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Derechos | Equipo Nizkor
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| Information | | |
Derechos | Equipo Nizkor
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02Dec15
RAF Tornado pilots ready for immediate action over Syria
Pilots and other aircrew at RAF Marham in Norfolk were working on Wednesday to get two Tornado jets ready to fly out to reinforce UK planes already in action as quickly as possible after the House of Commons vote.
This will bring the total number of Tornados to 10, allowing the RAF to increase sorties from two a day.
Capt Richard Davies, a Tornado pilot and station commander, said: "We have aircraft at a readiness state so they are prepared and ready to deploy."
How soon could the RAF be in action over Syria, he was asked before the vote by MPs. "If a vote yes, if Tornados flying at that time and if there is a target in Syria, UK bombing could happen overnight … If all those ducks are aligned and the aircraft are airborne at that moment and a target comes up they will go. It depends where they are. If we are airborne in Iraq and the vote is yes, we could be targeting on that mission," Davies said.
Engineers and ground crew were working on the two jets while the aircrew underwent last-minute training in the air and with simulators.
Some of the staff have already flown missions over Iraq and see little difference in expanding into Syria other than relishing the prospect of the freedom of being able to continue the pursuit of Islamic State on the other side of the border.
One of the weapons crew, who has to remain anonymous, was asked what it felt like when he knew he was going to fire a weapon. "Blood pressure goes up, heart rate increases. You hear breathing rates increase and you know the next event will be potentially the weapon coming off the aircraft. Once you get over that initial 'right, this is it', it is part of the routine."
For some weapons, it is just a matter of of sending them to a GPS coordinate. But of the Brimstone missile - touted by the prime minister, David Cameron, as a precision weapon that reduces the chance of civilian casualties - the weapons operator said: "If you have fired something like Brimstone, then you can have another peak in your blood pressure and your breathing and your heart rate, especially as a back-seater [weapons systems operator] because I am now guiding that weapon into the target."
One of the pilots, also anonymous, added: "The weapon is very precise. You can deploy it extremely accurately. It has got a small warhead, which means there is a limited effect. Hopefully you will only have the effect that you want on the target. You can employ in an urban area and have the desired effect that you want on the target and people standing only a number of yards away from it will hear a bang but can expect to be unaffected by that warhead going off."
Davies said the Brimstone enabled an RAF crew to go after a fleeting target who appeared at short notice.
Asked if the fate of the Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh, who was burned to death in a cage by Isis, preyed on their minds, an RAF spokesman said: "No flying and no operations are without risk. We are as prepared as we can be when we deploy on operations for any eventuality."
The pilot added: "With any operation, you always have an idea that if you did end up on the ground, what you would be doing, what the consequences could be. For me, it is actually no different."
Asked about congested airspace over Syria, with the added involvement of Russia, Davies said it was more congested flying around the east coast of England.
[Source: By Ewen MacAskill, Defence correspondent, The Guardian, London, 02Dec15]
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 | This document has been published on 03Dec15 by the Equipo Nizkor and Derechos Human Rights. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. |