Video shows French air strike in Iraq from launch to recovery, including aerial refueling

September 20, 2014 Iraq, Military Aviation, Troubled Areas
David Cenciotti
French Air Force two-seat Rafale. (Image credit: FAF)

Yesterday two Rafale jets conducted the first French air strike in Iraq. And here’s a video which shows the mission from beginning to end.

On Sept. 19, two Rafales of the EC 3/30 “Lorraine” supported by a C-135FR Tanker of the GRV 2/91 “Bretagne” were involved in the first air strike on an ISIS  target in northern Iraq.

The 7-hour mission from Al Dhafra saw the attack plane drop four GBU-12 LGB (Laser-Guided Bombs) on a munition and fuel depot near the town of Zumar.

Each aircraft was equipped with four GBU-12s, a Damocles designation pod and MICA air-to-air missile.

Image credit: French MoD via Theatrum Belli

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David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.

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6 Comments

  2. Rafale: the most beautiful jet from the side, the most beautiful jet from the bottom; very meh from the top.

    • my guess is: because the situation did not require one; not like they could have expected a fierce opposition.

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