Britain expands role in Iraq as warplanes monitor Isis positions

Britain is stepping up its military involvement in the fight against jihadi forces from the Islamic State in Iraq after the defence secretary Michael Fallon confirmed that British warplanes are flying deeper into Iraq in a mission that could last "months".

 

As David Cameron declared that Britain should be prepared to deploy its "military prowess" to help defeat the jihadis, Fallon said that Britain's involvement in Iraq is fast expanding beyond the initial humanitarian mission to relieve Yazidi refugees besieged on Mount Sinjar.

 

"This is not simply a humanitarian mission," the defence secretary said as it was confirmed that RAF Tornado jets, which were deployed to the region last week to identify the location of Yazidi refugees, are now monitoring Islamic State (Isis) positions deep into Iraq.

 

The UK move came as the US announced its most concerted bombing campaign yet over northern Iraq to drive Isis forces back, helping Kurdish forces to reclaim Mosul dam.

 

American warplanes and drones carried out more than 20 strikes at the weekend near the crucial dam that Isis forces took earlier this month. More than a dozen Isis vehicles were destroyed, the Pentagon said. The bombing is designed to help Kurdish forces regain the initiative in fighting for territory in northern Iraq that Isis has seized over the past three months.

 

"Mosul Dam was liberated completely," Ali Awni, an official from Iraq's main Kurdish party, told Agence France-Presse, a statement also confirmed by another party official and a Kurdish security forces officer.

 

Britain was encouraged by the progress over the weekend though Downing Street believes that the US, the Kurds and forces of the Iraqi state face a lengthy battle to defeat the Isis jihadis.

Fallon's declaration that British involvement was expanding beyond a humanitarian mission contrasted with the cautious language of Downing Street last week when officials said that the British mission was limited to providing humanitarian relief for Yazidi refugees besieged on Mount Sinjar.

Britain announced towards the end of last week that it would be prepared to arm Kurdish forces fighting the extremists.

 

Fallon said: "We and other countries in Europe are determined to do what we can to help the government of Iraq combat this new and very extreme form of terrorism that Isil [the Islamic State] is promoting."

 

The defence secretary was speaking at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus as six Tornado fast jets and a spy plane push beyond the Kurdish region in the very north of Iraq – the focus of the humanitarian crisis – into parts of mainland northern Iraq that were taken over by Islamist militants in the past two months.

 

The aircraft are providing footage and other intelligence on displaced families to assist with the humanitarian effort and also on the movement of jihadis on the ground. It is studied by British analysts before being used to help Kurdish and Iraqi security forces.

 

British intelligence is shared directly with the US military, which has been conducting air strikes against Islamic State positions for the past 10 days.

 

"We are helping the Iraqi authorities and the Kurdish forces build up a better picture of where Isis is, where it is likely to strike next," Fallon said in an interview conducted by the defence editor of the Times and pooled on behalf of the major newspapers including the Guardian.

 

This means that British information could be used by the Iraqi military in planning attacks against jihadis – a development that brings Britain closer to a direct combat role, which could cause alarm among some MPs who are concerned about mission creep.

 

The Rivet Joint spy plane, a sophisticated, electronic surveillance aircraft, has been conducting missions since last week. Its information is combined with intelligence from daily patrols conducted by pairs of Tornado fighter jets, kitted with surveillance pods.

 

The RAF is also flying planeloads of ammunition, rifles and machine guns from former Soviet bloc countries in eastern Europe into Irbil in order to strengthen the fighting power of the Iraqi Kurdish security forces who are combatting the jihadis.

 

In addition, the government is looking at what British gear, such as night-vision goggles and body armour, it could send directly to the country to boost the Kurdish Peshmerga fighters.

 

The defence secretary praised a group of about three dozen airmen and soldiers from the various different units at the RAF base for their work in distributing aid. Fallon then signalled an expansion of the mission which could last months when he said: "This mission isn't over. The humanitarian needs are there…There may well now be in the next few weeks and months other ways that we may need to help save life, protect people. We are going to need all of you again and the surveillance you are able to give us."

 

The signals from Fallon of a greater British military involvement, which will stop short of deploying combat troops, came as the prime minister laid the ground for greater British military involvement in confronting Isis.

