Footage has been released of the moment an RAF Tornado destroyed an Islamic State truck in the first round of British airstrikes against militants in Iraq.
Two fighter jets carried out the aerial raids in support of Kurdish troops who were being attacked by IS insurgents in the northwest of the country.
The Tornados hit a heavy weapons post that was endangering Kurdish forces and also struck an armed pick-up truck in the same area, said Defence Secretary Michael Fallon.
It was the seventh combat mission for the RAF since the GR4 jets took to the skies on Saturday after the UK Parliament gave the green light for aerial attacks over Iraq a day earlier.
A Paveway IV guided bomb was used to attack the IS post.
1/10
-
Gallery: The Moment RAF Jet Attacks IS Truck
The RAF has carried out its first airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq. (All pictures: MoD)
-
Tornados destroyed a heavy weapon position, which was attacking Kurdish forces, and an armed pick-up truck (pictured). The red circle shows the path of the missile fired at the vehicle
-
The strikes were the first since MPs voted to support aerial raids in Iraq last Friday
-
The targets were in the northwest of Iraq
-
The moment the truck, which had a mounted machine gun, was destroyed by a Brimstone missile
-
A plume of smoke rose above the area
-
The strike was "successful", according to an initial assessment, said Defence Secretary Michael Fallon
-
The Tornados safely returned to their base at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, after the sortie
-
Six of the GR4 fighter jets are based on the island in the Mediterranean
-
The aircraft began their combat missions on Saturday
The Tornados then identified the truck which had a mounted machine gun and the vehicle was destroyed using a Brimstone missile. Footage of the strike was released by the Ministry of Defence.
Mr Fallon said both aerial attacks against IS, also known as ISIS and ISIL, were "successful" according to an initial assessment.
The planes then returned safely to base at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, where there are six Tornados.
The UK is supporting Iraqi and Kurdish forces who are battling Sunni Muslim extremists from the militant group which has taken over large parts of Iraq in recent months.
IS has also seized swathes of Syria. The vote in Parliament on Friday did not include authorising airstrikes over that country.
Sky's Defence Correspondent Alistair Bunkall said Kurdish peshmerga fighters had called in the strikes which were thought to have taken place around 1pm.
Sky's Chief Correspondent Stuart Ramsay said he believed the raids happened in the Iraqi town of Rabia on the border with Syria.
He said the strikes were at the time that the peshmerga were taking the area back.
"It's a very significant town. It's where IS have been moving supplies to their people. There's trade, there's oil," he said.
"I think it's likely it was there because there was a fight taking place which means the RAF were able to identify targets. They were called in by the peshmerga and they were able to destroy them (IS targets)."
The Ministry of Defence said: "Royal Air Force Tornado GR4 aircraft have been in action over Iraq as part of the international coalition's operations to support the democratic Iraqi government in the fight against ISIL.
"In the course of an armed reconnaissance mission from RAF Akrotiri, two Tornados were tasked to assist Kurdish troops in northwest Iraq who were under attack from ISIL terrorists.
1/10
-
Gallery: RAF Tornados Pictured In Mission Over Iraq
RAF Tornado GR4s were pictured over Iraq as they began their armed combat mission in support of Operation Shader
-
The images were taken as the Tornados were being refuelled in mid-air by a RAF Voyager aircraft
-
The Ministry of Defence says the Tornados are now flying daily over northern Iraq
-
They are supporting the US military in its efforts to target Islamic State militants
-
The RAF carried out two sorties over Iraq on Saturday
-
In both missions the fighter bombers did not use their weapons
-
But the Ministry of Defence said "invaluable intelligence" had been gathered using the planes' surveillance equipment
-
Click on to see more photos of the Tornados in action...
"On arriving overhead, the RAF patrol, using their Litening III targeting pod, identified an ISIL heavy weapon position which was engaging Kurdish ground forces.
"One Paveway IV guided bomb was used to attack the ISIL position. Following this engagement, the patrol identified an ISIL armed pick-up truck in the same area and conducted an attack on the vehicle using a Brimstone missile.
"An initial assessment indicates that both precision strikes were successful."
1/10
-
Gallery: Tornado Jets 'Uniquely Equipped'
The Tornado GR4 is 'uniquely equipped to carry some of the most potent weapons systems of their type in the world', defence analyst Professor Chris Bellamy told Sky News. Picture: Ministry of Defence
-
Among the weapons it can carry is the Brimstone anti-tank and anti-vehicle missile, and according to Prof Bellamy, this the benefit of allowing pilots to fire the missile off to one side
-
This image, released by the MoD, shows Tornados on the ground in Cyprus before their first combat mission over Iraq
-
The ground attack aircraft flies at up to Mach 2.2 - 1,400mph. Pic: MoD
-
The Tornado, which is an all-weather fighter, first took part in RAF operations in 1982 and went through a major upgrade from 1998-2003. Pic: MoD
-
A Tornado can also carry the Paveway IV laser guided bomb and Storm Shadow missile - which Prof Bellamy referred to as a 'bunker buster' that can be guided to its target. Click through for more pictures of the aircraft from the MoD
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Video Shows RAF Airstrike On IS In Iraq
Dengan url
https://letestnewsite.blogspot.com/2014/10/video-shows-raf-airstrike-on-is-in-iraq.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Video Shows RAF Airstrike On IS In Iraq
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Video Shows RAF Airstrike On IS In Iraq
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar