Then, in spite of the low quality, the shot is worth a mention as it is one of the very few images you will find on the Internet showing an F-22 at night partly lit up by the green formation lights. In fact, although it may sound weird, there are not so many shots of depicting the Raptor after night. You can find more F-35 after-dark photographs than F-22 ones.
So, enjoy a barely visible Raptor (and notice the stealth plane’s formation lights switched on) as it departs from Al Dhafra for a strike mission in Syria.
B-1B “Lancer” bombers belonging to the 7th Bomb Wing from Dyess Air Force Base, in Texas, are bombing ISIS militants in Iraq and Syria.
An unspecified number of B-1B bombers of the 7th Bomb Wing from Dyess AFB is currently operating from Al Udeid airbase, in Qatar. If you type the Qatari airbase name in Google Earth, you can spot at least 5 “Lancers” parked on the main apron, along with KC-135 tankers.
Originally the “Bones” (as the plane are nicknamed by their pilots), supported by 300 airmen, were deployed to the region to support Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan as part of a standard 6-month rotation to the main U.S. Air Force base in the Persian Gulf.
Then, they were destined to the current air campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
More or less at the same time when their presence in the opening waves of air strikes in Syria was confirmed by officials at the Pentagon, a composite photo made with video stills, of a B-1B circling over Fallujah, 69 kilometers to the west of Baghdad, on Sept. 24, was posted on Arab forum: a reminder that there’s a war going on in Iraq too and that air strikes on ISIS not only involve F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jets and F-15E aircraft, but also supersonic variable-sweep wing, jet-powered strategic bombers too.
Supported by KC-135 tankers (also based at Al Udeid), the B-1 “Lancer” supersonic variable-sweep wing, strategic bombers have pounded ground targets in both Syria and Iraq.
Here’s an interesting video showing one “Bone”(from “B-One”) refueling at night from a KC-135 while enroute to the target area in Syria on Sept. 27, as seen through the NVG (Night Vision Googgles).
Considered almost unbeatable in the air-to-air role, the F-22 successfully debuted in combat, taking part in air strikes against ISIS targets. But what if the F-22 found a 4th Gen. opponent?
As already explained, the radar-evading planes conducted air strikes against ISIS ground targets, in what (considering the 5th Generation plane’s capabilities) were probably Swing Role missions: the stealth jets flew ahead of the rest of the strike package to cover the other attack planes, dropped their Precision Guided Munitions (PGMs) on designated targets, and escorted the package during the way back.
Raptor’s stealthiness is maintained by storing weapons in internal bays capable to accomodate 2x AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, some AIM-120C AMRAAM air-to-air missiles (the number depending on the configuration), as well as 2x 1,000 pound GBU-32 JDAM or 8x GBU-39 small diameter bombs: in this way the Raptor can dominate the airspace above the battlefield while performing OCA (Offensive Counter Air) role attacking air and ground targets. Moreover its two powerful Pratt & Whitney F-119-PW-100 engines gave to the fifth fighter the ability to accelerate past the speed of sound without using the afterburners (the so called supercruise) and TV (Thrust Vectoring), that can be extremely useful, in certain conditions, to put the Raptor in the proper position to score a kill.
All these capabilities have made the F-22 almost invincible (at least on paper). Indeed, a single Raptor during one of its first training sorties was able to kill eight F-15s in a mock air-to-air engagement, well before they could see it.
These results were achieved also thanks to the specific training programs which put F-22 pilots against the best US fighters jocks in order to improve their abilities to use the jet’s sophisticated systems, make the most out of sensor fusion, then decide when and to execute the correct tactic.
The Raptor has a huge advantage against its adversaries as demonstrated by the F-22’s incredible kill ratio against USAF Red Air (which play as enemy air forces during exercises) and its F-16s and F-15s, during the exercises undertaken in the last decade: for instance, during exercise Noble Edge in Alaska in June 2006, few F-22s were able to down 108 adversaries with no losses, while during the 2007 edition of the same exercise, they brought their record to 144 simulated kills.
