RAF makes first strikes of Iraq mission

Tornado GR4s use Paveway IV and Dual Mode Seeker Brimstone

On 30 September Royal Air Force Tornado GR4s saw their first combat strikes 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 north-west Iraq who were under attack from ISIL terrorists. 

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.

Source: MoD

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