Combat aircraft

Clutching live Storm Shadow

cruise missiles, Royal Air

Force Tornado GR4s prepare

to launch for the Syria strike

mission in April.

Crown Copyright

TORNADO PROVES ITS

VALUE ONCE AGAIN

A

PRIL’S AIR STRIKES

on the Syrian regime

once again saw British

Tornado GR4s in action.

The Royal Air Force — in

its 100th anniversary

year — has turned to its Tornados

time and again when duty calls. The

latest action saw the GR4s once more

employing the potent MBDA Storm

Shadow stand-o cruise missile.

The Storm Shadow has a fearsome

reputation. First used in anger by the

Tornado in Operation ‘Telic’ over Iraq

in 2003, it is known for its unparalleled

accuracy. Indeed, during battle

damage assessment related to its early

use, analysts were concerned that

some of the missiles had failed, only

to discover that they had actually all

penetrated their deep target through

the same hole

Their use in the latest strikes,

alongside US Tomahawk land attack

missiles, was most likely driven by the

need to hit buried bunkers. As well as

their accuracy, Storm Shadow missiles

possess deep penetration capabilities.

Storm Shadow has been a weapon

unique to the Tornado GR4 in the RAF

inventory for the past 15 years, but

with just one year’s service for the GR

remaining it is passing to the RAF’s

Typhoon force, which will undoubtedly

be called upon — as the Tornados have

been — when this unique weapon  ts

mission requirements.

To keep track of the latest breaking

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military air power you can visit our

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Jamie Hunter,

Editor

E-mail: [email protected]

04 June 2018 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net

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