In its first Red Flag participation, in February 2007, the Raptor was able to establish air dominance rapidly and with no losses.
As reported by Dave Allport and Jon Lake in a story which appeared on Air Force Monthly magazine, during an Operational Readiness Inspection (ORI) in 2008, the F-22s scored 221 simulated kills without a single loss.
Still, when outnumbered and threatened by F-15s, F-16s and F-18s, in a simulated WVR (Within Visual Range) dogfight, the F-22 is not invincible.
Even though with don’t know anything about the ROE (Rules Of Engagement) set for that training sorties and, at the same time, the outcome of those mock air-to-air combat is still much debated (as there are different accounts of those simulated battles), the “F-22 vs Typhoon at RF-A” story, raised some questions about the threat posed to the Raptor by advanced, unstealthy, 4th Gen. fighter jets.
In fact, even though these aircraft are not stealth, Typhoons are equipped with Helmet Mounted Display (HMD) systems and IRST (the Infra-Red Search and Track), two missing features on Raptors.
The Typhoon’s HMD is called Helmet Mounted Symbology System (HMSS). Just like the American JHMCS (Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System) which is integrated in the U.S. F-15C/D, F-16 Block 40 and 50 and F-18C/D/E/F, HMSS provides the essential flight and weapon aiming information through line of sight imagery. Information imagery (including aircraft’s airspeed, altitude, weapons status, aiming etc) are projected on the visor (the HEA – Helmet Equipment Assembly – for the Typhoon) , enabling the pilot to look out in any direction with all the required data always in his field of vision.
The F-22 Raptor is not equipped with a similar system (the project to implement it was axed following 2013 budget cuts). The main reason for not using it on the stealth jet is that it was believed neither an HMD, nor HOBS (High Off-Boresight) weapons that are fired using these helmets, were needed since no opponents would get close enough to be engaged with an AIM-9X in a cone more than 80 degrees to either side of the nose of the aircraft.
Sure, but the risk of coming to close range with an opponent is still high and at distances up to 50 km an aircraft equipped with an IRST (Infra-Red Search and Track) system, which can detect the IR signature of an enemy fighter (that’s why Aggressors at Red Flag carry IRST pods….), could even be able to find a stealthy plane “especially if it is large and hot, like the F-22″ as a Eurofighter pilot once said.
Summing up, the F-22 is and remains the most lethal air superiority fighter ever. Still, it lacks some nice features that could be useful to face hordes of enemy aircraft, especially if these include F-15s, Typhoons, Rafales or, in the future, the Chinese J-20 and Russian PAK-FA.
An interesting point of view: from an F-15E Strike Eagle Advanced Targeting Pod
Designated AN/AAQ-33, the Lockheed Martin Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP), equips several U.S. and foreign attack planes including the B-1B “Lancer” and the F-15E Strike Eagle.
The pod, equipped with a Laser designator used to guide LGBs (Laser Guided Bombs) and a FLIR (Forward Looking Infra Red) and CCD TV camera, is used for identification of targets (both on the ground and airborne ones), tracking, coordinate generation, and guidance.
Although some videos recorded through the Sniper ATP are available online, here’s one released by the Pentagon showing an attack on an ISIL Compound near Kobani, Syria.
Blast aside, the symbology that appears in the ATP footage is interesting: target aside, there are a lot of symbols that we know nothing about, a result of the so-called “sensor fusion,” the combination of sensory data derived from the plane and other assets’ data sources.
Here’s the effect of the first British air strike on ISIS in Iraq.
On Sept. 30, RAF Tornado GR4 aircraft from RAF Akrotiri airbase, Cyprus, attacked ISIS positions in northwestern Iraq.
The two planes, were flying an armed reconnaissance mission when they were tasked to support Kurdish troops who were under attack from ISIS terrorists.
During the second strike, the British “Tonkas” destroyed a “technical” (armed pick-up truck) with a Brimstone missile.
The Brimstone, is a fire-and-forget anti-armour missile, first fielded during 2008 after an urgent operational requirement, used on the RAF’s Harriers during operations over Afghanistan, that became the RAF weapons of choice during in the Air War over Libya.
