UK Defence Forum

Sounds like a great exercise for verifying and developing methods of using manned and unmanned assets together.

definitely sounds like a step up in the pace from the previous reports too.

Well, looks like the Iraqis have finally organised themselves, only took over a year while the Kurds were doing all the heavy lifting:
"Coalition air operations have already degraded Daesh’s front-line military capabilities and have assisted the Iraqi ground forces in liberating some 30% of the territory that the terrorists initially seized in that country during the summer of 2014."
- the only trained non-sectarian bde was much reduced during the Daesh advance (as they were the only ones willing to fight?)

Ethnic/ tribal divisions seem to be taking their toll in Afghanistan as well, the Gvmnt that has been fed tens or hundreds of bns to get their national force (and other elements that might bind and hold the country together) being very slow or indifferent in reacting to what is going on in the South of the country.

ArmChairCivvy wrote:Well, looks like the Iraqis have finally organised themselves, only took over a year while the Kurds were doing all the heavy lifting:
.

While on the one hand it is easy to see why the Iraqi armed forces would struggle, we did after all kind of reduce them to dust but on the other hand... What the hell guys? Give ISIS half the damn country, enough arms to make most NATO states envious and then spent over a year systemically failing at every opportunity!

Still I hope this is the turning point of them getting themselves back in order especially with Turkey turning into a wild pack of dicks at the moment.

A tooled up Tiffy refueled over Iraq by a USAF tanker:







U.S. Air Force photos by Staff Sgt. Corey Hook

A fully loaded dirty typhoon. That's something you don't see very often

It was probably dirtied up on the ground by a make up artist for that photo op! Not sure why it would be carrying 6 AA missiles over Iraq when on ISIS patrol, as much as a threat Turkey may pose to the region I'm not sure they would go after a RAF aircraft at the moment.

I thought that 6 air to air missiles was standard fit regardless of the mission.

Some footage of Typhoon strikes in Iraq:

Allies at work: RAF Typhoons being refueled over Iraq/Syria by the U.S. Air Force:

Latest update

Daesh terrorists in Syria and Iraq have suffered further losses from successful Royal Air Force air strikes.

On Wednesday 13 January, Typhoon FRG4s provided Iraqi ground forces with close air support as they continue to eliminate terrorist positions in and around Ramadi and conducted two successful attacks with Paveway IV guided bombs on Daesh machine-gun teams. Further north, south-west of Sinjar, Tornado GR4s supported operations by the Kurdish peshmerga and used a Paveway to destroy a machine-gun position which had opened fire on the troops.

The following day, Typhoons were again in action over Ramadi, where they delivered three Paveway IV attacks on a group of Daesh fighters preparing for an assault, a firing position and a mortar team. Tornados patrolled east of Mosul, where they used a pair of Paveways to attack a mortar position and an armed pick-up truck. Typhoons operated in the same area that night, and successfully bombed three buildings in a terrorist-held compound.

On Friday 15 January, Tornado GR4s struck a Daesh barracks near Raqqa, with two Paveway IVs, also destroying one of their vehicles parked close by.

GR4s conducted two successful attacks with Brimstone missiles on Sunday 17 January, destroying a vehicle near Tabbaqah, west of Raqqa, in Syria and a terrorist supply truck south of Sinjar in Iraq.

Throughout these missions, the Tornados and Typhoons were supported as is normal by a Voyager air refuelling tanker, whilst RAF Reaper and Sentinel continued to conduct invaluable surveillance missions against terrorist targets. On the ground, British military instructors continue their efforts as part of the coalition training teams helping build the capabilities of the Iraqi security forces to enable them to build on their recent successes against Daesh.

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

Sounds like the pace has certainly picked up recently, the extra typhoon's seem to be put to good use.

I'm hoping all this is be taken by the Treasury as a sign for the need to allow the MoD to maintain larger pre-operations stock piles of munitions. We've had troubles with replenishment before certainly, but the existing stockpiles themselves, even at capacity, are considered far too small from what i have heard. Would rather we didn't position ourselves for any 21st Century repeats of Neuve Chapelle tbh.

True for precision stuff. Leading into the 2010 SDSR
"Overall, the military is storing 710m items – from rifle ammunition and missiles to clothing and aircraft parts – at a cost of £277m a year. The NAO estimates that of the £19.5bn worth of inventory it reviewed, stock worth £6.6bn was either unused or over-ordered."
- I believe well over 2 bn of that was artillery rounds and dumb bombs
- some waiting refurbing (for those parts that time expire), some for disposal... and lots of stuff that actually could go bang

It isn't easy when you have the accountants on your back. Every year when there isn't a major conflict you will get accused of hoarding and over-ordering.

A Royal Navy warship has been given a vital uplift in stores and fuel as she continues her work fighting Daesh as part of the US Carrier Strike Group in the Gulf.

In a highly complex scenario Type 45 destroyer HMS Defender was refuelled with 500,000 litres from US tanker USNS Pecos at the same time as US aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman.

