RAF to lead the air blitz

The Sun ^ | January 28, 2003 | TREVOR KAVANAGH

[MadIvan]

On standby ... RAF Tornadoes like these

THREE dozen RAF bombers are on standby to lead an air blitz on Iraq.

Tornados, Jaguars and Harriers have a fortnight to prepare to fly to the Gulf.

The RAF package will be beefed up by reconnaissance aircraft, refuelling tankers and early warning AWACS jets.

Defence chiefs have ordered 60 extra aircraft to fly to Kuwait and Turkey ready for an air war.

They will be armed with the latest "fire and forget" laser and satellite-guided missiles, making them 100 times more powerful than those used in the Gulf War.

Britain already has 21 aircraft in the region patrolling the two no-fly zones over north and south Iraq. Up to 12 Tornado GR4s armed with Paveway II and III bombs will be sent. They will be able to launch weapons in all weathers thanks to satellite control.

The Harriers will be able to launch strike missions from makeshift runways in Iraq.

They carry Maverick missiles bought from the US after the Kosovo campaign proved RAF weapons could not be fired in poor weather.

Tornados from Marham in Norfolk and Harriers from Wittering, Cambs, are likely to be based in Incirlik, Turkey.

[lodwick]

Brit bttt

[Servant of the Nine]

The Brit Tornados can be fitted with an awesomely effective runway cratering bomb dispenser. It is the size of 2 single beds end to end and the Tornado is the only aircraft that can cary it. That is one of their special tasks in a NATO war, destroying opposition airports.

Last time around, they took out every runway in Iraq in the first 2 days.

So9

[demlosers]

The guest host on Rush yesterday gave the best reason for US/UK coalition not revealing "smoking gun" locations. It's simply that we do not want the Iraqis know that we may know an exact location so they don't move it.

You could have asked me and I would have given this as one of my answers. I thought it was pretty obvious to me -- I guess not.

[Credo]

I had thought the intel sources were too sensitive.

My bet is there is a smoking gun tying Sadaam to Al Qaeda and the 9-11 attacks. The source is way too sensitive to reveal to the sheeple. Casual observation makes N Korea the biggest threat in terms of WMD. They just haven't attacked as Iraq probably has.

[branicap]

I see that your Hegemon brain is wery succeptive to self delusion!

Brits lost 3 Tornados in two days while trying to attack Iraqi runaways using Durandal bombs.

And,abandoned the low flying tactics for good in that war.

So,your story about destruction of all iraqi airfields in two days,equal the other about Patriot missiles hitting 48 Iraqi Scuds.And,they didn`t score even one single hit!

Never mind.

[demlosers]

It's "Sources and Methods". By making sensitive info public, that could give the enemy evidence/leads to how, where, and why their secret is no longer secret.

If the U.S. is not careful, they run the risk of losing their informants, that usually end up dead, and making it more difficult to gather information on the enemy if the enemy learns how we gather (methods) secrets

[Servant of the Nine]

I see that your Hegemon brain is wery succeptive to self delusion!

Yourt reading comprehension need work. I din't say I was the Hegemon. I used "We" correctly to refer to the Unites States. No one else has managed to misunderstand that.

I think it is fair to presume the rest of your comments are of the same quality.

So9

[oldsalt]

"Jaguar" is properly pronounced "JAG-u-ar"

Except in Jacksonville,FL,where it's usually said as "JAG-wire".

[branicap]

Dear Ivan,FR is supposed to be a serious web site,so posting articles from that idiotic daily The Sun,should be avoided!

Why?Well,as usual,USA will will have 600+ planes ,RAF 20+ but "RAF will lead the attack!"LOOOOOOOOL

Secondly,in operation Allied Farce,RAF achieved an astounding succes:managed to hit total of 12% targets with their guided weapons!

This ignoramus that had writen this article should have known that Harriers were using Maverics over Yugoslavia allready!Sadly,majority of this missiles ,just like Paveways were dumped into Adriatic because Harriers couldn`t land with "live" ordnance!

Much grater succes was achieved by RAF in droping cluster bombs on city markets full of people."It went astray",of course!How can a dumb bomb miss a target for 6 miles,is beyond me?Better luck with Iraqi markets,next time!

And,there is no "fire and forget" laser guided weapon.Only a GPS guided belong to that category!Like the ones that destroyed Chinese Embassy in Belgrade.So,advice to foreign diplomats in Bagdad(ChineesemGerman,French,Indian and Russian):send USAF and RAF the latest Bagdad City maps(for tourists) or take cover!

And,finally,bombs are not "100 times more powerfull" just a little bit more accurate,OK,Mr. Kavanagh,you idiot!

Ivan,The Sun is the lowest of the low in yellow press and tabloids,and shouldn`t be a source quoted anywhere!

Anyway,I am glad the Iraqi War and expected slaughter is "such a fun"!

Enjoy it!

[MadIvan]

There are brands of decaffinated just as tasty as the regular kind.

Get over yourself.

Ivan

[spitz]

The french use Durandal, not the British. Israel used it successfully in 1969.

In GW1, the British used JP.233 LAAAS (Low Altitude Airfield Attack System) which is a sub-munitions dispenser for pavement cratering and anti personnel bomblets - some delayed action to deter repair crews.

High attrition and Iraq’s unwillingness to commit it’s airforce made the low level raids unnecessary.

[ottersnot]

Braincap, All your base is belong to us.

Was I first??

[colorado tanker]

The nations not so blest as thee,

Must in their turn to tyrants fall,

Must in their turn, must in their turn,

To tyrants fall,

While thou shall flourish,

Shall flourish great and free,

The dread and envy of them all.

Britons never, never, never shall be slaves.

[Charles Martel]

"Jaguar" is properly pronounced "JAG-u-ar"

Except in Jacksonville,FL,where it's usually said as "JAG-wire".

In New Orleans, the pronunciation is Jag-WAR. Appropriate in this case, I'd say. :^)

[demlosers]

It's not entirely used by the French. The U.S. adopted the French Duradal anti-runway bomb in the 1980s and designated it as an BLU-107.

[Charles Martel]

Brits lost 3 Tornados in two days while trying to attack Iraqi runaways using Durandal bombs.

Speaking of which... has anyone ever tooled-up a copy of the Durandel? The French make that particular weapon, IIRC, so resupply in not assured.

[spitz]

I used a 1983 book as reference!. It stated the US were evaluating Durandal but I was too lazy to check who currently uses it.

[spitz]

I think Durandal, JP.233 have seen their day and are being replaced by ‘smart bombs’ and stand-off weapons. Doesn’t make sense anymore to fly hundreds of miles, fly down the centreline of a runway and drop bombs, too risky for the pilots and machines.

[rmlew]

The JDAM can be used to lauch a similar attack. It would be used to guide a canister with specialised bomblets.
Teh Tomahawk-D can also do this.

Still, the video of a Tornado using the JP.233 on an airfield, played on teh History channel was sweet.
A mile-long strip was cratered and mined in one sweep.

The new Tornado GR-4 automatically caries the HARM or Martel ARM along with 2 sidwinders and the Jp.233.

[spitz]

Seen a couple of films myself, very impressive!

It’s the high cost in pilots that concerns me, using the old Cold War/Nato tactics from GW1 isn’t necessary anymore. The sooner the MOD gets the Storm Shadow/Apache missile to the RAF the better.