air patrol (CAP) missions using pairs of
Su-30SMs on April 8-9. These over ew
the Syrian coastline, especially around
the Russian Navy base at Tartus.
On April 11 the Russian military began a
two-day naval exercise involving most of
its assets in Tartus. A Russian Navy Il-38N
ew a maritime surveillance mission
while unarmed Su-24Ms and Su-34s
armed with Kh-35 anti-ship missiles were
supported by a pair of Su-30SMs and an
A-50 airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft.
The Russian MoD now warned that its
warships would shoot down any cruise
missiles launched against Syrian targets by
the US Navy.
The US Navy’s 6th Fleet used four of
seven P-8A Poseidons and one of two
P-3C AUP Orions available at Naval Air
Station Sigonella, Italy to monitor the
exercise and protect US Navy assets in the
Mediterranean.Intelligence-gathering
Following the evacuation of T4/Tiyas
and other SyAAF air bases after the IAF
raid, the value of any strike against these
facilities was much reduced. It would alsohave run the risk of escalating tensions
with Russia — after all, the Russian
Air Force has used Tiyas as a forward
operating base.
Instead, the destruction of Syria’s
chemical weapons capability became the
aim of the planned cruise missile strikes.
The French and British governments then
approved the plan for a cruise missile
strike and announced their intention to
join the US-led operation.The US Air Force reportedly conducted
a signi cant intelligence-gathering
operation to plan an e ective strike. This
seems to have involved various assets
including one of three U-2S spyplanes of
the 99th Reconnaissance Squadron (RS)
at RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus and two RQ-4Bs
belonging to the 12th RS deployed at
Sigonella.
On April 12, the Royal Air Force’s No 5
(Army Co-operation) Squadron forward-
deployed one of its four Sentinel R1s to
Akrotiri. The aircraft ew an intelligence-
gathering mission the next day, allegedly
reconnoitering the target sites using its
ASARS-2A sensor.Cruise missile launches
The French Navy strike group in the
eastern Mediterranean consisted of one
Cassard-class destroyer, one Georges
Leygues-class frigate, one Durance-class
tanker, and the FREMM multi-purpose
frigates Aquitaine (D650), Auvergne
(D654) and Languedoc (D653).
On April 14, the FREMM vessels
red three Missile de Croisière Naval
(MdCN) land attack missiles at the
weapons storage facility in the Him
Shinshar chemical weapons complex,
a former SyAAF missile base 9.3 miles
(15km) west of Homs. Operating in the
same area, the US Navy’s Virginia-class
submarine USS John Warner (SSN 785)
launched six Tomahawks at weapons
bunkers at Him Shinshar.
Nine ghters also launched cruise
missiles at these two sites near Homs.
These included three Rafale Bs of EC
1/4 ‘Gascogne’ and two Rafale Cs of ETR
3/4 ‘Aquitaine’, all from Saint-Dizier. The
Rafales launched 10 SCALP EG cruise
missiles. Two missiles hit the weapons
storage site west of Homs, seven hit the
weapons bunkers in the east and oneAbove: French Air
Force C-135FR
serial 470 took
part using
the callsign
‘FAF4042’.
Mark Rourke
Left: A USAF B-1B
Lancer is refueled
by a KC-10A
Extender over
an undisclosed
location in the
Middle East on
April 14, the day of
the cruise missile
strikes. USAF/TSgt
Lynette Hoke
Below: A pair of
French Air Force
Rafales departs
Saint-Dizier on
the night of the
attacks, armed
with SCALP EG
cruise missiles.
French Ministry of
Defensehttp://www.combataircraft.net // June 2018 15
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