mnewbery 354 #1 Posted July 1 The first operational sorties were flown on June 16 from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, targeting the last remnants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil). https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/06/24/britains-new-f35-stealth-jets-used-operations-first-time/ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fly_tornado 2,989 #2 Posted July 1 Good training opportunities for the Russian radar crews Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spacesailor 448 #3 Posted July 2 SO ! Who dropped a missile on Cyprus. "A suspected stray missile crashed north of the Cypriot capital, Nicosia early on Monday, Turkish Cypriot officials said. Ersin Tatar, the prime minister of Northern Cyprus, a breakaway state recognised only by Turkey, said that no one was hurt in a pre-dawn blast near the village of Tashkent, also known as Vouno, some 12 miles northeast of the capital." (‘Stray’ missile crashes near Cyprus capital) spacesailor Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mnewbery 354 #4 Posted July 2 Initial reports suggest it wasn't an air to ground missile, implying it was launched from another country rather than an aircraft overhead Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mnewbery 354 #5 Posted July 4 @fly_tornado, your point has merit. See below: [URL unfurl="true"]https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/the-new-iron-curtain-russian-missile-defense-challenges-us-air-power/ar-BBSDkjR[/URL] The russian S-400 missile system is deployed in and near Syria and according to the article above, NATO coalition missions appear to have been called off after the anti-aircraft system was detected as emitting. It is important to remember the lessons of the [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Weasel']Wild Weasel[/URL] combat missions. Airborne and anti-aircraft signal processing power has increased since then. This doesn't take into account the ability to sense a signal from one platform (EF-18) and send it for further processing (E-7 or on the ground). Its my opinion that every time the S-400 is turned on its another opportunity to gather information about its electronic signal and that of the upcoming S-500. One might speculate that is exactly what one or more missions set out to achieve, rather than a kinetic attack. Its important to remember that the F-35 never, ever flies alone. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
willedoo 250 #6 Posted July 12 The first shipment of S-400 equipment arrived in Turkey today. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
