The Ministry of Defence has provided an update on the Royal Air Force’s (RAF) air strike operations in Iraq and Syria for the first half of 2024, highlighting actions against the Daesh terrorist organisation as part of Operation Shader.
On 21 April, RAF Typhoon FGR4s successfully targeted a rocket launcher in northwest Iraq. The aircraft were conducting a routine patrol over Syria and Iraq when coalition forces detected rocket launches aimed at their positions.
Acting swiftly, the Typhoons deployed a Paveway IV precision-guided bomb, effectively destroying the rocket launcher system.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the strike was part of the RAF’s ongoing commitment to the global coalition’s efforts to stabilise the region and prevent the resurgence of terrorist activities.
On 18 June, an RAF Reaper drone, equipped with Hellfire missiles, carried out a precision strike against a known Daesh fighter in the Syrian desert. The Reaper’s crew tracked the target on foot and, after ensuring no civilians were at risk, executed a successful strike on the individual.
The Ministry of Defence highlighted the use of remotely piloted aircraft in conducting surveillance and targeted strikes with high precision, which helps minimise the risk to both civilians and coalition forces.
Operation Shader is the operational code name given to the UK’s contribution in the ongoing military intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
Additionally, UK Special Forces have reportedly operated in Iraq, Syria, and Libya. By January 2019, the Ministry of Defence stated that 1,700 British airstrikes had killed or injured 4,315 enemy fighters in Iraq and Syria, with one civilian casualty.
The RAF had also delivered £230 million worth of humanitarian aid. Overall, the operation had resulted in a net cost of £1.75 billion. The number of airstrikes carried out in Iraq and Syria has been second only to the United States, with reports indicating that the RAF has conducted 20 per cent of all airstrikes. The operation was the most intense flying mission the RAF has undertaken in 25 years.
Other than clocking up training hours using Typhoon for this kind of tasking is a very expensive way of doing this.
This is uncontested air space so drones are absolutely the key to this.
Very few of the targets need more than a large hand grenade size charge to deal with them.
A case for dispossable FPV drones? If we have anything with the reach.
Hi Jon,
Use a drone to deliver the drone… It’s been done I believe.
Ukraine use £500 quadcopters with a RPG warhead cable tied to it. Some have release mechanisms and the drone is reused others are kamakaze’ed into the target. Controlling the cheap off the shelf drones at range would require some sort signal relay. Even if a ‘two stage’ drone system was used used it should be able to keep the ‘shots’ down to under £2k – way cheaper than a Hellfire missile.
Trouble is a big drone with Hellfire missiles is way cooler…
Cheers CR
Some kind of 2 seat turbo-prop or small fixed-wing drone with Martlet missiles would probably be good for this. Or we could give a BN-2 Islander a door gunner and make the worlds smallest gunship.
I wonder why the Iraqi airforce isn’t doing this in their territory? Over Syria I don’t know enough about what’s actually happening. How much the government forces and Russians control, what sides the coalition support, where’s turkey etc etc.
Perhaps the SDR will look at this absurd way to spunk MOD cash 🙄
“Spunk” I’m always a little uneasy when this word is used 😁
So we are using very expensive missile to hit individual figures….
When a job’s worth doing, It’s worth doing it properly !
When cannon rounds or unguided rockets would easily do the job.
Probably risk adverse in attempting close range kills.
Im sure they will be using the missiles close to use by date !
Useful real life practice. I wonder how many of the ‘4,315 enemy fighters in Iraq and Syria’ were born in the U.K.? (Please don’t cancel me George!)
Contrast the above story with this:
UK: RAF’s 14 Squadron drops historic ‘Crusaders’ nickname after complaint that it’s offensive to Muslims
Read this the other day honestly 🙄
Honestly, dropping bombs on their caliphate is offensive too.
For crying out loud, just another “ooooo you can’t say that” frikken ridiculous.