Tornado: In the Eye of the Storm

by John Nichol

The opening shots of the war were to be fired by Apache attack helicopters hovering over the southern Iraq desert.22 Their task was to destroy two early-warning radars, creating a corridor down which the hundreds of aircraft could travel en route to strike airbases, power plants, communication centres and Baghdad itself. The attack was timed for 0240 local.23 At 0239.30, the US Army pilots waited, stationary in the hover, peering into the darkness. There was no movement. Ten seconds to go. There was a sudden flurry of heat signatures as Iraqi personnel scurried around the buildings. The clock ticked down to 0240. The crosshairs of Apache weapons systems settled on their targets and a volley of Hellfire missiles speared away. The attack helicopters edged closer, loosing off rockets, then moved in closer still, engaging anything still standing with their 30mm cannon. Fire rose from buildings, trucks burst into flames with bodies slumped around them. During four minutes of unfettered destruction, the Apaches unleashed 27 Hellfires, 100 rockets and 4,000 cannon rounds. The Iraqi radars – and many of the personnel – were obliterated. The ‘back door’ had been kicked open.