 

In a Sunday Telegraph article Cameron warned that Isis has declared an "extremist caliphate" that could soon lead to a "terrorist state on the shores of the Mediterranean and bordering a Nato member [Turkey]".

 

The prime minister, who warned of a "generational struggle" against a "poisonous and extremist ideology" that will last for the rest of his political lifetime, wrote: "I agree that we should avoid sending armies to fight or occupy. But we need to recognise that the brighter future we long for requires a long-term plan for our security as well as for our economy.

 

"True security will only be achieved if we use all our resources – aid, diplomacy, our military prowess – to help bring about a more stable world. Today, when every nation is so immediately interconnected, we cannot turn a blind eye and assume that there will not be a cost for us if we do."

The prime minister, who was furious when Ed Miliband blocked his plans to launch military strikes against the regime of the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad last year amid fears of a repeat of the mistakes of the invasion of Iraq in 2003, said that people should make judgments on the world of today.

 

He wrote: "The creation of an extremist caliphate in the heart of Iraq and extending into Syria is not a problem miles away from home. Nor is it a problem that should be defined by a war ten years ago. It is our concern here and now. Because if we do not act to stem the onslaught of this exceptionally dangerous terrorist movement, it will only grow stronger until it can target us on the streets of Britain."

 

Sir Menzies Campbell, the former Liberal Democrat leader, said: "The prime minister is right to emphasise that the effects of any continuing instability in Iraq will not be confined to the region. But it will be necessary to meet the challenge of terrorism by constructing a coalition of allies from both the EU and Nato. A unified approach will be essential with no room for dissent or compromise between countries. The jihadists of IS [the Islamic State] will most certainly test political resolve as well as security challenges."

 

In his interview the defence secretary confirmed that a small number of regular British soldiers were also sent briefly into the semi-autonomous Kurdish north of the country. The troops from 2nd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment were flown into Arbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, last week to prepare for a possible deployment of Chinook helicopters on a mission to save families from a little-known religious sect who were stuck on a mountainside.

British And French Troops: Joint Warrior

British and French paratroopers yesterday parachuted into Exercise Joint Warrior in Scotland.
1,300 troops from 16 Air Assault Brigade, the British Army’s rapid reaction force, and 300 French troops from the 11th Parachute Brigade arrived by air in the West Freugh area of Scotland.
 
The exercise scenario tasked them with stabilising an area disputed by 2 fictional nations divided by economic and ethnic factors.

A joint force from 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) and the French 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment parachuted in to capture Castle Kennedy Airfield.

West Freugh Airfield was then seized by troops from 2 PARA in a helicopter assault, followed up by a rapid landing by a C-130 transport aircraft to deliver more troops and equipment.

Securing the airfields marked the beginning of demanding training that will confirm the 2 brigades’ readiness to deploy together at short notice on contingency operations ranging from disaster relief to war-fighting.

The 2 brigades provide their respective armies’ rapid reaction forces and are at the forefront of closer military co-operation between Britain and France.

Joint Warrior marks the culmination of more than a year of work to develop the Intermediate Combined Joint Expeditionary Force for contingency operations. Headquarters staff have worked together to integrate command and control procedures and units have carried out joint field training in both countries.

Colonel ‘Jacko’ Jackson, Deputy Commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade, explained:

"As the Air Assault Task Force we are trained and capable of operating in an uncertain world. We are held in very high readiness to conduct forcible theatre entry worldwide at short notice; having a strategic effect due to the force’s agility, reach and ability."

"Joint Warrior has given us the opportunity to formally demonstrate this, and, as a binational land component with our sister French brigade, we have rapidly developed a credible and progressively validated capability with them."

French Colonel Bruno Helluy added:

"The exercise demonstrates that we can plan and conduct operations together, both airborne and air assault."

Joint Warrior is also providing the final training opportunity for the 2 PARA Battle Group to confirm their readiness to take on the Air Assault Task Force role from May.

The role sees the unit’s airborne infantry bolstered by artillery, engineers, medics and logisticians from 16 Air Assault Brigade and ready to deploy anywhere in the world at short notice to conduct the full range of military operations.

