Page "M551 Sheridan" Paragraph 25

During Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, 51 Sheridans were deployed by the 82nd Airborne Division, and were among the first tanks to be sent.

Although photos that were published at the time showed rows of Sheridans ready to defend against Iraqi tanks, they would not have been very effective against the Soviet-designed T-72s which comprised the bulk of the Iraqi Republican Guard.

Their role was limited to reconnaissance due to their age and light armor.

It is likely that six or fewer Shillelagh missiles were fired at Iraqi bunkers ; this appears to be the only occasion in which Shillelagh missiles were fired in a combat environment, from the inventory of the aforementioned 88, 000 missiles produced.