The importance of the RAF’s multiple
roles in Afghanistan cannot be overstat- ed. The RAF offering key support in the following areas:
The fuselage of a Royal Air Force Tornado GR4 being loaded onto a C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft at Kandahar Airfi eld, Afghanistan
The importance of the RAF’s multiple roles in Afghanistan cannot be overstated
Air Force was handsomely supplemented by a multitude of commonwealth and foreign national pilots, this battle for national survival took place in the skies above the South east of England, leading to Prime Minister Winston Churchill to pronounce the memorable words in Au- gust of that year: ‘Never in the fi eld of human confl ict was so much owed by so many to so few’. ‘The Few’, as those RAF fi ghter pilots
became know, faced the full force of the Luftwaffe with German Messerschmitt 109s competing in life or death duels with Britain’s own famous Spitfi res and Hurricanes. The story of the Battle of Britain is told elsewhere in this publica- tion (see pp.42-48), and this year, 2010, the nation and the RAF itself are proud to commemorate the Battle of Britain, whose 70th anniversary is being celebrat- ed at a variety of events across the UK, see
www.raf.mod.uk/history/battleofbrit ain70thevents.cfm.
The Cold War, the Gulf, and Kosovo With the conclusion of World War II
there developed the long period known as the Cold War (1947-91), a period of international political instability, confl ict and military tensions largely emanating from behind the Iron Curtain, signifying communist Russia and associated states standing
square Atlantic Treaty against the North Organization (NATO).
Ever vigilant throughout this period, the RAF was on constant defensive standby in the UK and at a variety of bases across former West Germany.
In the years that followed the ending of the Cold War (with the fall of communism and the Berlin Wall) came signifi cant new challenges for the Royal Air Force as a fi ghting force, namely the Gulf War and the war in Kosovo, the latter providing important support for NATO forces.
Afghanistan
The confl ict that has become today’s cen- tral focus is our Armed Forces’ campaign in Afghanistan, a campaign that is given a particularly signifi cant eval- uation elsewhere in this publication (see pp.83-86).
Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition & Reconnaissance (ISTAR)– Nimrod R1 & Sentinel (Airborne Stand-Off Radar (ASTOR) The Nimrod R1 is a derivative of the Nim- rod MR2 maritime patrol aircraft and is operated by No 51 Squadron, based at RAF Waddington. The Nimrod R1 has a highly sophisticated and sensitive suite of systems used for reconnaissance and gathering electronic intelligence provid- ing key intelligence to allied forces. An- other important and relatively new asset is the Sentinel, its ASTOR supplying vital long-range, battlefi eld-intelligence, tar- get-imaging and tracking radar for allied Land Forces. It is clear the Sentinel has signifi cant surveillance applications in peacetime, wartime and in crisis opera- tions.
Battlefi eld Mobility - Chinook, Merlin, C130
In diffi cult terrain, of which the Afghani- stan landscape is one of the most chal- lenging, Battlefi eld Mobility and Combat Spt assets are an absolute necessity for coalition Land forces. Transport by RAF assets reduces the risk to land forces from IEDs, further, they play a key role provid- ing supplies to remote locations and the swift medical evacuation of injured allied forces and civilians.
A Tornado GR4 aircraft
operated by the Royal Air Force takes off from RAF Marham in Norfolk
www.armedforcesday.org.uk SHOW YOUR SUPPORT 37
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