Exercise Joint Warrior involves nearly 13,000 military personnel from 9 countries – including 5,250 from the UK, more than 30 warships and over 65 aircraft and helicopters. Taking place twice a year, the training aims to test how the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force work together and with allied forces.

Armed RAF Afghan Drones Now Flown From UK

RAF pilots have operated drone missions over Afghanistan from British soil.

The missions were flown by members of XIII Squadron, based at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire.

Up until this week, all such missions in the Afghan conflict had been conducted at Creech air force base in Nevada.

The UK currently has five Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) - also known as remotely piloted air systems (RPAS).

Prime Minister David Cameron confirmed in 2010 that the fleet of Reaper aircraft would expand.

Delivery of the new aircraft is expected this summer.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed the commencement of operations from Lincolnshire in a short statement.

It said: "XIII Sqn have commenced supporting ISAF and Afghan ground troops in Afghanistan with armed intelligence and surveillance missions, which are remotely piloted from RAF Waddington."

Since 2007, British drones have flown some 45,000 hours in the Afghan conflict and fired around 350 weapons.

Their primary use is for surveillance, but they do carry precision guided missiles or Hellfire missiles on board for use when necessary.

The Waddington-based squadron numbers around 100 personnel who are specifically trained to fly the aircraft.

The drones take off and land under the guidance of pilots on the ground in Afghanistan but the pilots in Lincolnshire take over once they’ve reached a suitable height. They tend to fly at an altitude of between 15,000 to 20,000 feet.

The British Government insists it only flies its fleet of UAVs in Afghanistan - a country that it has an legal remit to be in.

But drones are controversial, largely because of their use in Pakistan and Yemen by the US government and a protest march is planned outside RAF Waddington this Saturday.

The pilots in Lincolnshire are operating in conjunction with British and American colleagues still based in Nevada - this is largely based on a shift pattern to reflect the time difference and to allow for 24 hour operations.

The MoD will only confirm one incident of civilian casualties involving its aircraft, when innocent people were killed by the blast of a missile that also killed two insurgents.

U.K. Airbus A400M Airlifter Costs Exceed Plan by $1.2 Billion

The Airbus Military A400M airlifter for the U.K. is now running over budget by 770 million pounds ($1.2 billion), according to the British Ministry of Defence. 

There is also a cost overrun on a Thales SA (HO) Watchkeeper drone program and a Northrop Grumman Corp. (NOC) electronic system for aircraft, Philip Dunne, a minister for defense, told Parliament in written answers to questions. 

The U.K. is acquiring 22 A400M transports to replace Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) C-130s, a program running 73 months behind plan, the National Audit Office said. The airlifter is scheduled to enter service with the Royal Air Force in 2015. Lead customer France should get its first plane by the middle of this year. 

“Project performance can be affected by a number of reasons, not all of which are in the contractor’s control,” Dunne said. The increases are against the ministry’s total cost baseline, and not contracts with the companies, he said. 

Airbus SAS and countries funding the development of the A400M restructured the program in 2010 to address cost increases and schedule delays. The U.K. trimmed its purchase to 22 units instead of 25 as part of the review. 

The Watchkeeper unmanned aircraft program for the army is 57 million pounds above estimate and Northrop Grumman’s aircraft identification beacon is 6 million pounds above projections, Dunne said.

BAe 146 C.MK 3 aircraft delivered to the UK Royal Air Force

Prestwick, Scotland, BAE Systems Regional Aircraft has delivered on time and on budget two BAe 146-200QC (Quick Change) aircraft that have been converted from commercial to military configuration for use by the Royal Air Force.

After a period of familiarisation and operational trials, both aircraft have now been declared as Released To Service (RTS) by the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence.

Known in RAF service as the BAe 146 C Mk.3, the two aircraft have been converted under a £15.5 million contract awarded to BAE Systems Regional Aircraft at Prestwick under an Urgent Operational Requirement (UOR) to augment tactical aircraft numbers, particularly the Lockheed C130 Hercules force, during the upcoming extraction phase of Operation Herrick, the current Afghanistan campaign.

BAE Systems has been responsible for the design and integration of the equipment to be fitted to the aircraft, the sourcing of the equipment and management of the supply chain and overall management of the conversion programme. The actual conversion was carried out at the Hawker Beechcraft Services, Chester facility under sub-contract to BAE Systems.

