2oct2014 Cyprus:No2 Sqn RAF Tornado jets to fly another year

[Stratofreighter]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... -Isil.html

RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus
8:49PM BST 02 Oct 2014

David Cameron announces that No 2 squadron, comprising 16 Tornados,
will no longer be disbanded in March 2015 as it will help with airstrikes in Iraq

AN RAF Tornado squadron that was due to be disbanded has been reprieved for a year in order to bomb Isil,
David Cameron announced on Thursday night as he thanked British pilots for their bravery and sacrifice.

In a surprise visit to RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus, Mr Cameron said the public must "never forget" the risks taken British aircrews whose actions in Iraq "make Britain safer".

Two more Tornado GR4 jets have been dispatched to join six British planes taking part in bombing raids and reconnaissance missions over Iraq under Operation Shader, Mr Cameron said.

One left on Thursday, and another will be sent on Friday.

The further planes does not mean the RAF is planning to increase the number of bombing raids, a Downing Street source said.

But Mr Cameron said it would allow the RAF to "keep up the tempo" over a sustained campaign.

And in what will be regarded as a u-turn, the lifetime of No 2 Squadron, which is carrying out the raids will be extended by a year.

The squadron, comprising 16 Tornados and based at RAF Marham in Norfolk,
was due to be disbanded in March 2014 as Britain withdraws from operations in Afghanistan.

It was due to be replaced by a new squadron of advanced Typhoon fighters based at RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland.

But that move has been postponed by a year in light of the battle against Isil, Downing Street said.

The Tornado is better suited to ground-attack missions, while the Typhoon is designed for aerial combat and patrolling UK airspace.

"We want to make sure that we can keep up this tempo in the days ahead so we will deploy a further two Tornados to Akrotiri in the next 24 hours.

"We will also extend the lifetime of Number Two Squadron for a further year to April 2016 to ensure we can sustain this effort in the months ahead," he said.

No 2 Squadron, known to pilots as 'Shiny Two', was founded in 1912 and was the first unit to fly over the English Channel at the outbreak of the First World War.

But Air Chief Marshall Sir Michael Graydon, the former head of the air force,
last week warned that the RAF has been reduced
to the "bare bones"
after years of cuts and a sustained campaign of airstrikes would be
"quite a stretch"
for the ageing Tornado fleet.

"The lack of combat aircraft is a major weakness in our make-up.

This has been raised time and time again and basically ignored,"
said Sir Michael. "
We really are at rock bottom."