The Tornado GR4, that didnt’ carry the Brimstone on their very first armed patrol over Iraq, carry a mixed load out with a single rack of three Brimstones and two Paveway IV 226kg bombs along with the Rafael Litening III targeting pod.
Optimized for use against fast moving platforms, these small guided missiles feature a warhead of 9 kg and have a range of 7.5 miles. They use a millimeter wave (mmW) radar seeker with a semi-active laser (SAL) that enables final guidance to the target by either the launching platform or another plane, and are perfect to destroy a vehicle with very low collateral damage risk, and an accuracy of about 1 – 2 meters.
On top is an interesting photo showing one “Bone”(from “B-One”) refueling at night from a KC-135 during an air strike on Sept. 27, as it ignites the afterburners to accelerate in bound to the subsequent waypoint along its route.
A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor takes gas from a KC-135 tanker enroute to Syria.
Although the F-22 Raptor can carry its air-to-air and air-to-ground weaponry in its internal weapons bays, it relies on rather unstealthy fuel tanks when it needs to increase its range.
That’s why aircraft must be refueled mid-air by tankers several times, to be able to remain in the air for the 6 – 7 (or more) hours required to reach northern Syria and return to Al Dhafra in the UAE after dropping ordnance.
Here’s an interesting video showing the stealth multi-role fighter jets take fuel from a KC-10 Extender tanker during on Sept. 27, 2014.
It was the first night mission of the Rafales since the beginning of Operation Chammal (as the French have dubbed their participation to the air campaign against ISIS), another 7 hour mission which required several aerial refuelings from both FAF C-135FR and U.S. KC-10 Extender.
Whilst it was impossible to determine the town that was barely visible below the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jets in the images and video we posted last week, in this case, the French Air Force not only posted the photographs, but also said that the city in the background is Iraq capitcal town Baghdad.
A video, filmed in central Syria today allegedly shows the first ISIS jet in flight.
In the last few days, several media outlets reported the news that the Islamic State has started combat operations using “Mig” fighter jets from an airbase in Syria.
Indeed, in 2014, ISIS has captured two airbases in central Syria, Tabqa and Kshesh, where Islamic State fighters have seized some Syrian Arab Air Force airplanes. Among these aircraft, several Mig-21s and L-39s, some of those, if not airworthy, were probably at least in pretty good shape.
Photos of IS fighters posing next to intact L-39s at Kshesh, about 70 kilometers to the east of Aleppo, have been published on several websites and social media: some of them show the combat trainers in near operational conditions.
Obviously, the mere fact that some aircraft, with some missing parts were captured by ISIS, does not mean they now have an Air Force. Still, their capability to bring a few of those “Migs” to flight conditions should not be underestimated: with the help of the Iraqi personnel formerly serving with the Iraqi Air Force the three planes were reportedly brought back to operational status at Kshesh. Most probably piloted by Iraqi, IS supporters or mercenaries.
On Oct. 18, a video reportedly filmed near Kshesh emerged. It shows a jet landing at the airbase under IS control in central Syria.
Although it’s not easy to guess the type of aircraft, it may be an L-39.
As said, the fact that some aircraft have been brought to operational status is far from being surprising. What’s weird is that U.S. aircraft involved in Operation Inherent Resolve (as the U.S.-led campaign against ISIS was dubbed) have not yet targeted Kshesh airbase to wipe out the first three aircraft of the quite basic IS Air Force…
Short clip of a low level flying Su-24 trailing smoke.
Even though the user who uploaded the video to Youtube titled the footage “Mig-23 Low Pass Scream – Syria”, the aircraft you can see in the footage below is clearly a Su-24 Fencer.
The aircraft can be seen overflying the cameraman at very low altitude, trailing white smoke: provided it was really shot in Syria, the video may show a Syrian Arab Air Force Fencer hit by ground fire (or dumping fuel) trying to return to its homebase.
A Syrian Mi-14 ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) helicopter crash landed in the Idlib region.
