RAF Tornado GR4’s

Eight Tornado GR4 fighter bombers are currently stationed in Cyprus (12 Squadron RAF Marham).

Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary, has said that RAF Tornado GR4’s will extend air strikes against the Islamic State for an extra year. 12 Squadron will now continue in service until March 2017.

Mr Fallon said that British jets had helped Iraqi forces on the ground to push militants out of key towns:

‘RAF Tornados have carried out hundreds of strikes, helping Iraqi forces push back ISIL from the Kurdish region and out of key towns such as Tikrit and Bayji.

Map highlighting the territory influenced or controlled by Islamic State. RAF GR4’s target only in Iraq.

We want to ensure we maintain this crucial operational tempo and so we will extend the lifetime of Number 12 Squadron for a further year to March 2017.

This will allow us to sustain our effort, helping the Iraqis lead the fight on the ground.’

The extension will ensure the RAF retains the ‘essential precision firepower, intelligence and surveillance capabilities’ needed for operations against Islamic State.

The GR4’s from 12 Squadron RAF Marham, operating out of RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, are equipped with precision-guided Paveway bombs and Brimstone missiles. Brimstone’s are used in targeting small mobile targets such as trucks on the ground.

They can also be fitted with Raptor reconnaissance pods for carrying out surveillance and intelligence gathering missions.

Combined with the RAF’s unmanned Reaper drones, which are also operational in the region, they have flown in excess of 1,100 combat missions over Iraq with some 250 air strikes.

The U.S.-led coalition has conducted dozens of air strikes in Iraq and Syria in recent days, as it seeks to weaken militants who have seized  large swaths of both countries as part of their drive to create an Islamic caliphate.

Britain is part of the U.S.-led coalition, but only has parliament’s backing to carry out strikes in Iraq not Syria.

Turkey launched its first air strikes on IS in Syria 10 days ago as it also began attacking Kurdish militants.