Airstrikes on Syria Have Commenced From the South

[Exhausted]

**Breaking News**

Internet posters identify aircraft in Youtube videos, US Government secrets compromised by crafty guesswork!

If it's already been posted it's free game. It's not like we're getting any official word. We know the pool contains F-16s, F-18s, AV-8Bs, F-15Es and F-22s.... but some of the symbology looks newer. Are these Lightning pods?

Edited September 23, 2014 by Exhausted

[fulcrum1]

**Breaking News**

Internet posters identify aircraft in Youtube videos, US Government secrets compromised by crafty guesswork!

If it's already been posted it's free game. It's not like we're getting any official word. We know the pool contains F-16s, F-18s, AV-8Bs, F-15Es and F-22s.... but some of the symbology looks newer. Are these Lightning pods?

Ya see the part the was blacked out on the feed? Everything in it is still class, so for those who know it's not free game.

[11bee]

In the next video it seems that either cluster munitions were used or a separate GPS coordinate was given to several PGMS to hit every portion of that truck park.

That was impressive. Each munition was equally distributed so the entire facility was covered.

My thought is that they used the new Small Diameter Bomb, maybe from an F-22 (I believe they are now cleared to carry these)?

Some of those videos are interesting, impossible to tell for sure but it doesn't look like there is a great deal of motion from whatever platform they were shot from. One Syrian witness stated the sky over his city was filled with drones, I'm guessing most of the video was shot from UAV's, not the aircraft that dropped the weapons.

Edited September 23, 2014 by 11bee

[Exhausted]

Ya see the part the was blacked out on the feed? Everything in it is still class, so for those who know it's not free game.

You had better fill this General in:

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/09/23/shadowy-al-qaeda-linked-target-strikes-in-syria-obsessed-with-next-11/

This strike was F-22s and GPS PGMs:

This was done by F-18s... maybe Cs, maybe Es.

Edited September 23, 2014 by Exhausted

[Exhausted]

This resembles the last video, but it probably isn't :)

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.9992786,39.0655501,1011m/data=!3m1!1e3

Edited September 23, 2014 by Exhausted

[ChernayaAkula]

Interesting load-out on one of the refuelling F-16s. A HARM under one wing, two JDAMs under the other. Don't think I've seen such a mix before.

Edited September 24, 2014 by ChernayaAkula

[parche]

And it looked like the first guy had -9Xs on 2 and 8 while the others had -9Ms...

Cheers,

Dave

[Stephen]

Given that ISIS/ISIL has no serious air defences I suspect the F-22 was used so that the USAF could justify the money spent on it and show that it does actually have a use other than to appear in action movies.

[Exhausted]

How many combat missions have Rafaels carried out that couldn't have been done by Super Etendards and Mirage 2000? What about Eurofighter strikes that couldn't have been done by Tornados?

Maybe it was used because Syria had a decent air defense network. MiG-25s and MiG-29s can pose threats in certain conditions.

The F-22 is seen as wasteful because it was politicized. Not to be political, but I don't think most here are going to assume it's a waste because it provides a security umbrella over the United States and its allies.

Edited September 24, 2014 by Exhausted

[TaiidanTomcat]

Given that ISIS/ISIL has no serious air defences I suspect the F-22 was used so that the USAF could justify the money spent on it and show that it does actually have a use other than to appear in action movies.

Would you bet your life on that?

Syria has serious air defenses and you would have to be really naive to send a large group of aircraft over their territory with complete trust. The Isrealis splashed a Syrian jet just this morning. Hence F-22s. We are constantly warned of under estimating our opponents, and yet if we actually do play it smart, you get accused of overkill and over caution. If the USAF wanted to use them just to use them they could have any time since it hit IOC in 2005.

Even in a dirt poor COIN war like Afghanistan Fighters carry AAMs, why? is it to justify AAMs?

[Finn]

A couple of Super Hornets about to do some damage:

http://www.navy.mil/management/photodb/photos/140923-N-MT637-040.JPG

note 3 GBU-38s under the pylons, probably 3 more on the other side, and a AIM-9X on the single seater.

Jari

[TomCooper]

Would you bet your life on that?

Syria has serious air defenses and you would have to be really naive to send a large group of aircraft over their territory with complete trust. The Isrealis splashed a Syrian jet just this morning. Hence F-22s. We are constantly warned of under estimating our opponents, and yet if we actually do play it smart, you get accused of overkill and over caution. If the USAF wanted to use them just to use them they could have any time since it hit IOC in 2005.