On Mar. 22, a Syrian Navy Mil Mi-14 helicopter crash landed in the Idlib region, northwestern of the country.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least four crew members (out of 6 probably aboard the helicopter) survived the incident and were captured by the Nusra Front and Islamic faction close to the capsized wreckage.
The helicopter was forced to attempt an emergency landing following a technical failure SOHR reported.
Here is a video, allegedly showing the Mi-14 going down earlier today:
According to the first reports four crew members survived the incident and were captured by the Nusra Front and Islamic faction close to the capsized wreckage. One of the pilot was reportedly executed on site.
Now a video allegedly filmed inside the doomed helicopter was posted on Youtube. The clip was probably shot with one of the crew member’s smartphones captured by the opposition fighters.
It shows the cockpit, the operator’s console, radar, flight instruments (including an altimeter showing 5,000 meters). One of the pilots can be seen using a tablet and a handheld GPS.
H/T to Matt Fanning for sending us the link to the video
Noteworthy, a photograph, taken at Konya airbase during the NATO Tiger Meet 2015 exercise and published by the Turkish Kokpit.aero website, shows the F-16 (serialled 92-005) sporting a Mi-17 kill mark to celebrate the aerial victory over the Assad’s utility chopper.
It is the F-16C serialled 91-008, belonging to the 182 Filo (squadron), that shot down a Syrian Arab Air Force Mig-23 Flogger on Mar. 23, 2014.
On that day, the SyAAF Mig-23, flying with another aircraft of the same type, approached the Turkish-Syrian border at around 13.00 LT. While one of the Floggers turned back, the other aircraft violated the Turkish airspace by about 1 km, at 13.13LT. It then continued to fly inside Turkey’s airspace for about 1.5 km until it was hit by an AIM-120 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile) fired by the F-16C 91-008 in Combat Air Patrol near the border.
The Syrian pilot successfully ejected from the Mig.
A Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) Su-24 Fencer attack plane was shot down near Nahtah village.
On Jun. 11, a Syrian Su-24 Fencer was reportedly shot down near Nahtah in the southern county of Dara, Syria.
According to the Luftwaffe A.S. website, the aircraft, a Su-24M2 operating from T4 AB or Seen AB, was hit by 23mm Anti-aircraft artillery.
Although some eyewitnesses said the pilot successfully ejected (note: the crew is made of two members, a pilot and a weapons systems officer…), the footage we have seen so far doesn’t show any parachute in the vicinity of the aircraft, broken in at least two parts.
Turkish Air Force has been training for real operations like those in Iraq and Syria for 15 years.
On Jul. 24, Turkey launched “Operation Martyr Yalcin” against ISIS positions in Syria and Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) positions in Northern Iraq.
The air strikes actually began in the early morning on Jul. 24, a day after Islamic State militants attacked a Turkish border patrol in the town of Elbeyli in Kilis Province, killing one soldier and injuring two others. The operation was named after the Turkish soldier killed in the initial attack, Yalçın Nane.
At around 3:40 LT three F-16s from 181 Filo took off from Diyarbakir airbase and bombed 3 ISIS positions in northern Syria dropping GBU-12 Paveway II laser guided bombs. The Turkish jets did not violate the Syrian airspace but dropped their bombs from inside the Turkish airspace.
Post strike analysis assessed 35 ISIS militants were killed by the first wave of raids that was followed later on the same day (starting around 22:30 LT) by a larger air strike against PKK positions in northern Iraq. The mission is said to have involved 20 F-16s from 181 Filo that according to witnesses and initial reports violated the Syrian and Iraqi air space.
The air strikes in Iraq allegedly killed the PKK commander Murat Karayılan among the others.
On Jul. 25, a third wave of air strikes was launched against PKK: it was divided into three sub-waves, the first and second of those involved 70 F-16s that conducted their mission, returned to Dyarbakir were re-armed and re-launched, and by a third wave reportedly conducted by 25 F-4E-2020 Phantoms from Eskisehir, temporarily deployed to Erhac.
