Saturday, January 2, 2016

Fully armed RAF Typhoon participating in ISIS air war during AAR.

RAF Eurofighter Typhoons have joined the service Tornados in air strikes against the Islamic State.


Taken on Dec.22, 2015 from the boom position aboard a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker belonging to 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron (EARS), this interesting photo shows a fully armed Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 as it receives fuel over Iraq.

It is one of the first ever taken to a RAF Eurofighter performing a mission in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, the air campaign conducted against ISIS: interestingly the aircraft carries 4x Paveway IV bombs, along with 4 AIM-120 and 2 ASRAAM air-to-air missiles.

Deployed to reinforce the RAF contingent at Akrotiri, Cyprus, from Dec. 3, 2015, the Typhoon is actually a multirole aircraft, even if (unlike the Tornado GR4 attack jets) it can only carry Paveway LGBs. In fact Brimstones and Storm Shadows are pending integration in the following years, before the retirement of the RAF Tonkas from active service.


Image credit: Staff Sgt. Corey Hook / U.S. Air Force
http://theaviationist.com/2015/12/31/typhoon-taking-fuel-from-kc-135/

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