http://www.airforcesmonthly.com TORNADO TRIBUTE // 65by both types including the enhanced self-
protection features of the Typhoon.Long-range raid
The RAF’s kinetic involvement in the Libya
campaign started with an historic mission
launched from Marham that resulted in Storm
Shadows being fired during the opening
night of the air campaign on March 19. Wg
Cdr Andy Turk was Officer Commanding
No IX(B) Squadron at that time. He had
previously served as the No 617 Squadron
Qualified Weapons Instructor (QWI) in 2003
during Operation Telic and was involved
in bringing Storm Shadow into service.
No IX(B) Squadron launched four GR4s,
supported by VC10 and Tristar tankers,
to fly the 3,000-mile (4,828km) round-
trip sorties to launch eight Storm Shadows
against command and control nodes. Thesewere the RAF’s longest-range strikes since
the ‘Black Buck’ Vulcan operations during
the Falklands conflict in 1982 and the first
RAF bombing raids launched from the UK
since World War Two. At the time Turk
said: “I got back from Nellis [AFB] on the
Monday morning, and by the Wednesday
afternoon we were hearing that we were
required to start our spin-up in readiness
terms for a Friday night mission to Libya.
“I was in the lead jet of our four-ship of
GR4s, which was actually two waves of pairs,
each going to separate tankers. Back in the
squadron building we got the BDA [battle
damage assessment] and all eight weapons
scored a Delta Hotel [DH – direct hit]”
The GR4s of No IX(B) Squadron then moved
to Gioia del Colle, flying their first ground-
attack sorties from southern Italy on March 24.
No 13 Squadron took over the Storm Shadow
role back at Marham ready for the second
and third missions on March 20 and 27, with
No II(AC) Squadron well placed to swing
into the Gioia effort to sustain it through
the summer months. With No 31 Squadrondeployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan, the GR4
community was being worked to the limit.
During its period in theatre the No II(AC)
Squadron crews undertook some incredible
combat operations, including, on August 18,
engaging a moving patrol with a Paveway IV
bomb – the first time the weapon had been
used to take out a moving target of this nature.
The number of Storm Shadow cruise missile
missions flown by GR4s direct from Marham
also increased. After the three initial sorties
described above, further such raids were
flown on August 10 and 24 and September
4, 6, 8 and 10 against various sites in and
around Sebha. Targets included SAM storage
sites as well as military staging posts and
command and control compounds. On
September 4, the GR4s rendezvoused with other
allied aircraft to lead a multinational attack
against a group of military communications
installations at a major headquarters complex
in Sebha. The GR4s and Italian Tornados
are both believed to have launched a volley
of Storm Shadows, with French aircraft
firing their equivalent, the SCALP EG.Carrying two live Paveway IVs and a RAPTOR
reconnaissance pod, a Tornado GR4 in No 14
Squadron markings gets airborne from Gioia
del Colle for an Ellamy sortie. Integration of the
ASRAAM short-range missile onto the Tornado
GR4 was cleared in February 2011, although the
in-service date was brought forward to meet the
operational needs of the Tornado GR Force for
Libya. Crown Copyright/Cpl Nik Howe
Above: A cutaway of the MBDA Storm Shadow
cruise missile. MBDA Left: Imagery from the
Tornado GR4 Litening targeting pod of a Libyan
main battle tank in the crosshairs. Crown Copyright
Far left: UK Air Component Commander AVM Greg
Bagwell arrives at Gioia del Colle. Crown Copyright/
SAC Neil Chapman Right: No IX(B) Squadron Tornado
GR4s from RAF Marham launched Storm Shadows
against the Libyan air defence network on the
opening night of the campaign. Crown CopyrightAbove: Paveway IV and DMS Brimstone mission
markings on a GR4 after the Libya campaign had
ended. Jamie HunterAFM