FIRSTS IN THE PERSIAN GULF WAR

First ballistic missile attack on Israel:

Palestinian guerrillas in Lebanon frequently fire Katyusha rockets at northern Israel, but the Iraqi Scud attack on Jan. 18 was the first full-fledged missile assault.

Women in large numbers in combat support roles:

Of more than 475,000 American military personnel serving in the Persian Gulf, 27,000 -- or 6% -- are women. Women soldiers make up 11.4% of American army personnel in Operation Desert Storm. Only 1.5% of U.S. Army personnel who served in Vietnam were women.

U.S. combat troops deployed to Israel:

U.S. Army air defense troops -- armed with Patriot missiles to fend off Iraqi Scud missiles -- arrived in Israel from Europe on Jan. 19

A Saudi pilot downs plane piloted by another Arab:

Although Arab relations have been fractious throughout modern history, the last time Saudi Arabia fought in a major war was in the 1920s. Then, two Arab states in what is now Saudi Arabia fought for the title of King of the Arabs.

A Patriot missile used in combat:

Patriots are a mainstay of current U.S. defense in the Middle East. The first Patriot missile, fired from Dhahran, Saudi Arabia on Jan. 18, intercepted an inbound Scud missile near the Iraq-Kuwait border.

Tomahawk cruise missiles fired from ship, sub in combat:

The Tomahawk is one of the most technologically complex systems in the nation’s arsenal. The Pentagon claimed an astonishingly high success rate -- more than 90% by some reports -- in the critical first day of combat with Iraq.

J-STARS (Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System) used:

This is the Air Force’s most sophisticated radar for aerial surveillance of moving and stationary targets. It was taken out of development early this month for operation.

SLAM (Stand-Off Land Attack Missiles) used in comes combat:

This stand-off weapon launched by Navy A6s is used primarily for ground targets. SLAM combines the technologies of four weapon systems already used.