--- title: "Watch actual footage from the first Apache strikes of Desert Storm" date: "2018-04-02" modified: "2020-10-21" authors: - name: "Logan Nye" job_title: "Senior Contributor, Army Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/logan-nye/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/watch-actual-footage-first-apache-strikes-desert-storm/" categories: - "Gulf War" - "History" - "War History" --- # Watch actual footage from the first Apache strikes of Desert Storm ![]() On January 17, 1991, seven months after Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded and tried to annex neighboring Kuwait, the world decided it had enough. Operation Desert Storm was launched that day, and Saddam was smacked down by a coalition of 39 countries. --- Conducting this epic assault required bringing in Western airpower to destroy Hussein's formidable armored corps of over 4,000 tanks. To open the way for other planes and choppers, eight Apaches and two Pave Low helicopters flew to Iraqi air defense sites and unleashed dozens of Hellfire missiles. The sites and their operators were destroyed by the onslaught. See actual footage from the raid in this video from the [Smithsonian Channel](). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhpgCaPoBaE ## Author Logan was an Army journalist and paratrooper in the 82nd. Now, he's a freelance writer covering military history, culture, and technology. He has two upcoming podcasts and a Twitch channel focused on basic military literacy. ### Author social links [Twitter]() [Facebook]()