RAF and Joint Helicopter Force (Afghanistan) Weekly Ops Update 5 – 11 Dec 11

Air Mobility and Lift

This week has seen the VC10s of 101 Sqn successfully complete all of their planned missions delivering 70 tonnes of fuel to coalition aircraft. The majority of fuel was delivered to the GR4s of 12(B) Sqn with the remainder going to French and Italian aircraft. This was critical to ensuring that coalition airpower delivered armed overwatch, Shows of Force or Close Air Support to troops on the ground across Afghanistan.

ISTAR

Intelligence and Situational Awareness

The 39 Sqn Reaper detachment, operating from Kandahar airfield, have continued to deliver their crucial flow of detailed imagery and intelligence to ground commanders through the delivery of almost 300 hours of full motion video. During one attack against insurgents who were about to engage friendly forces, the Reaper crew relied on the depth of knowledge provided by regular ISR coverage and the persistence allowed them to successfully prosecute the attack with confidence that there was no risk of CIVCAS (civilian casualties).

The Sentinel R1 aircraft of 5(AC) Squadron continued to support operations in Afghanistan this week across RC (SW) and RC (N). The majority of the activity was in support of the Regional Combat Teams led by the US Marine Corps. The Sentinel team made full use of the Airborne Stand-Off Radar system to relay near-real time information and subsequent detailed analysis to ground commanders. Sentinels GMTI product continues to be highly sought after with this week seeing the number of flying hours almost double to 50 hours.

The Royal Navy SKASaCs helicopters operating as part of 903 EAW have had a busy week flying over 40 hours primarily in support of Task Force Leatherneck. The effectiveness of the GMTI radar combined with full motion video from other air assets continue to be key enablers for the layered approach to the disruption of insurgent supply routes across a broad swathe of Regional Commands.

The Tornado GR4s of 12(B) Squadron, operating from 904 EAW at Kandahar have been called upon twice during this week to launch GCAS (Ground alert Close Air Support), delivering armed overwatch in support of ground operations. Additionally, the Sqn undertook 3 RAPTOR missions collecting data on more than 500 Points of Interest which provides essential intelligence data in support of ground commanders.

Editor: Flt Lt E A Price

RAF/MOD Crown Copyright 2011.