[Photo] French Atlantique maritime patrol aircraft sporting Laser Guided Bomb markings (from Mali Air War)

The following images were taken at RAF Lossiemouth by The Aviationist’s contributor Alessandro Fucito, during the recent Exercise Joint Warrior 2013.

They show one of the two French Atlantique II maritime patrol aircraft sporting two LGB (Laser Guided Bomb) markings.

Five French Navy’s Atlantique II (ATL2) MPA (Maritime Patrol Aircraft) were deployed to Dakar, Senegal, in support of Operation Serval in Mali. Indeed, the aircraft were not only used to perform ISR (intelligence surveillance reconnaissance) in West Africa, but were also employed as bombers: according to several sources, numerous GBU-12 250 kg laser guided bombs were dropped in the Sahel.

The ATL2 can accomodate up to four GBU-12s but it can’t self designate targets. At least, not yet.

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Image credit: Alessandro Fucito

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