Even in a dirt poor COIN war like Afghanistan Fighters carry AAMs, why? is it to justify AAMs?

Truth to be said, not much of once-powerful Syrian air defences are left. Precisely: the former Syrian Air Defence Force was disbanded and integrated into the SyAAF (air force) already before the start of the civil war: much of what's left of it after that integration was destroyed by insurgents. For example: not one of six battalions of SA-5s are known to remain operational. Units equipped with SA-17s and SA-21s are primarily held back for the defence of Damascus, and the SyAAF has no radar coverage below 6,000-7,000 metres (that's between 18,000 and 21,000 feet) over all of northern Syria. Indeed, it has no radar coverage at all over most of areas held by the Daesh, and now bombed by US air power.

Now, since SyAAF fighter-bombers are not going places where there is no GCI-support, and very seldom fly by night, the likelyhood of any of them runing into some of US fighter-bombers is next to non-existent. But, one can never know, and it's 'better to be safe, than sorry'.

[fulcrum1]

Even in a dirt poor COIN war like Afghanistan Fighters carry AAMs, why? is it to justify AAMs?

To shoot down the aerostats that break free! Although I'm sure they always strafe those. Afghanistan isn't/wasn't a COIN war even though it was sold as one.

[Finn]

Saudi F-15E:

http://i.imgur.com/PDm57Wa.jpg

Jari

[siesta3]

Interesting enough - the fighters are represented by each USAF command. PACAF F-16CMs from Misawa, ACC F-22As from Langely, and USAFE F-15Es from RAF Lakenheath. As far as the Syrian Air Defense - yes its a lethal air defense but the IDF has been sending strike packages over Syria numerous times.

The F-16 loadouts have been used before in Libya.

[boom175]

Probably everyones scheduled AEF rotation. People are making a thing about Indiana deploying. They were scheduled a while ago. Every USAF combat rated unit is assigned a AEF. You know when its coming and you plan for it. I will admit its abit more flexible now as some units are doing their AEF in a non combat area.

[ChesshireCat]

Probably everyones scheduled AEF rotation. People are making a thing about Indiana deploying. They were scheduled a while ago. Every USAF combat rated unit is assigned a AEF. You know when its coming and you plan for it. I will admit its abit more flexible now as some units are doing their AEF in a non combat area.

there used to be two wings of A10's in Indiana (the other was in Ft. Wayne). If one does some checking he'll find that we've had a wing of A10's in combat more often than not since Desert Storm. Also from that same era, we sent F16's more than one would expect. Then to top that off, until recently, Indiana also did a large amount of refueling with KC135's and maybe KC10's. I think you'll find that Indiana has done it's share in spades. Plus that's not counting Army aviation. They have been gone more than they've been back home.

gary

[TomCooper]

To shoot down the aerostats that break free...

...or own UAVs that went out of control... or... well, I guess they'll not go after Iranian Su-24s, F-4Es, and UAVs that are underway over Iraq: after all these are involved in anti-Daesh operations (Phantoms and Sukhois have flown about 30 sorties so far)...but the Daesh is meanwhile known to be operating a few primitive UAVs too.

[boom175]

there used to be two wings of A10's in Indiana (the other was in Ft. Wayne). If one does some checking he'll find that we've had a wing of A10's in combat more often than not since Desert Storm. Also from that same era, we sent F16's more than one would expect. Then to top that off, until recently, Indiana also did a large amount of refueling with KC135's and maybe KC10's. I think you'll find that Indiana has done it's share in spades. Plus that's not counting Army aviation. They have been gone more than they've been back home.

gary

Oh I know I was a A-10 Crew Chief for over 20 years I have many friends in the Indiana ANG They are a great bunch of people!!! I was just saying that this deploymnet wasn't a result of this situation with ISIS. The Blacksnakes are just continuing there stellar service to the country.

[ChesshireCat]

Oh I know I was a A-10 Crew Chief for over 20 years I have many friends in the Indiana ANG They are a great bunch of people!!! I was just saying that this deploymnet wasn't a result of this situation with ISIS. The Blacksnakes are just continuing there stellar service to the country.

they do practice runs about twenty minutes south of me all the time. I well remember watching them flying across the bean fields at a couple hundred feet all the time (think they were the Ft Wayne bunch). My favorites were the F100's and later the Phantoms. The one airframe I never saw in the air was the B58's. Guess they always went north.

