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British Royal Air Force Tornados and Typhoons aircrafts continue to destroy Gaddafi targets in Libya 1608111.
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World
Air Force News - United Kingdom |
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| British Royal Air Force Tornados and Typhoons aircrafts continue to destroy Gaddafi targets in Libya. | |||
British
Royal Air Force (RAF) Tornados and Typhoons have been in action once again
this weekend over Libya, with support from HMS Liverpool, as part of NATO's
Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR. On Thursday morning, Royal Air Force Tornado
GR4s destroyed a staging post near Zlitan which NATO intelligence had
discovered was being used by mercenaries fighting for Colonel Gaddafi.
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 A Tornado GR4 aircraft leaves RAF Marham for an eight-hour round trip mission over Libya on Wednesday night, 10 August 2011 [Picture: Senior Aircraftman Simon Armstrong, Crown Copyright/British MOD 2011] |
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HMS Liverpool was
on patrol off the coast nearby, and overnight Thursday to Friday once
again fired star shells to illuminate targets for other NATO missions.
In the course of this, she came under inaccurate fire from the shore. |
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 17(R) Squadron Typhoon. Photographer: Jamie Hunter (British MOD Copyright) |
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In the early hours of Saturday morning, HMS Liverpool
fired more illumination rounds to facilitate NATO air missions over Zlitan,
including an RAF patrol which destroyed an armed pick-up truck. In the
east, at Brega, an RAF patrol destroyed seven military vehicles during
the afternoon.
Armed with Storm Shadow missiles, the six GR4 aircraft flew long-distance sorties from the Norfolk base to target elements of Colonel Gaddafi's military command and control facilities and air defence infrastructure. The jets, some from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland and some from Marham, were playing a crucial role in protecting Libyan civilians as authorised under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973. The Tornado squadrons have played a leading role in the military operations over Libya since operations began in March, carrying out precision strikes, making use of the GR4's advanced Litening 3 targeting pods and a variety of high-precision guided munitions. Group Captain Pete 'Rocky' Rochelle, Station Commander at RAF Marham, said. "This mission has, once again, proved the GR4's capability at long range. The engineers and crews comprised of personnel from Marham and Lossiemouth. "I feel great pride in having the opportunity to command such an adaptable and capable Tornado force that proves its agility time and time again." Since the start of military operations on 19 March, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and Army Air Corps precision strikes have damaged or destroyed over 850 former regime targets which posed a threat to the Libyan people. |
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