Two pairs of Typhoon FGR4 fighter jets that took off from the Akrotiri base in Cyprus are believed to be those participating on behalf of the United Kingdom in its international defense operationIsrael vs. Iranian attack on Saturday night.
As British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed on Sunday, British fighters shot down “a number” of Iranian attack drones. According to the Telegraph, this number was between ten and twenty.
The planes took off from the British base as part of Operation Shader, the ongoing operation against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
Preparations for the UK's involvement in the event of an Iranian attack continued for several days last week, with Typhoon and Voyager refueling aircraft redeployed to Akrotiri Air Base in Cyprus to provide necessary support.
Their main mission was to cover the positions of the American aircraft that rushed to the defense of Israel. However, it appears that at a Cobra emergency committee meeting in Downing Street on Friday, Britain's political leadership had on legal advice given Typhoon operators the additional mandate to shoot down Iranian drones that would enter their area of responsibility them.
This field was the airspace of Iraq and Syria, where the downing took place. British fighters were not deployed over Israel, as reported by the British Ministry of Defence.
The Typhoon pilots, supported by a Voyager-type aerial refueling aircraft, had taken part in Operation Shader several times before,had been briefed on the weekend's special conditions and were on high alert.
It was the first “air combat mission” for Britain's Royal Air Force since the Falkland Islands War in 1982, a Times source said.At the time, Harrier aircraft were involved in a dogfight with Argentine fighters.
The airspace in which the British Typhoons were deployed, as reported by the Telegraph, was determined using signals provided by the services security intelligence from Agios Nikolaos Station, inside the British base at Decelia, where the British maintain a “listening station” covering the Middle East.
Each Typhoon aircraft it is capable of carrying six medium-range missilesand two shorter-range air-to-air missiles.
Operators also rely heavily on the highly advanced HMSS targeting and targeting system, which is integrated into the 'bionic » their helmet.
When asked, British Foreign Minister David Cameron if the British would again participate in the defense of Israel against Iran, he answered affirmatively in the case of new attacks, noting at the same time that these decisions are under constant evaluation.
