F-16 Pulls Off an Incredible Maneuver—What Happene…
F-16 Pulls Off an Incredible Maneuver—What Happene…
BAGHDAD — The sky over the Iraqi capital was a sprawling, multi-layered tapestry of violent black smoke, blinding flashes of anti-aircraft artillery, and the deadly, pencil-thin vapor trails of surface-to-air missiles. It was January 19, 1991, the third day of Operation Desert Storm. At precisely 15:00 hours, a massive armada of 72 American F-16 Fighting Falcons roared toward downtown Baghdad in broad daylight. It remains the largest single strike package of F-16s in aviation history, designed to decapitate the heart of Saddam Hussein’s military infrastructure.
Among the pilots piercing the dense web of Iraqi air defenses was Air Force Major Emmett “Tulja” Tullia, piloting a jet designated as Stroke 3. His mission, initially mapped out as a calculated, high-altitude bombing run on the strategic Dara oil refinery, was designed to last a routine 90 seconds over the target area. Instead, it transformed into a harrowing, four-minute masterclass in aerial survival.
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