examples deployed to Ahmad al-Jaber
AB in Kuwait.
A USAF RQ-4B ew a 22-hour mission
over the eastern Mediterranean
throughout the operation. This likely
provided a live intelligence feed that
could have been sent directly to the
E-3G via datalink. An RC-135V Rivet Joint
from the 38th RS ying from Souda Bay,
Crete, was used for signals intelligence
(SIGINT) while an RC-135U Combat
Sent that deployed to Souda on April
8 presumably collected intelligence
on threat radar emitter systems. It was
noted ying south of Crete during the
operation.Tankers
Tanker support for the operation
involved 24 refueling aircraft, among
them 10 KC-135Rs, a KC-135T and six
KC-10As from the USAF, six French
C-135FRs, and a single RAF Voyager KC2.
The C-135FRs included four ying
from Avord and two ying from Istres.
The French Air Force ghters and
AWACS were also refueled by two USAF
KC-135Rs equipped with hose and
drogue systems and belonging to the
351st Air Refueling Squadron (ARS),
detached to Zaragoza, Spain.
To assist the three packages of F-15Cs
and F-16Cs ying from Aviano, the
USAF sent ve KC-135Rs from the 351st
ARS to the Italian base. These draggedthe F-15s and F-16s into the central
Mediterranean where they were handed
over to three KC-10As that deployed
to Souda on April 11. At least three
more KC-10As of the 305th Air Mobility
Wing (AMW), ying from Al Udeid,
provided support to the pair of B-1Bs
and the E-3G over Iraq and the northern
Persian Gulf.
Four further KC-135R/Ts of the 351st
ARS supported the operation directly
from RAF Mildenhall. It is believed that
they also refueled the F-15s and F-16s
ying from Aviano during the operation.Sending a message
According to the coalition, Syria’s
chemical weapons program was entirely
neutralized after all 105 missiles hit their
targets. The coalition also claimed thatthe Syrian Air Defense Force launched
40 SAMs at the cruise missiles, all of
which missed. Meanwhile, the Russian
MoD claims that Syria launched 112
SAMs including 29 from Buk-M2, 25 from
Pantsir-S1, 21 from Kvadrat, 13 from
S-125, 11 from 9K33 Osa, eight from
S-200, and ve from Strela-10 systems.
It said that 103 cruise missiles were
launched against six SyAAF bases, two
Syrian SAM sites and a Syrian Army base,
but that 71 were shot down and most
targets survived unscathed.
Further investigation suggests that
none of the cruise missiles had been
intended to destroy air bases and all
were launched at targets not heavily
protected by Syrian or Russian SAM
batteries.
As a result of the operation, it
appears that the three drug research
laboratories of the Barzah scienti c
research center in Damascus were
completely destroyed after being hit by
57 Tomahawk and 19 JASSM-ER missiles,
while the Him Shinshar chemical
weapons complex storage site west of
Homs was destroyed by eight Storm
Shadows, nine Tomahawks, three MdCNs
and two SCALP EGs. Finally, satellite
images indicate the Him Shinshar
chemical weapons complex bunker was
destroyed by seven SCALP EGs.
The US, French and British
governments claim that they sent
a message to Syria by neutralizing
its chemical weapons capability. On
balance, while the operation may
not have destroyed any valuable
military sites, it was a strong signal to
any country that might intend to use
chemical weapons. Furthermore, it was
a show of force by the US government
to Moscow, which has continued to
support the Assad regime despite
its indiscriminate use of weapons in
civilian areas.Above: A French
Air Force Rafale
B crew returns
to base at Saint-
Dizier after the
Syrian raid.
Armée de l’Air
Below: F-15C
serial 86-
returns to Aviano
after fl ying a CAP
for the operation.
This is one of
10 Eagles from
Lakenheath’s
48th Fighter
Wing that were
forward-deployed
to the Italian
base in the days
beforehand.
Silvani MaininiF-16C Block 40 serial 87-
recovers to Aviano. Each of the
CAP F-16Cs was armed with
four AIM-120Cs, two AIM-9X, an
AN/ALQ-131 countermeasures
pod and a Sniper targeting pod.
Claudio Tramoninhttp://www.combataircraft.net // June 2018 17
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