Left: A Typhoon
takes on fuel from
a USAF KC-10A
above Iraq. USAF/
SrA Preston Webb
Below top to
bottom: Pilots
wear the HMSS
for daylight
missions; this jet
is taxiing back
from a mission
with no weapons
expended.
Jamie Hunter
Formating on
the wing of the
Voyager tanker
and awaiting the
wingman before
pressing on with
the task.
Crown Copyrightover Iraq and Syria can be efectively
re-tasked and deconlicted as each
VUL (vulnerability period, mission
phase) evolves.
The Typhoon pilot described how
datalink information can be imported
seamlessly into the avionics and
exploited immediately. ‘Link-16 is great
— it’s unambiguous’, he said, adding,
‘We have deconliction measures with
the Russians. They’re working close up
against those lines that we’ve agreed, so
we do get close to each other at times.’
Daily operations
Although the Typhoons have been
tasked for defensive counter-air (DCA)
duties in the past, this isn’t part of their
current ‘Shader’ remit. ‘We make some
unique contributions to the campaign,’
comments Dickens. ‘Certainly in the
four months that I’ve been here we
haven’t been tasked with a DCA mission
speciically. The current mission for
my guys is air-to-ground. There’s a lot
of armed overwatch, which is a mix
between non-traditional ISR or tactical
recce, and they are always there with
the four Paveway it and self-protection
weapons as well.’
The Tornados ly with both 500lb
Paveway IVs and Dual-Mode Seeker (DMS)
Brimstone, while the Typhoon it is one
AIM-120C AMRAAM on Station 9 and
two ASRAAMs for self-protection, but it’s
very much an air-to-surface mindset. The
Typhoons also ofer the 27mm Mauser
cannon and the Paveway IV.
The heavy ighting phases in Mosul
and Raqqa in particular saw extensive
weapons employment, whereas typically
there are now only a few weapons events
in a four-month tour. ‘The last time the
squadron came out it was the height of
Mosul and every time you took of therewas a very good chance that you were
going to drop [a weapon],’ the Typhoon
pilot comments.
‘The character of the conlict has
changed,’ adds Dickens, saying that it is
turning into an insurgency. ‘The challenge
with an insurgency is inding the
insurgents. But the operation is going in
phases, so when we’re clearing Daesh out
of an area we will use more weapons.
‘I think it’s worth remembering the
speed of these fast jets. Although we may
be operating in one part of Syria in an
hour we can be 500 miles away.’ Recent
operations may have concentrated on91