Among the military equipments fitted are a Defensive Aids System to enable these UOR aircraft to be protected to appropriate levels, at least equivalent to other UK aircraft operating in Afghanistan. Also installed is a Successor Identification Friend or Foe (SIFF) system.

A number of other upgrades have also been installed including HF and UHF radio communications systems and a SATCOM satellite communications system. An armoured flight deck has been incorporated along with fuel tank inertion, air conditioning upgrades and a fire protection D-C system in the baggage bay.

The BAe 146 C Mk.3 is equipped with a large 131 inch wide and 76 inch high (3.33m x1.93m) rear upward-opening freight door giving a large aperture for the easy loading of pallets, containers and awkwardly-shaped cargo. The large cabin volume of the aircraft will allow up to 23,500 lbs (10.6 tonnes) of freight to be carried.

The cabin floor of the aircraft has a freight loading system which allows either palletised freight or passenger seating fixed to pallets to be rapidly installed. The passenger layout of 94 seats is to full commercial aircraft standards with interior trim, carpeting, toilet and galleys available front and rear and overhead passenger service units for each seat row and overhead luggage bins. There are also two large underfloor baggage holds.

In order to further broaden the versatility of this aircraft BAE Systems has engineered two further interior options for the RAF. It has sourced and received Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) approval for new cabin baggage platforms and containers and cargo pallets from VRR of The Netherlands.

When installed on the aircraft this gives an alternative layout of 54 seats and a significant amount of carry-on baggage allowance in storage containers that can carry Bergens and other bags. The containers and their associated pallet are fork-liftable, even when loaded to their maximum weight, thus aiding rapid turnaround.

BAE Systems has also cleared a palletised freight layout for use on these aircraft, rather than the usual BAe 146QC freight igloos, to allow easier transhipment of loads between differing aircraft types in the RAF transport fleet.

Both aircraft are assigned to the RAF’s 32 (The Royal) Squadron which already operates two BAe 146 CC Mk 2 aircraft, primarily in the VIP transport role from RAF Northolt in north-west London.

UK Tornado fleet to retire in 2019, says BAE

Royal Air Force operations with the Panavia Tornado GR4 are to conclude before the end of this decade, with the Eurofighter Typhoon and Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II to assume its duties.

"The out-of-service date for the UK Tornado fleet has been confirmed by the MoD [Ministry of Defence] as March 2019," BAE Systems said in its half-year results statement on 2 August.

Flightglobal's MiliCAS database shows that the RAF's active inventory of Tornado GR4s totals 124 aircraft. These are flown from its Lossiemouth air base in Scotland and from Marham in Norfolk, with a detachment also forward-deployed at Kandahar airfield in Afghanistan.

In July, defence secretary Philip Hammond said the UK's future fleet of short take-off and vertical landing F-35Bs are expected to be based at RAF Marham, but a final decision had yet to be taken. Land-based operations with the stealthy type are scheduled to commence in the UK in 2018.

Meanwhile, BAE says it has delivered 73 upgraded aircraft under its Tornado Sustainment Programme deal with the Royal Saudi Air Force, including 12 which were returned to service in the first six months of 2012.

"The weapons element of the programme will see increasing deliveries in the second half of the year," it adds.

Britain to receive F-35, the first delivered by US to an ally

The United States will soon hand over the first F-35 Joint Strike Fighter slated for international delivery to Britain, defense secretaries from both countries announced Wednesday at the Pentagon.

They said the delivery scheduled for Thursday is a sign the embattled, costly stealth fighter program is back on track and a symbol of the nations’ tight bond, which Defense Minister Philip Hammond called “our most important defense relationship.”

Britain agreed more than a decade ago to buy 138 of the B variant of the Lockheed-Martin aircraft, which is capable of vertical takeoff and landing, for deployment from aircraft carriers. But ballooning costs and missed deadlines have since raised doubts in the United States and among nations that had agreed to purchase the fighter about the overall program’s viability.

Former defense secretary Robert Gates placed the program on “probation” to force corrections, a status lifted by the current secretary, Leon Panetta, in January.

