Every war the Royal Bahraini Air Force has fought
Bahrain’s part in the Syrian and Yemeni campaigns rests largely on Wikipedia and press reports; accounts of how many jets it sent to Yemen range from eight to 15. The Yemen Data Project’s count of civilians killed by coalition air raids concerns the coalition as a whole, and public sources do not attribute individual strikes to Bahraini aircraft. In the 2026 war Iran says it is striking territory used to attack it, while Bahrain, with other Gulf states, accuses Tehran of attacking civilian targets; the BDF’s interception totals include ground-based air defences, and Wikipedia’s report of Bahraini strikes inside Iran is not confirmed in an official Bahraini account. Where a consolidated sortie or loss figure exists in the official record it is given here; where accounts disagree, the range is shown and the disagreement named. Blank cells are blank because no figure could be verified, not because the fighting was small.
From Desert Storm in 1991 to Iranian drones over Bahrain in 2026.
| Conflict | Years | Against | Main aircraft | Sorties | Aircraft lost | |
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| Gulf WarOperation Desert StormBahrain Amiri Air Force | 1991 | Iraq | F-16C/D Block 40, F-5E/F | 303 | ||
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Defensive patrols, then strike missions with the coalition; Bahraini bases opened to coalition forces. Bahrain’s first F-16s had been in service for barely eight months when the air war against Iraq began. F-16.net records that Bahraini F-16s and F-5s flew defensive missions from 25 January 1991 and began offensive operations the next day. Arabic Wikipedia counts 303 combat sorties up to the ceasefire on 28 February. On the ground, Bahraini troops served in the GCC contingent in a support role, and the island became a logistics hub: the Library of Congress country study notes that Bahrain let US forces use its naval and air facilities, and Wikipedia records that coalition crews nicknamed Shaikh Isa "Shakey’s Pizza". Outcome Coalition victory; Kuwait liberated. The BDF lists the liberation of Kuwait among the air force’s operations. Sortie totals come from Wikipedia, not an official Bahraini or US source.
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| Air campaign against the Islamic State in SyriaOperation Inherent ResolveRoyal Bahraini Air Force | 2014–2016 | Islamic State | F-16 | 0 | ||
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Joined the first US-led strikes on the Islamic State in Syria. Wikipedia’s article on the US-led intervention in Syria lists Bahrain with Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as the Arab states that joined the United States in the first strikes on the Islamic State in Syria on the night of 22/23 September 2014, and lists Bahraini participation as ending in 2016. The aircraft type is not stated there; the F-16 is the only Bahraini strike jet of the period. A primary US or Bahraini statement was not reached for this dataset. Outcome Bahrain’s participation is listed by Wikipedia as ending in 2016. Single, secondary source; aircraft type inferred.
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| Saudi-led intervention in YemenOperation Decisive Storm and Restoring HopeRoyal Bahraini Air Force | 2015–2016 | Houthi movement (Ansar Allah) and forces loyal to Ali Abdullah Saleh | F-16C/D Block 40 | 1 | ||
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Air strikes as part of the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthi movement (Ansar Allah). Bahrain joined the coalition that Saudi Arabia led into Yemen on 26 March 2015 to restore President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi’s government. How many jets it sent is uncertain: Al Jazeera, citing Al Arabiya and Saudi military sources, reported eight Bahraini aircraft on the first day, while Wikipedia, also citing Al Arabiya, gives 15 F-16s operating from Saudi bases. Bahraini special forces (Task Force 11) also deployed. On 30 December 2015 a Bahraini F-16 crashed in Jizan near the Yemeni border; the coalition said a technical error was to blame and that the pilot was safe. The air contingent came home in February 2016. The coalition’s air campaign has been widely criticised: the Yemen Data Project counts 8,672 civilians killed and 9,741 injured by coalition air raids,. That count concerns the coalition as a whole; public sources reached do not attribute particular strikes to Bahraini aircraft. Outcome The air contingent returned to Bahrain in February 2016, according to a BNA report cited by Wikipedia. The wider war continued. Aircraft numbers disagree (8–15); the end date rests on a BNA report cited by Wikipedia, not read directly.