By the way, we used to watch film footage taken from the cockpit of a certain A10 in Desert Storm. He'd send a new cassette about once a month. Seen them smoke Iraqi armor on a regular basis at work. That plane was out of Ft Wayne.

gary

[Exhausted]

F-15 strike on Jeribe West Refinery

Undetermined strike on ISIL buildings and tanks

IMO this looks like a daytime strike because of the flare effects on the lens.

Edited September 26, 2014 by Exhausted

[Exhausted]

Note the use of larger weapons, or weapons with high blast damage in the latest videos.

F-15 Strike on Mayadin Modular refinery.... note the new symbology in the form of opposing triangles....

Edited September 26, 2014 by Exhausted

[rustywelder]

http://www.newsweek.com/britain-belgium-and-denmark-join-global-coalition-against-islamic-state-273570

The Danes, Belgians and Brits join the party.

[scotthldr]

Note the use of larger weapons, or weapons with high blast damage in the latest videos.

The larger explosion is a secondary explosion more than likely caused by the petro-chemical vapour igniting.

[TaiidanTomcat]

http://www.newsweek.com/britain-belgium-and-denmark-join-global-coalition-against-islamic-state-273570

The Danes, Belgians and Brits join the party.

Just to add to the above:

The American-led coalition fighting ISIS in Iraq grew by three on Friday — Belgium, Britain and Denmark. Prime Minster David Cameron of Britain won approval from Parliament after describing the militants as “psychopathic terrorists who want to kill us.”

Through Friday, the coalition had carried out more than 200 strikes in Iraq and 43 in Syria, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told reporters. Here’s a look at major countries that are providing or have committed military help to the coalition.

IN SYRIA

Saudi Arabia took part in at least two rounds of airstrikes and has agreed to hosting American training of the so-called moderate Syrian rebels, the key to the U.S. strategy for fighting ISIS in Syria.

The United Arab Emirates has carried out at least two rounds of airstrikes. Its mission on Tuesday, the first round, was led by the first woman fighter pilot in that country’s history, Maj. Mariam Al Mansouri, flying an F-16 Desert Falcon.

Bahrain took part in the first round of airstrikes, late Monday U.S. time.

Jordan took part in the first round of airstrikes.

Qatar has played a supporting role in this week’s strikes, according to the U.S. military. The emir warned this week that the fight in Syria will not succeed unless President Bashar Assad is removed from power.

IN IRAQ

Australia is contributing eight F-18 fighter jets, plus special forces to advise Iraqi troops.

Belgium will send six F-16 fighter jets, as well as 120 pilots, support staff and C-130 cargo planes, the defense ministry said this week. Parliament gave final approval on Friday by a vote of 114-2, despite concerns about retaliatory terrorism.

Britain, on a 524-43 vote in Parliament, voted Friday to join the coalition. Six Tornado GR4 fighter-bombers, based in Cyprus, are on standby.

Canada has sent roughly 70 troops to Iraq to serve as advisers to Iraqi security forces. The United States has asked for more help, and Canada is weighing its response, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said this week.

The Czech Republic has provided weaponry to the Iraqi Army, including L-159 fighter jets, and 500 tons of ammunition to Kurdish forces, in coordination with Canada.

Denmark joined up on Friday, offering four operational planes and three reserve jets, plus 250 pilots and support staff. They will be deployed for a year. “No one should be ducking in this case,” Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt said.

France carried out an airstrike in Iraq on Sept. 19 and hit an ISIS depot near Mosul. It is also flying reconnaissance and training Kurdish security forces after providing them weapons. France ruled out cooperating in Syria because it believes that would help Assad in the civil war there, but the foreign minister says that could change.

Germany has sent military trainers to help Kurdish forces.

Italy provided $2.5 million worth of weaponry to Kurdish fighters and has offered assistance in the refueling of planes as support to the airstrikes.

The Netherlands committed six F-16 fighter jets on Wednesday and said they could be operational in a week. It found no legal justification to help in Syria but said that it “understood” the U.S. campaign there.

Albania, Estonia and Hungary have also provided weapons and ammunition.

STILL TALKING IT OVER

Russia offered Friday to help support Iraq in the fight against ISIS, although it did not mention the U.S. coalition. In Syria, Russia is allied with Assad, and the Russian foreign minister says airstrikes should only go forward with Syria’s consent.

Turkey committed this week to joining the coalition but has provided no details on what it will do. It stayed on the sidelines while ISIS held 49 Turkish hostages, but those hostages were freed last weekend.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/which-countries-are-doing-what-isis-coalition-n212596