Moment RAF Typhoon unleashes laser

Release time：2024-04-27 06:36:31 Source：Earth Explorer news portal

This is the moment an RAF fighter jet demolished an ISIS rocket launching facility with the laser-guided Paveway bomb - a shipment of which is reportedly set to make its way to Ukraine as part of Britain's new £500 million military aid package. 

The clip, seemingly taken from an infrared radar screen and shared on social media by Defence Secretary Grant Shapps, appeared to show the 500lb Paveway IV slamming into its target and triggering a huge fireball. 

The RAF Typhoon conducted the strike as part of a routine patrol amid Operation Shader - the British armed forces' efforts to support and train allied forces in operations to eradicate ISIS and other Islamic extremist movements in Iraq. 

Paveway IV bombs have been used to great effect by the RAF since 2008, and were the primary weapon of choice to hit Houthi targets in Yemen earlier this year in response to the rebel attacks on international freight ships in the Red Sea. 

The device can home in on a target designated by a laser, but can also navigate according to GPS coordinates, making the 500lb explosive a high-precision strike weapon. 

Professor Justin Bronk, senior research fellow for Airpower and Technology at UK think-tank RUSI, described the Paveway as the RAF's 'overwhelmingly dominant strike weapon' thanks to its pinpoint accuracy and versatility. 

This is the moment an RAF fighter jet demolished an ISIS rocket launching facility with the laser-guided Paveway bomb

A Royal Air Force Typhoon takes off carrying Paveway IV precision guided bombs to strike targets in Yemen

Paveway IV bombs have been used to great effect by the RAF since 2008, and were the primary weapon of choice to hit Houthi targets in Yemen earlier this year in response to the rebel attacks on international freight ships in the Red Sea

In this image provided by the UK Ministry of Defence, RAF Armourers (Weapon Technicians) prepare a Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4 for air strikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen, in RAF Akrotiri, Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024

Britain's £500 million military aid package for Ukraine is said to include some 400 vehicles, 60 boats, 1,600 munitions and 4 million rounds of ammunition - hardware sorely needed in Ukraine at a time when Kyiv's troops are struggling to hold off advancing Russian forces on the eastern front line

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak earlier this week unveiled the new £500 million support package for Kyiv and pledged to up Britain's defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by the end of the decade.

The military aid package is said to include some 400 vehicles, 60 boats, 1,600 munitions and 4 million rounds of ammunition - hardware sorely needed in Ukraine at a time when Kyiv's troops are struggling to hold off advancing Russian forces on the eastern front line.

Putin's dictator ally Alexander Lukashenko boasts of having 'several dozen' Russian nukes in Belarus and 'moves combat-ready troops closer to Poland' to go 'head to head' with NATO 

The shipment will include British Storm Shadow long-range missiles, which have a range of about 150 miles and have proved effective at hitting Russian targets.

The provision of Paveway IV bombs to Ukraine's air force is yet to be confirmed by the Ministry of Defence, but the BBC's Defence Correspondent claimed he had received confirmation that the aid package would include a shipment of the precision strike munitions. 

Britain's arms shipments will complement far larger deliveries from the US after President Joe Biden earlier this week signed off on a mammoth $95 billion foreign aid package that includes some $61 billion earmarked for the provision of weapons to Ukraine.

US officials also confirmed Wednesday that the United States last month secretly sent Ukraine a number of long-range missiles that Kyiv has urgently sought so that its forces can hit Russian forces well behind the front lines. 

Ukraine used them for the first time last week to strike an airfield in occupied Crimea, the officials said.

The Army Tactical Missile Systems, known as ATACMS, have a range of some 190 miles. More are expected to be sent to Ukraine as part of the new US aid package.

Speaking on the UK's commitment to upping its defence spending, Sunak described the planned target of 2.5% of GDP by 2030 as the 'biggest strengthening of our national defence for a generation' and said he intended to put Britain's defence industry on a 'war footing'. 

'One of the central lessons of the war in Ukraine is that we need deeper stockpiles of munitions, and for industry to be able to replenish them more quickly,' Sunak said at a news briefing alongside NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during a visit to Poland.

'In a world that is the most dangerous it has been since the end of the Cold War, we cannot be complacent.

'As our adversaries align, we must do more to defend our country, our interests and our values.'

Grant Shapps shared a clip of the Paveway IV bomb in action on social media

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak earlier this week unveiled the new £500 million support package for Kyiv and pledged to up Britain's defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by the end of the decade 

Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4 on 22nd February 2024 having Paveway IV weapons loaded by Weapon Technicians in support of current ongoing operations

Footage taken from an RAF Typhoon over Yemen, showing a targeted strike

Sunak promised an extra 75 billion pounds ($93 billion) in defence spending over the next six years. 

The target of 2.5% of GDP spending was a re-commitment of a target set by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2022. Sunak previously said the goal would be met when economic conditions allow.

A decade ago, NATO leaders agreed to commit 2% of GDP to defence spending. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has given that effort new urgency. 

Britain has spent above that over the past decade but never higher than 2.35% in 2020, according to NATO data.  

Official figures show that defence spending last year was about 55.5 billion pounds, amounting to about 2.07% of the UK's GDP. This puts the UK ahead of countries including France and Germany but behind Poland, the US, Estonia and others.

Sunak also said that next year Britain would deploy its Typhoon fighter jets to Poland to help police its skies. 

Poland, which borders Ukraine, has seen several incursions of its airspace since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

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