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| 2026 Iran warIranian missile and drone attacks on BahrainRoyal Bahraini Air Force | 2026– | Iran | F-16C/D Block 70, F-16C/D Block 40 | 0 | ||
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Air defence of Bahrain against Iranian missiles and drones, with US forces; Wikipedia lists Bahrain among Gulf states that later attacked Iran. The war began on 28 February 2026 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Iran answered with missiles and drones on Gulf states hosting US forces; Bahrain, home of the US Fifth Fleet, was hit from 1 March, including Manama. Iran’s foreign minister acknowledged striking the Fifth Fleet headquarters, and Al Jazeera, citing a Wall Street Journal satellite analysis, reports extensive damage to Naval Support Activity Bahrain between February and June. The BDF said it intercepted 194 missiles and 515 drones between the start of the war and the April ceasefire, The War Zone reported; the figure covers ground-based air defences as well as fighters, and an earlier figure of 95 missiles and 164 drones (9 March) is cited by Wikipedia. On 1 April an RBAF F-16D Block 70 shot down two Iranian drones that had got past ground defences, firing one AIM-120 and one AIM-9X, in what Lockheed Martin called the first combat kills of the Block 70. On 2 June CENTCOM said US and Bahraini air defences intercepted three more ballistic missiles. Wikipedia lists Bahrain, with the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, as having attacked Iran after strikes on its territory; no official Bahraini account of such strikes was reached. Iran says it is striking territories used to attack it; Bahrain, with other Gulf states, accuses Tehran of attacking civilian targets, and declined to attend an Iran-GCC meeting in September 2026. Outcome Continuing: a ceasefire of 8 April and a deal of 28 June both broke down, and Al Jazeera reported no ceasefire in place in September 2026. A war in progress: interception totals are Bahraini government figures and change over time; reports of Bahraini strikes inside Iran are not confirmed in a primary source reached here.
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Every figure, checked
- Bahrain Defence Force: Royal Bahraini Air ForceOfficial BDF page. Formation ordered on 8 May 1976; first helicopters 5 February 1977; F-5 from 12 December 1985; F-16 by 28 May 1990; Isa Air Base opened 2 February 1993; Hawk 26 February 2007; Sakhir Air Base 12 January 2010; UH-60M 8 February 2011; part in the liberation of Kuwait.
- F-16.net: F-16 users – BahrainPeace Crown I (1987): 8 F-16C and 4 F-16D Block 40, first four arrived 23 May 1990 flown by Bahraini pilots; Peace Crown II (1998): US$303 million for ten Block 40, delivered by 2000; defensive missions from 25 January 1991, offensive from the next day; Block 70 deal and Block 40 upgrade.
- The War Zone: Bahrain First To Claim F-16 Block 70 Air-To-Air Kills (10 April 2026)1 April 2026: an RBAF F-16D Block 70 shot down two Iranian drones with one AIM-120 and one AIM-9X; Lockheed Martin post of 9 April 2026; BDF figure of 194 missiles and 515 drones intercepted from 28 February to the April ceasefire; Bahrain launch customer, first jets to Isa in March 2024.
- The War Zone: Iran Launches New Attacks On Kuwait, Bahrain (updated 3 June 2026)2 June 2026: three Iranian ballistic missiles at Bahrain intercepted by US and Bahraini air defences (CENTCOM); Interior Ministry siren alert; IRIB justification.
- The War Zone: search results for BahrainFinding aid: index of TWZ articles on Bahrain, including the 28 February 2026 report of Iranian strikes on the US 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain.
- Al Jazeera: Iran-GCC summit: What’s behind the meeting, why is Bahrain not attending? (13 September 2026)Bahrain has borne the brunt of Iranian attacks since February; no ceasefire in place in September 2026; Bahrain’s refusal to attend; Iranian foreign ministry position; Bahrain–Iran relations severed since 2016.
- Al Jazeera: ‘Blew the hell out of it’: How Iran damaged US bases in Bahrain, Jordan (11 September 2026)Naval Support Activity Bahrain repeatedly struck February–June 2026; WSJ satellite analysis; acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao quoted; Iranian foreign minister acknowledged striking the 5th Fleet HQ.
- Al Jazeera: Bahrain news indexFinding aid: September 2026 headlines, including Bahrain declining Iran’s proposed Hormuz meeting (12 September 2026).
- Al Jazeera: Saudi and Arab allies bomb Houthi positions in Yemen (26 March 2015)Bahrain contributed eight aircraft, according to Al Arabiya citing Saudi military sources.
- Middle East Eye: Bahrain F-16 crashes in Saudi near Yemen border after technical issue (30 December 2015)Coalition statement via SPA: a Bahraini F-16 crashed in Jizan on 30 December 2015 from a technical error; pilot safe; three Bahraini soldiers killed near the border days earlier.
- Library of Congress Country Studies: Persian Gulf States (1993) – Bahrain, foreign relationsBahrain allowed US forces to use its naval and air facilities in 1990–91 and signed a defence agreement with the United States in 1992.
Figures verified 2026-10-01. Back to the Royal Bahraini Air Force.