The Royal Australian Air Force has completed its first operational flight in Syria, where two F/A-18A Hornets went on a “free hunt” mission in the eastern part of the country controlled by Islamic State (formerly ISIS/ISIL). Australia formally joined the anti-ISIS coalition a year ago.
Night Vision image of an F/A-18A Hornet from Australia's Air Task Group refuelling from a Royal Australian Air Force KC-30A Multi Role Tanker Transport aircraft during the first mission of Operation OKRA to be flown over Syria. © defence.gov.au
The fighter jets have successfully returned to the airbase, the Australian Air Task Group said in a statement Saturday. The mission was supported by the RAAF’s E-7A Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft maintaining communication with anti-ISIS coalition’s air operations center and KC-30A multi-role aerial tanker.
“No weapons were released during the mission,” Australia’s Defense Department said in a statement.
“The mission provided on-call interdiction and dynamic targeting support as part of the international coalition’s effort to disrupt and degrade Daesh (ISIS).”
Earlier this week Australia’s National Security Committee agreed to extend the RAAF combat operations beyond Iraq, where RAAF has been operating throughout the last year as part of the US-led anti-ISIS international coalition. The Australian Defense Force’s operation in Iraq and Syria has been dubbed Operation OKRA.
“[ISIS] controls a large amount of territory in eastern Syria that serves as a source of recruitment and oil revenues, and as a base from which it continues to launch attacks into Iraq,” News.com.au cited Air Task Group Commander, Commodore Stu Bellingham, as saying.
The Australian task force deployed against the Islamic State consists of eight F/A18 Super Hornet jets, one E-7A Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft, one KC-30A multi-role aerial tanker and transport aircraft, 400 Air Force personnel to support air deployment and 200 military officers, including a Special Forces team to operate as “military advisers” to Kurdish Peshmerga self-defense fighters and other forces fighting the jihadists.
The RAAF also has C-17 Globemaster and C130 Hercules transport aircraft deployed at al-Minhad Air Base south of Dubai, in the UAE, which provide the anti-ISIS multinational force with airlift assistance, transporting military equipment, arms and munitions to Iraqi forces.
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