Friday, November 7, 2014

Canada carries out its First Airstrikes Against ISIS in Iraq

The Canadian Air Force has completed its first strike against Islamic State militants in Iraq. Poor weather had previously hampered combat missions as currently Canadian fighter jets aren’t armed with all-weather laser-guided bombs.
“Coordinated with our coalition partners, two CF-18s (Hornet fighter jets) attacked ISIL targets with GBU-12 laser-guided bombs in the vicinity of Fallujah, Iraq,” said a statement issued by Canadian Defense Minister Rob Nicholson.
“The approximately four-hour mission included air-to-air refueling from Canada’s Polaris aircraft. All aircraft returned safely to their base,” the statement said.
The outcome of the airstrike, which was the Canadian Air Force’s first combat action since the war in Libya three years ago, is still being assessed.
“We are all proud about the first strike,” an officer in Ottawa familiar with the operation told Canada.com.
Because laser-guided bombs can only be used in good weather, Canadian pilots had been unable to perform missions in Iraq for a couple of days, when the weather was cloudy. Now the task force expects GPS-guided bombs to arrive from Canada. This will enable operation against the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) in all-weather mode, using a mix of laser and GPS-guided bombs.
“We have established an air bridge between Canada and Kuwait and expect them to arrive and be used in the coming days,” said Lt.-Col. David Devenney, Director of Public Affairs for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).
Last week, Canada’s Department of National Defense purchased 400 bomb-guidance kits from the US, which make ‘smart’ bombs operate flawlessly in poor weather conditions.
In the meantime, Canadian pilots are getting used to the Iraqi terrain and cooperating with aircraft and land control structures from the 11 countries that form the anti-IS coalition.
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