Chammal : 10 000 mètres au-dessus de l’Irak, à bord de l’E-3F AWACS

Ajouter aux favoris

Partager

Mise à jour : 18/11/2014 14:31

Alors qu’il est rentré en France le 15 novembre, un E-3F AWACS de l’armée de l’Air a participé durant trois semaines au dispositif aérien de la coalition internationale engagée en Irak. L’équipage intégré à la force Chammal a effectué son premier vol opérationnel le 27 octobre. Au cours de ses missions, d’une durée moyenne de 9 heures au-dessus de l’Irak, l’E-3F AWACS a assuré la fonction C2 (command and control) des aéronefs de la coalition, en collaboration avec ses homologues des pays alliés.

Placé sous le contrôle opérationnel du général américain à la tête d’AFCENT, appuyé par l’amiral commandant la zone de l’océan Indien, l’E-3F français s’est intégré sans difficulté dans le dispositif aérien mis en place pour lutter contre Daech.

La mission principale de l’E-3F AWACS consistait à assurer le commandement et la conduite de l’ensemble des aéronefs de la coalition évoluant sur le théâtre. Parfaitement interopérable, il reliait ainsi les moyens aériens au centre de commandement d’Al Udeid au Qatar, permettant de réagir en quelques minutes en appui des forces armées irakiennes.

L’équipage de l’E-3F AWACS déployé se constituait :

Pour l’exécution de la mission :

1 chef de mission

4 personnels assurant le contrôle des moyens aériens

1 officier responsable des capteurs gérant 3 opérateurs pour l’établissement de la situation aérienne

2 opérateurs de guerre électronique

3 techniciens (radar, radio et calculateur) appuyés par 1 opérateur de communication

Pour la mise en œuvre de l’aéronef :

2 pilotes

1 navigateur

1 mécanicien

Pour la maintenance :

une équipe de plusieurs mécaniciens

L’E-3F AWACS a effectué 9 missions au cours de son détachement sur l’opération Chammal.

Les militaires de la force Chammal poursuivent quotidiennement leurs missions de reconnaissance armée et de renseignement, afin d’appuyer l’action des forces armées irakiennes au sol.

Lancée le 19 septembre 2014, l’opération Chammal vise, à la demande du gouvernement irakien et en coordination avec les alliés de la France présents dans la région, à assurer un soutien aérien aux forces armées irakiennes dans leur lutte contre le groupe terroriste autoproclamé Daech.

19 November 2014 – RAF aircraft contributed to a major coalition air strike on an extensive ISIL complex of bunkers and tunnels. Aircraft from seven coalition nations conducted a comprehensive and closely coordinated attack on [the] complex early on Wednesday. RAF Tornado GR4 aircraft, carrying Paveway IV precision guided bombs, formed the UK element.

Separately, an RAF Reaper remotely piloted air system (RPAS) was tasked to investigate ISIL activity elsewhere in Iraq. The Reaper’s operators were able to locate a bulldozer which coalition forces confirmed was being used to prepare fighting positions to hold up Iraqi advances. A Hellfire missile was used to attack the bulldozer, which initial reports indicate was destroyed.

On 17 November 2014, four CF-188 fighter jets, as part of a larger coalition operation, conducted airstrikes against ISIL positions in the vicinity of Mosul in northern Iraq. Our CC-150 Polaris conducted air-to-air refueling and delivered an estimated 28,000 pounds of fuel during this operation. This was Joint Task Force Iraq’s first participation in a deliberate strike. Our fighter aircraft destroyed an ISIL improvised explosive device – commonly referred to as IEDs – factory. The photo behind me shows the factory before it was hit. We know that ISIL is using improvised explosive device to indiscriminately maim or kill civilians and members of the Iraqi security forces. There were approximately 55 IED attacks across Iraq in September and 77 in October.

More recently, on 19 November, a series of coalition missions were conducted to the northwest of Kirkuq where ISIL was known to operate. Two Canadian CF-188 Hornet jets successfully conducted pre-planned strikes against ISIL fighting positions.