In the subsequent days, F-16s (from 181 Filo with support from 161 Filo) from Dyarbakir, mainly focused on PKK positions in both in northern Iraq and inside Turkey, as well as on ISIS targets in northern Syria.
The first such drills took place in 2001, then, throughout the years, AE has become more complex and effective in preparing Turkish (and allied) aircrews to war.
Photos allegedly taken over Idlib seem to prove Russian Migs, Sukhois and drones are currently operating against ISIS in Syria
Pictures allegedly shot over Idlib and posted on Twitter seem to suggest Sukhoi Su-27 (or derivative) Flanker, Mig-29 Fulcrum, Su-34 Fullback jets and Pchela-1T drone are operating in Syria.
Provided the pictures are genuine and taken in Syria in the last couple of days, they would really prove a Russian expeditionary force has already arrived in the country and started flying from an Assad-controlled airbase near Damascus as reported by some Israeli media outlets.
During the past days, Flightradar24.com has exposed several flights of a Russian Air Force (even though the registration shown by FR24 is Syrian – there has been a bit of confusion around this plane since if was first logged in Sept. 2014) Il-76 airlifter (caught by means of its Mode-S transponder) flying to and from Damascus using radio callsign “Manny 6”, most probably supporting the deployment of a Russian expeditionary force.
Recent reports claimed Russia was in talks to sell Damascus some MiG-29s but the rumors were refuted by MiG CEO Sergei Korotkov.
If the pictures are real, the current makeup of the Russian detachment would include attack planes (Su-34), as well as some air-superiority ones (MiG-29 and Su-27) and UAVs (Pchela 1T – a drone with a of range 60 km).
Whether the Russian Air Force operations against ISIS in Syria are coordinated with the U.S.-led coalition that daily conducts air strikes in the country is unclear. Let’s hope they talk each other, otherwise one of the next days the Su-27s may make a close encounter with a stealthy US F-22 providing kinetic situational awareness to other coalition combat planes.
Once again, Flightradar24.com provides an insight into military operations. This time, the Russian air bridge to Syria.
Some days ago we explained how everyone (including low-tech terrorists “armed” with a mobile device and an Internet connection), could have the operational equivalent of a ground-based radar detection system to predict (and avoid) U.S. airstrikes and reconnaissance missions thanks to ADS-B, Multilateration, online tracking systems and some poor OPSEC procedures.
However, American and NATO planes are not the only ones that can be tracked on the Internet: there is a widespread tendency to leave the transponder turned on while flying close or inside sensitive areas.
For instance, in the last few days, Flightradar24 exposed the Russian military airlift from Sevastopol, in Crimea, and other bases in Russia to Syria.
On Sept. 7, two A124 Condor airlifter could be tracked until landing at Latakia, Syria.
RFF8058 (82040) from Krymsk and RFF8056 (82039) from Mozdok A124s both landed it Latakia, Syria today
On Sept. 9, aviation enthusiasts from all around the world tracked as much as five An-124 Condor airlifters heading towards Syria. An additional one could be tracked on Sept. 10.
Unlike the flights tracked on the previous days, the six cargo planes spotted on Sept. 9 and 10 took an easterly roundabout route to avoid the airspaces of Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria and Cyprus, closed to Russian aircraft supporting the military buildup in Syria.
According to several sources, at least four aircraft went through Iran/Iraq.
Interestingly, aviation enthusiasts monitored also some Syrian Air flights of IL-76 carrying registration YK-ATA that, on Aug 22 and 28, made roundtrip flights from Latakia to Moscow on the easterly Iran/Iraq route.
Syrian IL-76T [YK-ATA] cargo aircraft returning to Syria [Latakia] after a round trip to Moscow Vnukovo #FR24pic.twitter.com/ZsdwYjMPdN
Not only are An-124s flown to Syria lately. Other Russian flights from Russia to Syria include an Il-62, RA-86496, and EMERCOM (Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations) Il-76, RA-76429: the first one visited Latakia on Aug. 12, 28 and on Sept. 7, using a route via Bulgaria, and on Sept. 10, using a route via Belarus – Poland – Serbia that avoided closed airspaces.
