Our Conflict Series is designed to draw attention to events since the end of World War Two. The Gulf War Air War started on the 17th January 1991 and ended on the 23rd February 1991.

The Gulf War Conflict Series portfolio includes several aircraft type that were involved from the RAF and USAF, many of which are signed by the pilots that took part including the:

• F117 Nighthawk
• Panavia Tornado GR1
• SEPECAT Jaguar.

Operation Desert Storm (US) or Operation Granby (UK), was the combat phase of the Gulf War, began with an extensive aerial bombing campaign by the air forces of the coalition against targets in Iraq and Iraqi-occupied Kuwait from 17 January to 23 February 1991. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition flew over 100,000 sorties, dropping 88,500 tons of bombs and widely destroying military and civilian infrastructure.

The air campaign was commanded by United States Air Force Lieutenant General Chuck Horner, who briefly served as Commander-in-Chief—Forward of U.S. Central Command while General Norman Schwarzkopf was still in the United States.

The British air commanders were Air Chief Marshal Andrew Wilson and Air Vice-Marshal Bill Wratten. The air campaign had largely finished by 23 February 1991 with the beginning of the coalition ground offensive into Kuwait.

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RAF Maritime attack Buccaneers in action, launching Sea Eagle missiles. Designed for high speed, deep-penetration attacks at ultra-low level, the Buccaneer was always hugely popular with its aircrews.

The design may be old, but the concept was brilliant, and the Buccaneer retained a unique combination of range, warload and speed, unmatched by any other aircraft in RAF service. The Buccaneer found a new lease of life late in its career when it took part in combat operations during the 1991 Gulf War.

It had been anticipated that Buccaneers might need to perform in the target designation role, although early on, this had been thought to be “unlikely”. Following a short-notice decision to deploy, the first batch of six aircraft were readied to deploy in under 72 hours, including the adoption of desert camouflage, and additional equipment, and departed from RAF Lossiemouth for the Middle Eastern theatre early on 26 January 1991. In theatre, it became common for each attack formation to comprise four Tornados and two Buccaneers; each Buccaneer carried a single laser designator pod, and acted as backup to the other in the event of an equipment malfunction.  The first combat mission took place on 2 February, operating at a medium altitude of roughly 18,000 feet, and successfully attacked the As Suwaira Road Bridge.

Operations continued on practically every available day, missions did not take place at night as the laser pod lacked night-time functionality.

Approximately 20 road bridges were destroyed by Buccaneer-supported missions, restricting the Iraqi Army’s mobility and communications. In conjunction with the advance of Coalition ground forces into Iraq, the Buccaneers switched to airfield bombing missions, targeting bunkers, runways, and any aircraft sighted; following the guidance of the Tornado’s laser-guided ordnance, the Buccaneers would commonly conduct dive-bombing runs upon remaining targets of opportunity in the vicinity.

The print is called Blue Fire and is signed by Wing Commander Bill Cope, Officer Commanding No.208 Squadron and Barry Laight, Buccaneer Project Chief Designer, Blackburn Aircraft Company.

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Col John Herschel Glenn Jr was an American Marine Corps aviator, astronaut, businessman, and politician.

He was the third American in space and the first to orbit the Earth, circling it three times in 1962. Following his retirement from NASA, he served from 1974 to 1999 as a U.S. Senator from Ohio; in 1998, he flew into space again at the age of 77.

Before joining NASA, Glenn was a distinguished fighter pilot in World War II, the Chinese Civil War, and the Korean War. He shot down three MiG-15s and was awarded six Distinguished Flying Crosses and eighteen Air Medals. In 1957, he made the first supersonic transcontinental flight across the United States. His on-board camera took the first continuous, panoramic photograph of the United States.

Glenn was one of the Mercury Seven military test pilots selected in 1959 by NASA as the nation’s first astronauts. On February 20, 1962, Glenn flew the Friendship 7 mission, becoming the first American to orbit the Earth. He was the third American, and the fifth person, to be in space. He received the NASA Distinguished Service Medal in 1962, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1978, was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1990, and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012.

Glenn resigned from NASA in January 1964. A member of the Democratic Party, Glenn was first elected to the Senate in 1974 and served for 24 years until January 1999. In 1998, at age 77, Glenn flew on Space Shuttle Discovery’s STS-95 mission, making him the oldest person to enter Earth orbit, the only person to fly in both the Mercury and the Space Shuttle programs, and the first Member of Congress to visit space since Congressman Bill Nelson in 1986.

Glenn, both the oldest and the last surviving member of the Mercury Seven, died at the age of 95 on December 8, 2016.

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