In total six ships were involved in the replenishment: HMS Defender, USS Harry S Truman, USS Anzio, USS Ramage, USNS Pecos, and USNS Medgar Evers.

HMS Defender is on a nine month deployment, and will continue working with the American and French carrier strike groups to support their air campaigns against Daesh in Iraq and Syria.

Latest update

Daesh terrorists in both Syria and Iraq have been repeatedly struck by numerous Royal Air Force attacks over recent days.

On Wednesday 20 January Typhoon FGR4s and Tornado GR4s provided close air support to Iraqi ground forces in and near Ramadi. Four successful attacks were conducted using Paveway IV guided bombs, striking two Daesh-held buildings, a group of extremists, and an armoured personnel carrier which was being converted into a large truck-bomb. The latter attack also detonated the stockpile of explosives close by. A Typhoon mission also provided support to Iraqi troops near Fallujah, hitting a terrorist mortar position with a Paveway IV.

The following day, a pair of Typhoons patrolling Ramadi and Haditha, delivered four Paveway attacks on three Daesh strongpoints and a further explosives stockpile. Further north, a Tornado flight used a pair of Paveway IVs to destroy a terrorist fighting position and a mortar team near Qayyarah.

On Friday 22 January, Typhoons worked closely with another coalition aircraft to target a group of terrorists concealed beneath trees, scoring a direct hit with a Paveway.

A Typhoon mission on Sunday 24 January operating near Ramadi, identified an anti-aircraft gun and ammunition store and attacked with two Paveways which destroyed both targets. The Typhoons then switched their focus to a network of Daesh trenches located near Habbaniyah, where they were joined by a pair of Tornados. The two RAF aircraft conducted six attacks with Paveways on the trench positions and a bunker. Tornado GR4s also patrolled south-east of Mosul, where they struck three terrorist-held buildings. A further Typhoon mission dropped six Paveways on a terrorist command compound north-west of Ramadi.

Meanwhile in Syria, Tornados used Brimstone missiles to successfully attack three mobile cranes, being used by Daesh to repair damage from coalition air strikes.

Monday 25 January saw a further two cranes destroyed by Brimstones, south-west of Raqqa, whilst a Reaper remotely piloted aircraft hit a Daesh position with a Hellfire missile, just on the Syrian side of the border. In northern Iraq, Tornado GR4s bombed a mortar position and a sniper team which had opened fire on Kurdish forces advancing south of Sinjar.

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

24285 – Islamic State: Military Intervention (Answered)

Emily Thornberry
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times (a) Brimstone missiles, (b) Hellfire missiles and (c) Paveway IV guided bombs have been deployed against targets in (i) Iraq since September 2014 and (ii) Syria since December 2015.

Penny Mordaunt

The number of weapons fired by each weapon type in each country during the period requested up to 24 January 2016 is shown below:

See table at: http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2016/01/2 ... -answered/

Britain Plots Bombing of Isis in Libya

A TEAM of British military and intelligence officers last week undertook a secret reconnaissance mission to Libya to plan RAF airstrikes against Isis militants in the strife-torn north African state.

Six RAF officers flew to an airbase in eastern Libya, controlled by pro-western militia forces, along with a group of MI6 operatives, diplomats from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and US and French military personnel.

Their mission, near the coastal city of Tobruk, was to build up intelligence on the location of Isis fighters and draw up potential targets for possible British and coalition airstrikes.

Read More: http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/new ... 662906.ece (paywalled)

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^ Yep. Media sharks...

arfah wrote:That's a little too detailed to be confirmed as "being in the public's interest."

More like giving intelligence away to our enemies.

Or pure speculation, misinformation.

On Saturday 5 March, four Typhoons joined other coalition aircraft in a large coordinated operation against terrorist locations in western Iraq. The RAF aircraft targeted a large Daesh weapons factory in the countryside near Qubaysah, some miles west of Ramadi. The Typhoons released a total of 16 Paveways, which completely demolished some workshops and storage sheds.On Saturday 5 March, four Typhoons joined other coalition aircraft in a large coordinated operation against terrorist locations in western Iraq. The RAF aircraft targeted a large Daesh weapons factory in the countryside near Qubaysah, some miles west of Ramadi. The Typhoons released a total of 16 Paveways, which completely demolished some workshops and storage sheds.

Tornado Hits Dog On Return From Mission

The Ministry of Defence have confirmed that a RAF Tornado aircraft hit a stray dog while landing at RAF Akrotiri.

[...]

Contrary to tabloid newspaper reports, an RAF Spokesman told Forces TV that the Tornado was not travelling at 200mph at the time nor was thousands of pounds of damage caused.

Rather "there was minimal damage to the aircraft which has returned to service".

[...]

RAF Akrotiri meanwhile is investigating how the feral canine "gained access to the runway in order to try and ensure that incidents such as this do not occur again."

The fate of the dog in question is unknown.

Read More: http://www.forces.tv/31186278

Very unfortunate. Let's hope the RAF doesn't now incur the wrath of PETA.

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