock family functioned as a strategic surveillance and control radar rather than as a weapon that directly engaged aircraft. The documented role was to help find aircraft at long range, support fighter control, and pass warning or targeting information down the air-defense chain.

That role fit the structure of Iraq's KARI air-defense system, which linked Soviet-designed interceptors, surface-to-air missiles, radar-directed antiaircraft artillery, and radar sensors. GlobalSecurity's Iraqi air-defense overview describes KARI as connecting Iraq's diverse Soviet and Western radar and air-defense equipment through the national air-defense operations center and subordinate sector operations centers.

Sources: Air Power Australia Desert Storm EW, War on the Rocks Iraqi Bar Lock, GlobalSecurity Iraqi Air Defense

Suppression and survival

The radar family appears in sources mainly as part of the Iraqi system that coalition aircraft set out to suppress, jam, deceive, or destroy. Air Power Australia reports that Iraqi radar emissions during the buildup helped coalition ELINT platforms map the electronic order of battle, while CSIS describes attacks and anti-radiation-missile activity that drove down Iraqi radar activity early in the campaign.

The public sources used here do not provide a complete count of Iraqi P-35M or P-37 sets, identify each Bar Lock site, or attribute a specific aircraft loss to a Bar Lock track. The supported claim is narrower: Iraq fielded the P-35M/P-37 Bar Lock family in its Gulf War air-defense network for early warning, GCI support, and warning or target-information handoff.

Sources: Air Power Australia Desert Storm EW, CSIS Gulf War Chapter Six

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Sources