 A total of 4,124 sorties were flown by the 99 F-14s in theater.The greater part of the sorties were air-to-air missions, although Tomcats were left with few aerial targets to contend with due in part to the rapid disintegration of Iraq's air defense system by coalition attacks, which grounded the majority of Iraq's air force.Compared to its U.S. Air Force counterpart, the F-15, there were greater limitations on the use of beyond visual range missiles for the F-14 during Operation Desert Storm.