Operation Shader - Iraq, Syria

[shark bait]

Fucks sake. I despair at the press sometimes.

Not as it suggested?

[downsizer]

Fucks sake. I despair at the press sometimes.

Not as it suggested?

No, nothing wrong with accuracy, I don't think they should be advertising aircraft movements pretty much as they happen. After the fact sure, no drama.

[arfah]

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[arfah]

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[Dahedd]

Surely they wouldn't get anywhere near Cyprus or the countries in the med. It's crawling in NATO shipping & aircraft

[arfah]

............

[RetroSicotte]

well, Republic of Cyprus doesn't have a fighter force. The R.A.F. doesn't mount a Q.R.A. there (as far as I'm aware)

RAF does cover for the area. Back in 2013 a couple of Syrian Su-24's made a run at Cyprus airspace, only to brick it and turn for home once the Typhoons came up to ask some questions.

I wouldn't put much in the report. This is the same newspaper who claimed ISIS were planning a tsunami attack on the UK...

[The Armchair Soldier]

Britain 'Moving Towards Military Action Against Isil in Libya'

Britain could launch military action in Libya next, Government sources have said amid fears that Islamic State militants will use their new stronghold along a stretch of the Mediterranean coast to target Europe.

Ministers at the Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence say they are “extremely concerned" by the rapid rise of Isil and other extremist groups in Libya and are considering plans for intervening to tackle the threat.

Read More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... libya.html

[The Armchair Soldier]

Storm Shadow is now being used in Iraq by the French. What's the odds on us doing the same?

[shark bait]

Storm Shadow is now being used in Iraq by the French. What's the odds on us doing the same?

Seems even more innefiient than our current method of blowing up £200 pickups.
Unless we have stock to burn through, I don't see what it has to offer over the current weapons.

[The Armchair Soldier]

The Royal Navy warship HMS Defender has joined the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle ready to support operations against Daesh.

The Type 45 air defence destroyer met the aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean to strengthen the French ship’s ability to conduct air strikes against the terrorist organisation in Iraq and Syria.

[Tiny Toy]

The Royal Navy warship HMS Defender has joined the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle ready to support operations against Daesh.

The Type 45 air defence destroyer met the aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean to strengthen the French ship’s ability to conduct air strikes against the terrorist organisation in Iraq and Syria.

Strengthen it how? Daesh don't have any aircraft to defend against.

[ArmChairCivvy]

True, but escorts are needed for all kinds of reasons in threat areas.

Now, if Sarko gets back into office, then we might be back in the deliberations of 3 carriers: one on "duty", one on exercises and one in port or refitting.
- two out, at a push, but with a shorter notice than the same out of two carriers

[inch]

why was sarko saying build 3 carriers for france ie build 2 more ,thought even 2 was going to be a push ?that's why delayed building a second

[Tiny Toy]

why was sarko saying build 3 carriers for france ie build 2 more ,thought even 2 was going to be a push ?that's why delayed building a second

3 is a pipe dream and there is no reason for it. PA2 was cancelled primarily not because it would have been too expensive, but because the MN determined that they would be sacrificing so much (ship's complement, nuclear propulsion) in comparison to CdG that it would not even be an adequate standby.

[shark bait]

its a shame, would have been a perfect study to put the nuclear/GT and STOVL/CATOBAR arguments to bed.
(incidentally I think we are on the right side of both of them)

[ArmChairCivvy]

Err... I was sort of thinking of CdG retirement (unless something happens in Algeria, and they will have to bring her back from the scrappers)
- 2 of ours
- PA2 resurrected

You know, CdG cost abt 5 bn, and our two, what , 6+?

ACA/ BAE might be put to a test with their flexible design, when they can't say that 200+ compartment walls will have to be changed... and it will cost 2 bn (almost te same as one more)

[Tiny Toy]

I think suggesting PA2 resurrection is a non-starter. Like I say the French like their nuclear propulsion, and all that it facilitates, e.g. CATOBAR.

[ArmChairCivvy]

I know, but the French won't like it to be without their carrier, either.
- one and half years (again) from 2017

I was referring to the idea of us having two and them one of roughly the same design (but CATOBAR, obviously, CdG is about as small as you can make them while retaining a "realistic" airwing).
- then always having at least one ready to sail
- cross-decking a/c (mainly one way, though, VSTOL being versatile across all types)

These ships are for expeditionary uses, and the Joint force will become operational in the course of the coming year

[ArmChairCivvy]

Thanks to xav for posting this to another thread:
"French Navy (Marine Nationale) Rafale M carrier-based multirole fighters may conduct combat missions against the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria from a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier as soon as January 2017. The information comes from French TV channel TF1"
- err, I wonder why that would be

[Tiny Toy]

Thanks to xav for posting this to another thread:
"French Navy (Marine Nationale) Rafale M carrier-based multirole fighters may conduct combat missions against the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria from a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier as soon as January 2017. The information comes from French TV channel TF1"
- err, I wonder why that would be

Well, they can't conduct them from ours...

[ArmChairCivvy]

ArmChairCivvy wrote:
Thanks to xav for posting this to another thread:
"French Navy (Marine Nationale) Rafale M carrier-based multirole fighters may conduct combat missions against the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria from a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier as soon as January 2017. The information comes from French TV channel TF1"
- err, I wonder why that would be

Well, they can't conduct them from ours...

Nor their own, if the only one is in deep maintenance/ refuelling
... but as you say, the PA2 has since long been dead

[The Armchair Soldier]

Over the last week, the RAF conducted the most intensive day of air strikes against Daesh so far and continue to support the Iraqi operation to liberate Ramadi.

On Wednesday 16 December RAF Tornados assisted the Iraqi troops battling Daesh on the outskirts of Ramadi, and used Paveway IVs to destroy heavy machine-gun positions, a sniper team and a group of terrorist fighters. In northern Iraq, all three RAF aircraft deployed to fight Daesh – Tornados, Typhoons and Reaper – were in action, providing close air support to the Kurdish peshmerga. Our aircraft delivered numerous precision attacks on terrorist targets, to the north and west of Mosul using a mixture of Brimstone, Hellfire, Paveway IV and GBU-12 missiles and bombs. In total, these RAF strikes successfully destroyed four heavy machine-gun positions, two terrorist teams armed with rockets, three Daesh vehicles, one of which was a large truck-bomb, and six groups of terrorists. Additionally, the two Reapers were able to use their advanced reconnaissance sensors to assist twelve successful attacks by other coalition aircraft. Typhoons also conducted tactical reconnaissance and another Tornado mission returned to Ramadi, where they destroyed a heavy machine-gun position and two terrorist-held buildings.

Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/upda ... es-in-iraq

[ArmChairCivvy]

Do we know, by now, why the recce Tornados went to Incirlik?
- Cyprus SBA airfield getting overcrowded?
- or, to avoid flying over the zone where the Russians are active?
- or...?

[RetroSicotte]

Holy crap, I just read the further detail. Armchair doesn't quote half of what they've been up to.

That is one hell of a string for a few days.