Tango01 | 29 Nov 2015 10:31 p.m. PST |
"* Experts say that 24 Tornado ground-attack aircraft would be needed for Britain to mount an effective campaign, while maintaining missions in Iraq * But RAF sources say that only 'two to four' jets poised to join eight-strong force already operating over IS territory from Britain's airbase in Cyprus * Julian Lewis MP said Britain could only then make 'marginal' contribution Britain does not have enough aircraft to carry out effective bombing missions against Islamic State in Syria, a senior Conservative MP has told The Mail on Sunday. Experts say that 24 Tornado ground-attack aircraft would be needed for Britain to mount an effective campaign, while maintaining current missions in Iraq. But RAF sources say that only 'two to four' jets are poised to join the eight-strong force already operating over IS territory from Britain's airbase at Akrotiri in Cyprus…" Full article here link If these reports are true … well… Amicalement Armand |
Mako11 | 29 Nov 2015 11:46 p.m. PST |
No one is seriously fighting them. Rumor has it that some of ISIS are already on the move to Libya, so I suspect the need for forces to combat them will only grow, as they disperse their operations to new locations. |
Bangorstu | 30 Nov 2015 12:48 a.m. PST |
Tango – the source is, shall we say suspect. |
thehawk | 30 Nov 2015 8:13 a.m. PST |
This is a very old discussion getting a new life. link |
Legion 4 | 30 Nov 2015 8:35 a.m. PST |
Every little bit helps … But until all the locals with continued and increased Western Support. Until they all get their collective acts together. Put aside some long standing differences and go on an "Anti-Deash Jihad", Deash will still be "winning" … The locals continuing differences is one of the Big reasons why Deash was born and growing. |
Legion 4 | 01 Dec 2015 4:25 p.m. PST |
Just saw on CNN, the Germans said they would deploy 1200 troops into Iraq to support ops. So that will be interesting if it comes about ? |
Bangorstu | 02 Dec 2015 2:35 a.m. PST |
The MoD has said it wil lsend additional aircraft to Cyprus should the vote go the governments' way. I don't think it said how many though – possibly anotyher 8 Tornadoes. |
Bangorstu | 02 Dec 2015 4:44 a.m. PST |
BTW one of the reasons given for our involvement is we're better at bombing than anyone else thanks to Brimstone. Is that true? If Brimstone is so wonderful, why haven't the Americans bought it? |
Legion 4 | 02 Dec 2015 8:49 a.m. PST |
The UK may think Brimestone is "the bomb" … But maybe the US likes it's own systems better ? I'll admit I don't know enough about the system ? Where's our "experts" ? |
Bangorstu | 02 Dec 2015 11:51 a.m. PST |
Well I admit I'd have thought the US and UK were equal in capabilities. But Brimstone is apparently one reason why the US wants us in the fight. I can only assume it's got a sufficiently small warhead to make it ideal for taking out 4x4s while leaving the surrounding area more or less intact. Apparently our recon pods are better than that employed by the USA as well – something else I find hard to believe. But yes, an expert opinion would be nice! |
Bangorstu | 02 Dec 2015 1:06 p.m. PST |
Well from my digging it seems the USAF and USN are very interested in buying Brimstone, as are the French. Main selling point seems to be less collateral damage than an AASM – which makes it more useful for the kind of conflicts we're currently fighting. |
Legion 4 | 02 Dec 2015 5:34 p.m. PST |
Well I hope that is all correct … but yes, I have no expertise on this subject … |
Jemima Fawr | 03 Dec 2015 6:35 a.m. PST |
Brimstone is one of those weapons that was designed for another job but is suddenly very handy for the current job. It's also indicative of the glacially-slow military design/procurement/manufacture/testing/deployment process. Back in the 80s we originally wanted a fire-and-forget anti-tank missile to take on large armoured formations, that could be carried in large quantities by the Harrier, which had a very limited payload. The USA was perfectly happy with the A10/Maverick combination, supplemented by other types with LGBs, as in those different times, collateral damage wasn't as much of an issue (in fact, was it even a phrase back then?!). Fast-forward to Brimstone FINALLY coming into service (ironically just as the Harrier was leaving service) and it suddenly proved its worth in Iraq, Afghanistan and especially in Libya, where it gave superb service with minimal collateral damage compared to even small LGBs. I'm told that Brimstone also excels at hitting fast-moving targets, making it marginally more useful than the Reaper/Hellfire combo for those targets. |
Legion 4 | 03 Dec 2015 7:54 a.m. PST |
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Lion in the Stars | 03 Dec 2015 7:24 p.m. PST |
The biggest advantage Brimstone has over typical Hellfires is that it's fire-and-forget. You need Longbow Hellfires for that, though the US is apparently busy installing dual-seeker heads onto the newest generation of Hellfires, both laser and MMW radar. Couple that onto hybrid warheads that have both shaped charges, fragmentation casings, AND thermobaric effects and you have a does-everything weapon. |
GarrisonMiniatures | 04 Dec 2015 6:38 a.m. PST |
link 'The missile is able to attack vehicles moving at up to 70mph.' "It could kill someone sitting in a car outside a house with the only damage to the house being perhaps a couple of broken windows," So seems like quite useful – comments like 'Similarly, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told the House of Commons that claims about British missiles were "hard to credit" because the US and its allies were already "struggling to find suitable targets". He added: "In other words, extending British bombing is unlikely to make a huge difference."' are actually quite revealing – Brimstone, by reducing risk of collateral damage, seems to me to give the opportunity to hit more targets than at present. |