Indecisive 1 Kitty Hawk Class Carrier 3 Cruisers1 Type 42 Destroyer 1 Frigate 71 Carrier Aircraft Numerous AAA and SAM defenses 1 MiG-23 Flogger Various SAMs and AAA During January 1993, numerous coalition airstrikes occurred against Iraq in response to actions by the latter predominantly due to the No-Fly Zone in Southern Iraq.

[1] This coupled with some incidents of Iraqi troops making incursions and exchanging fire with Kuwaiti troops[2] led to the no-fly zone on the 32nd Parallel being enacted on August 26, 1992, with U.S. Navy F/A-18C Hornets of Carrier Air Wing Five from the aircraft carrier USS Independence being the first to fly into the zone.

Kevin J. Thomas, Commanding Officer of VFA-97 who led the air strike as well as two of the F/A-18As for escort and four providing SAM suppression), four F-14A Tomcats from VF-51 and VF-111, three EA-6B Prowlers from VAQ-134, an S-3B Viking from VS-37 for electronic support, and two E-2C Hawkeyes from VAW-114.

During the transit to the target area, the F-14As from CVW-15's strike package had to travel more than 644 km (400 miles) to reach a tanker aircraft to avoid alerting Iraqi Air Defence commanders.

[12][13] A cruise missile strike was launched by the Kitty Hawk Battlegroup on the 17th on the Zafraniyah Nuclear Fabrication Facility, 8 miles or 13 km southwest of Baghdad.

[6] The US Navy stated that the single loss to AAA was due to the Tomahawks flying the same routes over Baghdad they had used during the Gulf War.

[16] During the phase that required the taking out of SAM sites, an F-16C Block 30 of the 23rd FS (52nd FW) piloted by 1st Lt. Craig Stevenson saw what was described as the "unmistakable radar return" of an enemy aircraft rolling down the runway, heading in his direction, about 30 nm away.

The aircraft were then painted by an Iraqi SAM radar and in return, one of the F-4Gs launched an AGM-88 HARM missile 12 miles or 19 km north of Mosul.

[6] On January 23, 1993, Iraqi AAA allegedly (flashes were reported from the air) fired at an A-6E SWIP Intruder from VA-52 as well as at two F/A-18As (all from the Kitty Hawk).