RAF Tornados clock up 7 000 flight hours over Libya as strikes continue

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Royal Air Force Tornados have clocked up more than 7 000 flight hours whilst taking part in operations over Libya. The jets continue to strike targets in Libya as NATO continues its operations over the country.

The milestone achieved by the Tornados taking part in Operation Ellamy, the United Kingdom’s contribution to NATO’s Operation Unified Protector, was announced by the Royal Air Force last week. The hours are the equivalent to approximately two years’ worth of training sorties in the UK.

The Tornado Squadron was one of the first fast jet squadrons to deploy to Gioia del Colle air base in southern Italy and has reaching almost 1 400 sorties in just over six months.

Royal Air Force aircraft continue to strike targets in Libya and in recent days have attacked targets in Sirte and Bani Walid. On Thursday evening, an armed reconnaissance patrol of Tornado GR4s identified one of the Gaddafi regime’s main battle tanks near Bani Walid and destroyed the vehicle with a Brimstone precision guided missile.

During the course of Friday afternoon, two formations of RAF Tornados conducted strikes against a firing position and supply point which had been located by NATO surveillance analysis within the area of Sirte. Eight Paveway guided bombs were successfully dropped by our aircraft onto the target.

RAF jets were again tasked by NATO to conduct a precision strike on a vehicle supply point in Sirte on Saturday and struck their target accurately with four Paveway guided bombs.

On Sunday morning British aircraft spotted two armed pick-up trucks being used by former regime forces to fire on a civilian compound, the UK Ministry of Defence said.

Brimstone missiles were able to destroy both vehicles without any collateral damage to surrounding property. A follow-up patrol later in the day located a third armed truck in the vicinity of Bani Walid and destroyed it with a Paveway bomb.

Royal Navy ships meanwhile maintain their patrols off the Libyan coast, with HMS Liverpool providing security and reassurance to merchant shipping as the ports and harbours liberated by the new Libyan authorities seek to return to normal operation.

Other UK forces currently deployed to Libya include:
* RAF Tornado GR4 aircraft based at Gioia del Colle in Italy
* RAF VC10 and TriStar air-to-air refuelling tankers based in Sicily and the UK
* RAF Sentry and Sentinel surveillance aircraft based in Sicily and Cyprus
* HMS Liverpool (Type 42 destroyer)
* HMS Bangor (Sandown Class minehunter)