Significante gebeurtenissen 13 – 19 Nov:
(1) 15 en 16 Nov: operationele verkenningsvluchten zonder inzet van de wapensystemen.
(2) 13, 14, 17 en 19 Nov: operationele vluchten met inzet van de wapensystemen.
(3) 18 Nov: onderhoud
Significant events 13 – 19 Nov:
(1) 15 and 16 Nov: operational exploratory flights without the use of weapon systems.
(2) 13, 14, 17 and 19 Nov: operational flights with the use of the weapon systems.
(3) 18 Nov: maintenance

November 17th 2014: US military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria Nov. 14-17 using fighter and bomber aircraft to conduct eleven airstrikes. Separately, U.S. and partner nation military forces conducted 20 airstrikes in Iraq Nov. 14-17 using attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL terrorists.

In Syria, nine airstrikes near Kobani destroyed seven ISIL fighting positions, suppressed another ISIL fighting position, destroyed four ISIL staging areas, and struck one tactical ISIL unit.

Two airstrikes near Dayr Az Zawr struck an ISIL crude oil collection facility and destroyed one ISIL tank.

In Iraq, four airstrikes near Ar Rutbah [including 1 by UK] destroyed nine ISIL trucks, two ISIL excavators and one ISIL front-loader, and damaged one ISIL vehicle.

Three airstrikes near Fallujah destroyed two ISIL vehicles, one ISIL bulldozer and one ISIL front-loader.

One airstrike southwest of Mosul Dam [carried out by UK – see below] destroyed one ISIL bulldozer and struck one tactical ISIL unit.

Two airstrikes west of Mosul struck two ISIL tactical units and destroyed one ISIL vehicle and an ISIL fighting position.

Three airstrikes near Kirkuk struck one tactical ISIL unit, and damaged one ISIL tank and destroyed another.

One airstrike southwest of Al Qaim destroyed one ISIL vehicle.

One airstrike in Tel Afar struck one tactical ISIL unit.

Five airstrikes near Bayji struck two tactical ISIL units and one large ISIL unit and destroyed one ISIL tank, one ISIL vehicle, and four ISIL fighting positions.

On Saturday night [November 15th 2014], Tornado GR4s conducted an armed reconnaissance patrol over western and northern Iraq, supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker. In the western desert, they were tasked to strike an ISIL communications vehicle, which coalition forces had previously identified. A single Brimstone missile was used to conduct an attack.

Later in the patrol, the Tornados were called north to the Mosul area to support Kurdish peshmerga who were under fire from ISIL heavy weapons. Paveway precision guided bombs were used to hit a mortar and firing positions, as well as a bulldozer which the terrorists were using to construct defences against the peshmerga’s advance.

Der bliver til stadighed fløjet mange missioner. De danske fly er ofte indsat i overvågningsmissioner, hvor fokus er på indsamling af data – altså billeder taget med det fotoudstyr, som de danske F-16-kampfly har med på missionerne. Det er både flyets måludpegningsudstyr og en særlig “Reccepod”, som bruges. Flyene overvåger blandt andet bygninger, personer eller køretøjer med det formål at bidrage til koalitionens samlede efterretningsbillede. Flyene overvåger også kamphandlinger. Her er flyene samtidig klar til at støtte med bomber, når det er nødvendigt, hvilket også er sket i den forgangne periode.

Missionerne, som de danske fly har deltaget i, er stadig at betragte som offensive. Når der ikke er blevet fløjet overvågningsmissioner, har det været Close Air Support-missioner (CAS), hvor flyene er indsat som luftstøtte til styrker på landjorden. Luftstøtten kan bestå af flere forskellige opgaver, afhængig af hvad der er behov for.

I løbet af de seneste 20 missioner har de danske fly anvendt tre bomber mod fjendtlige styrker og køretøjer.

Fra første mission til den 17. november klokken 8.00 har det danske bidrag i alt fløjet 61 missioner og anvendt 42 bomber.