Wednesday 24 August – Tornados and a Reaper provided close air support to Iraqi forces near Qayyarah, conducting a total of seven attacks on Daesh extremists, including mortar and rocket teams…Iraqi security forces continue to mount offensive operations against Daesh near Qayyarah, and they were well supported on Wednesday 24 August by coalition aircraft, including an RAF Reaper and a pair of Tornado GR4s. The GR4s were primarily deployed in the reconnaissance role, but conducted two attacks with Brimstone missiles against terrorists engaged in combat with the Iraqi troops. The Reaper provided surveillance support to other coalition aircraft which delivered an air strike on a Daesh strongpoint, and carried out five attacks with its own weaponry: four Hellfire missiles accounted for two mortar teams and two groups of terrorists manoeuvring along narrow alleyways, and a GBU-12 laser guided bomb destroyed several rocket-launchers which another coalition surveillance aircraft had spotted set up outside the town.’

Deputy Commander Joint Task Force 633, Brigadier Neil Sweeney (right), take a tour of the flight line at Australia