AirForces Monthly – June 2018

6 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com

NEWS

// JUNE 2018 #

Headlines

CRUISE MISSILES

launched from aircraft and
warships of the United
States, France and the
United Kingdom hit regime
targets in Syria in the early
hours of April 14. The raid
struck Syrian chemical
weapons facilities after a
chemical weapons attack
in the Damascus suburb
of Douma a week earlier.
According to the
Pentagon, the strikes,
which began at 0400hrs
Syrian time, hit three
targets: the Barzah
research centre in
Damascus, the Him Sinshar
chemical weapons storage
facility west of Homs, and
another storage site and
command post nearby.
A total of 19 AGM-158A
Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff
Missiles (JASSM – not
JASSM-ER as erroneously
reported by official sources
soon after the attacks) were
directed against the Barzah
site after release from
two US Air Force B-1Bs
of the 37th Expeditionary
Bomb Squadron based
at Al Udeid, Qatar.
Five Armée de l’Air Rafale
B/Cs flying from Saint-
Dizier launched nine SCALP
EG cruise missiles against
the Him Sinshar targets

• one further weapon
  may have malfunctioned.
  Finally, the Royal Air Force
  strike effort consisted of
  four Tornado GR4s from
  No IX (Bomber) Squadron
  at RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus,
  which delivered eight Storm
  Shadow cruise missiles
  against Him Sinshar (see
  also Last blast, p66-69).
  Escort was provided
  by eight F-15Cs from the
  USAF’s 493rd Fighter
  Squadron (FS), deployed

from RAF Lakenheath,

Suffolk, to Aviano Air Base

in Italy. The Eagles were

supported by Aviano’s

resident 555th FS, which

provided combat air

patrols (CAPs) over the

Mediterranean using

seven F-16Cs – an eighth

apparently aborted its

mission after a technical

problem. The RAF escort

effort consisted of four

No 6 Squadron Typhoon

FGR4s up from Akrotiri

and the French provided a

similar number of Mirage

2000-5Fs operating from

their home base of Luxeuil.

The US Department of

Defense first confirmed,

and then appeared to deny,

that F-22s of the 380th Air

Expeditionary Wing at Al

Dhafra AB, United Arab

Emirates, provided escort

for the strike package.

However, it seems certain

that a single EA-6B from

Marine Tactical Electronic

Warfare Squadron (VMAQ)

2 was involved, probably

flying from the same base,

and providing escort

jamming for the B -1Bs.

Target location and

damage assessment

appears to have been

the domain of USAF

U-2S aircraft of the

99th Reconnaissance

Squadron (RS) at Akrotiri,

an RC -135V of the 38th

RS at Souda Bay, Crete,

and two RQ-4Bs of the 9th

Operations Group, Det 4,

at Sigonella, Sicily. These

platforms were noted

over the Mediterranean in

the days before and after

the missile strikes and

were joined by an RAF

Sentinel R1 of No 5 (Army

Cooperation) Squadron

that deployed to Cyprus

Trilateral strikes on Syria

Above: There are confl icting reports as to the identities of the Rafale units involved in the

cruise missile strikes. Here, two-seat Rafale B ‘4-IL’ – an EC 1/4 jet – departs Saint-Dizier on

the night of April 14 carrying a brace of SCALP EGs. French Defence Ministry

Above: F-16C Block 40 88-0425 of the 555th FS fl ies below a KC-135R tanker on April 15 as

part of a defensive counter-air mission over the Mediterranean Sea in the wake of the trilateral

military strikes in Syria. USAF/Tech Sgt Emerson Nuñez

Below: RC-135V 64-14846 ‘OF’ at Souda Bay on April 12. This Rivet Joint was noted over the

Mediterranean during the operation using the callsign ‘FIXX 24’, presumably fl ying a signals

intelligence gathering mission. US Navy/Joel Diller