“I’m pleased by the significant progress that the program has made across all the service developments, particularly in the past year,” Panetta said. “Although there is still a long road ahead to complete development of the JSF, we are making good progress in testing and stabilizing future production and sustainment plans.”

In addition, both defense leaders called for an end to violence in Syria as rebels take on the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Because of Syria’s chemical weapons stockpiles, an orderly transition of power is a must, Hammond said.

With fighting now extending into the capital, Damascus, including a suicide bombing Wednesday that killed the Syrian defense minister, the situation is becoming increasingly dangerous, he said.

“I think what we’re seeing is an opposition which is emboldened, clearly an opposition which has access increasingly to weaponry, probably some fragmentation around the edges of the regime as well,” Hammond said

Four Typhoon aircraft normally based in Lincolnshire are on call for the Olympics.

The RAF said the aircraft from RAF Coningsby have been stationed at Northolt in Middlesex since Tuesday.

It also said they could be called at short notice to intercept unidentified aircraft around the Olympic sites.

Sqn Ldr Gordon Lovett said: "There is no specific threat to the Games, but we have to be ready for all eventualities."

The RAF said it was the first time fighter aircraft had conducted operations from the airfield since World War II.

It said the fighter jets, which had recently been used in Libya, were one part of a "multi-layered air security plan to protect the London Games

RAF's newest transport aircraft named Atlas

The RAF's next generation military transport aircraft has officially been named Atlas at the Royal International Air Tattoo, which is taking place at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.

The RAF's Airbus A400M transport aircraft will be known as Atlas 

The aircraft, which has until now been known as the A400M, will replace the RAF's existing C-130 Hercules fleet and, along with the Voyager and C-17, will provide the UK military's future air transport force.

The UK is buying 22 of the aircraft from Airbus Military, and the first Atlas is expected to be delivered to the RAF in 2014.

Able to carry twice as much as the Hercules, Atlas can transport 32 tonnes of cargo over a range of 4,500km, providing unprecedented capability to support the UK Armed Forces.

It can move up to 116 paratroopers and large armoured vehicles such as Mastiffs as well as vast amounts of humanitarian and disaster relief. The aircraft's ability to land on semi-permanent runways and rough ground means Atlas can fly its cargo into the centre of operations, supplying tactical forward bases or evacuating casualties or refugees.

Five Airbus A400M test aircraft fly over Toulouse

The Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, Peter Luff, said:

    "Atlas will be a uniquely capable aircraft and will provide both tactical and strategic airlift capabilities for use in peace, crisis and war. The name Atlas reflects the potential of this mighty aircraft to provide help and support to our Armed Forces and others in need across the globe.

    "The programme is a good example of how European partners can work together to deliver world-class military capability."

Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton, said:

    "Atlas is going to be a major capability for Defence and the Royal Air Force is looking forward to Atlas joining our world-class fleet of air mobility aircraft.

 NH90 military helicopter is loaded into an Airbus A400M

    "Atlas will offer a step-change in the Royal Air Force's capability, and with its significant payload it will be able to transport every type of UK protected mobility vehicle directly to where they are needed as well as supporting forces on the ground through significant tactical air drops.

    "Atlas, together with the C-17 Globemaster, C-130J Hercules and the new Voyager aircraft now entering service with the RAF, will give us the ability to rapidly move people and equipment around the globe for military and humanitarian operations for decades ahead."

The UK is one of seven nations who will be purchasing Atlas from Airbus Military. The development and build of the aircraft has created or secured work for 8,000 people in the UK.

Tornado Crash: Hopes Fade For RAF Crew

A search for two RAF airmen who went missing after a pair of Tornado jets crashed off the coast of Scotland has become a recovery operation.

Four personnel from RAF Lossiemouth were involved in the incident, in which the Tornado GR4s came down in the Moray Firth on Tuesday afternoon.

A rescue helicopter later picked up two people who were taken to hospital in Inverness, but the search for the remaining airmen was later suspended due to bad weather.

Fred Caygill, a maritime and coastguard agency spokesman, said this morning: "We are now in a recovery phase. We stand by to assist the Ministry of Defence in any way that we can if required."

On Tuesday, the Aberdeen coastguard contacted the RNLI for assistance at about 1.50pm after reports that the jets came down about 25 miles south of Wick.

