RAF jets in Iraq

[Campo]

Dr Jekyll said:

I suppose dropping a nuke is completely out of the question? Does the RAF even have any nukes any more?

Is this a serious question?

[H100S]

After the sad news overnight i do support sending over jets. Son in law of a guy i work with is one of the tornado pilots over there so i have taken extra interest.

I'm glad a tornado squadron has been saved for at least another year too, these cut back have gone deep enough in the military.

[dr_gn]

Anyone seen the "U.S. picking off ISIS one-by-one" footage all over Facebook at the moment? Looks like some kind of IR image from an aircraft armed with cannon and hellfire missiles, lasts about 15 minutes. Not sure if it's genuine.

[mph1977]

Dr Jekyll said:

I suppose dropping a nuke is completely out of the question? Does the RAF even have any nukes any more?

the UK nuclear delivery systems are in the hands of the Submariners ; definite actual trident, possible with the cruise missiles although HMG doesnot declare any nuclear warheads for them .

the We 177 series of bombs were retired by the RAF anbd the FAA in the mid 1990s iirc.

[CAPP0]

Campo said:

Dr Jekyll said:

I suppose dropping a nuke is completely out of the question? Does the RAF even have any nukes any more?

Is this a serious question?

Well how much (more) collateral are we prepared to accept before we hit them back with a bigger fking stick? So we melt all regions where the IS flag is flying; is there another way of stopping them?

[Campo]

In isolation sounds like a fair comment, however.....

What are you going to nuke exactly???

[Dr Jekyll]

Campo said:

In isolation sounds like a fair comment, however.....

What are you going to nuke exactly???

That I agree would be an issue. It's just that if they parked all their Toyota trucks reasonably close together one nuke might be quicker and cheaper than hundreds of Brimstones. Hitting one truck per mission isn't going to get us very far.

No doubt it would be politically out of the question though.

[Rogue86]

I think people are missing the bigger picture. While that truck might represent a £300 target to us, to IS it represents that we are in the fight and able to hit them.

[Simpo Two]

Rogue86 said:

I think people are missing the bigger picture. While that truck might represent a £300 target to us, to IS it represents that we are in the fight and able to hit them.

The even bigger picture is that that's exactly what they want - they feed on it. Dying for Allah at the hands of the terrible West - it doesn't get better than that to those nutters.

And R4 announced today that the SAS are going in to take them dead or alive. Excellent secrecy, well done the press...

[ecain63]

dr_gn said:

Anyone seen the "U.S. picking off ISIS one-by-one" footage all over Facebook at the moment? Looks like some kind of IR image from an aircraft armed with cannon and hellfire missiles, lasts about 15 minutes. Not sure if it's genuine.

I think that's renamed footage that was taken in Afghanistan. The insurgents were spotted near to an SF patrol so AH was called in to sort them out.

[Rogue86]

Simpo Two said:

The even bigger picture is that that's exactly what they want - they feed on it. Dying for Allah at the hands of the terrible West - it doesn't get better than that to those nutters.

And R4 announced today that the SAS are going in to take them dead or alive. Excellent secrecy, well done the press...

The alternative is to let them keep rampaging around killing innocents.

Dual-mode Brimstone is usually laser-targeted, which means you could comfortably assume that 22rgt have been in-country for a while. If the press is making a song and dance about it, I would say its an overt message to tell the World that we're taking action.

[dr_gn]

ecain63 said:

dr_gn said:

Anyone seen the "U.S. picking off ISIS one-by-one" footage all over Facebook at the moment? Looks like some kind of IR image from an aircraft armed with cannon and hellfire missiles, lasts about 15 minutes. Not sure if it's genuine.

I think that's renamed footage that was taken in Afghanistan. The insurgents were spotted near to an SF patrol so AH was called in to sort them out.

Yep, makes more sense re. the equipment used I guess.

[H100S]

Simpo Two said:

The even bigger picture is that that's exactly what they want - they feed on it. Dying for Allah at the hands of the terrible West - it doesn't get better than that to those nutters.

And R4 announced today that the SAS are going in to take them dead or alive. Excellent secrecy, well done the press...

I would imagine the sas have been there for several weeks.

[Simpo Two]

Rogue86 said:

The alternative is to let them keep rampaging around killing innocents.

The alternative is to keep bombing the Middle East for ever, because as one group of nutters is quashed, another group of nutters pops up, feeding on the death of the first. It's just the way they are. We cannot be the world's policement nor save all the world's innocents, shocking as it may seem. I'm increasingly of the 'not my problem' camp.

[dr_gn]

Simpo Two said:

Rogue86 said:

I think people are missing the bigger picture. While that truck might represent a £300 target to us, to IS it represents that we are in the fight and able to hit them.

The even bigger picture is that that's exactly what they want - they feed on it. Dying for Allah at the hands of the terrible West - it doesn't get better than that to those nutters.

And R4 announced today that the SAS are going in to take them dead or alive. Excellent secrecy, well done the press...

R4 wouldn't report stuff like that unless they've specifically been asked to report it, or at least been cleared to report it.

You obviously don't realise that there's a lot more to what's released in the press about these operations than random stories independently being made public.

[Simpo Two]

dr_gn said:

You obviously don't realise that there's a lot more to what's released in the press about these operations than random stories independently being made public.

The US complained recently about reports of rescue attempts on earlier hostages. I think you are generally right but the press can be foolish and will publish a story without thinking through possible consequences as long as it gets a wowgosh/blubfest headline.

[ecain63]

They've (Poole and Hereford) been in theatre for a few months now.

[stuart-b]

frodo_monkey said:

How so? If I drop a weapon with a higher collateral footprint and accidentally kill some civilians, doesn't that make me as bad as IS? Unguided weapons are definitely NOT the answer.

Edited by frodo_monkey on Friday 3rd October 23:52

I bet it drives you bloody mad reading all the crap the armchair warriors come out with ...

Lets just have a quick poll on PH so we know how to engage IS in the next 6 months.

PH we need a new sub-forum, "war tactics". There's so many good ideas on this thread, we'll be done with the war in a week, spend £100 and be back in time for fish and chips on a friday night...............

Back in the real world of nothing the military does is ever right...

[ecain63]

stuart-b said:

frodo_monkey said:

How so? If I drop a weapon with a higher collateral footprint and accidentally kill some civilians, doesn't that make me as bad as IS? Unguided weapons are definitely NOT the answer.

Edited by frodo_monkey on Friday 3rd October 23:52

I bet it drives you bloody mad reading all the crap the armchair warriors come out with ...

Lets just have a quick poll on PH so we know how to engage IS in the next 6 months.

PH we need a new sub-forum, "war tactics". There's so many good ideas on this thread, we'll be done with the war in a week, spend £100 and be back in time for fish and chips on a friday night...............

Back in the real world of nothing the military does is ever right...

Yup! And of course what these armchair types read in the press and on forums is always correct! The Scottish views during the independence campaign on the Nuclear deterrent was comical for the same reasons.

[Simpo Two]

'Higher collateral footprint' indeed. Dear god. How corporate and sanitised we have become.