Direct proof of use
The Su-22 is directly documented in the 1990 Gulf War as an Iraqi Air Force aircraft type lost during Operation Desert Storm. Air Force Historical Research Agency analysis of what happened to the Iraqi Air Force states that, between January and March 1991, USAF pilots shot down 37 Iraqi aircraft and that the fixed-wing losses included four Su-22s.
A separate public-domain image record documents a Su-22M at Tallil in Iraq on 7 March 1991, describing the aircraft as damaged in a hangar by coalition air strikes during Operation Desert Storm. Taken together, the sources support Iraqi fielding of Su-22 aircraft in the conflict and document both air-to-air losses and airfield damage, but they do not by themselves identify a specific Su-22 strike sortie.
Sources: AFHRA What Happened to the Iraqi Air Force, Commons Iraqi Su-22 with Kh-58 Image
Combat chronology
The relevant combat period began with the January 1991 Operation Desert Storm air campaign. U.S. Army historical material describes the January 17 opening of the air campaign and the subsequent February ground offensive that expelled Iraqi forces from Kuwait.
During the air war, the Iraqi Air Force lost aircraft in the air and on the ground. AFHRA's analysis lists four Iraqi Su-22s among aircraft shot down by USAF pilots between January and March 1991. The Tallil photograph dated 7 March 1991 provides a post-combat visual record of an Iraqi Su-22M in a hangar damaged by coalition air strikes.
Sources: U.S. Army War in the Persian Gulf, AFHRA What Happened to the Iraqi Air Force, Commons Iraqi Su-22 with Kh-58 Image
Operational role
The sourced record places the Su-22 on the Iraqi side of the 1990 Gulf War. In catalog terms its role is best treated as documented Iraqi combat aircraft losses and damaged airfield materiel, not as a confirmed theater strike role from the sources used here.
That distinction matters because the Su-22 was a fighter-bomber by design, but the direct Gulf War sources in this entry support fielding, shootdowns, and ground damage rather than named attack missions. The page therefore records the Su-22 as part of Iraq's fixed-wing combat fleet exposed to coalition air superiority and airfield attacks during Operation Desert Storm.
Sources: AFHRA What Happened to the Iraqi Air Force, Commons Iraqi Su-22 with Kh-58 Image