About 15 lifeboat volunteers joined the rescue operation in boats from Wick, Invergordon and Buckie, the RNLI said.

The boats headed for the Beatrice oil field area, supported by a helicopter from Stornoway in the Western Isles.

Crew from the Buckie boat reported that two people were taken from the sea by helicopter and flown to Raigmore Hospital, although their condition is not known

Group Captain Ian Gale, the station commander, said his thoughts were with the families and friends of those involved.

"It is with great regret that I must confirm the loss of two Tornado GR4 aircraft, from this station, in an incident in the Moray Firth today," he said in a statement released by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

"The circumstances remain uncertain but clearly this is a very serious incident.

"This incident involved four aircrew, all personnel from this station, and the thoughts of everyone here are with the families and friend of those involved."

He would not comment on the aircrew's condition or the circumstances of the incident.

He added: "I am confident that the Tornado aircraft on this station are operated as safely as they possibly can be - however, today's incident is a stark reminder that the military operations and training we conduct are not without risk.

"What happened today is under investigation and more details will be released by the Royal Air Force in due course.

First Minister Alex Salmond said: "This is clearly a very serious incident and my thoughts are with the loved ones of those affected."

Tornado aircraft have been involved in crashes in Scotland in recent years.

In January last year two RAF crew were rescued after their Tornado GR4 jet came down in the sea off the west coast of Scotland.

The crew, from RAF Lossiemouth, ejected from the plane before it landed in the waters at Loch Ewe, near Gairloch, Wester Ross.

RAF Lossiemouth, on the Moray Firth coast, is home to three squadrons of Tornado GR4s.

The Tornado GR4 is a two-seat attack aircraft, capable of delivering a variety of weapons and reaching a maximum altitude of 50,000ft (15,240m).

In July 2009 an RAF pilot and navigator were killed when their Tornado jet crashed into a hillside in Argyll.

Flight Lieutenant Kenneth Thompson, 27, and Flight Lieutenant Nigel Morton, 43, died in the crash near the village of Arrochar.

The aircraft was a RAF Leuchars-based Tornado F3 on a routine flight.

MBDA sharpens Spear missile design for F-35 integration

European manufacturer MBDA has unveiled a UK-developed design for a next-generation air-to-surface weapon suitable for internal carriage by the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

 To be shown for the first time as a full-scale mock-up at the Farnborough air show, the Spear concept would use a turbojet engine and a wing kit to provide a stand-off range of about 100km (54nm). "Speed and range are the two main drivers" behind this configuration, says Rob Thornley, export working group leader for MBDA UK.

"Another key requirement is to provide multiple load-out on the F-35," says Thornley. The company expects to be able to fit up to four Spear weapons and one Meteor beyond visual-range air-to-air missile in each of the F-35's two weapons bays.

Firm decisions have yet to be made on the final Spear configuration, but MBDA says it will be about 2m (6.5ft) long, carry a multi-effect warhead and use a multimode seeker. The high subsonic-speed weapon will also feature INS/GPS guidance, and be able to receive mid-course updates via an onboard datalink.

The basis of the concept is now in an assessment phase study for the UK Ministry of Defence's Spear Capability 3 requirement. This activity is due to conclude in 2014 with an airframe and propulsion system demonstration using a representative weapon design.

"We are on track, and continue to mature the technologies," says business executive Adrian Monks. However, MBDA acknowledges that the UK's recent decision to revert to the short take-off and vertical landing F-35B "brings some challenges", as the type's weapons bays are shorter than those found on the carrier variant F-35C previously favoured by London.

MBDA plans to contract a European supplier to develop a new, lightweight, two-round rail launcher for the Spear missile, and says it has also identified a number of potential engine suppliers.

Beyond its application for internal carriage by the stealthy F-35, MBDA has also released artwork depicting a multi-role-configured Eurofighter Typhoon carrying 16 of the missiles.

Meanwhile, the company will also detail its self-funded trials work into a new target application for the UK's current dual mode seeker-equipped Brimstone air-to-surface missile at the show on 10 July.

 Fired during the Afghanistan and Libya conflicts from Royal Air Force Panavia Tornado GR4 strike aircraft, an enhanced version of the weapon is to meet the UK's Spear Capability 2 Block 1 requirements from next year.