Monday, March 24, 2003

Harriers doing some good work.

THE RAF has released a series of amazing combat pictures taken from nose-cone cameras on Harrier jets which show their devastating strike rate, including a patrol boat parked right next to Saddam Hussein's billion-pound yacht.

Every night Harriers are in the skies over Iraq ready to back up ground forces by striking tanks, Scud launchers, heavy artillery and now even ships which threaten them.

Jockey's plane is seen swooping in from a range of a few miles, locking on to the ship long before it even knew he was there. As he let fly with the Maverick it was picked up by his camera streaking away from his plane and zeroing in on its unsuspecting target, which erupted in flames.

Father-of-two Wilson said, "It was a small boat and it was bloody hard to lock on to but then, whoosh, I locked on and let one go.

"We got a satellite picture of the docks which included Saddam's yacht, which was a definite no-hit because they want to capture it and use it to help rebuild Iraq and it was a non-military target. It was right in the middle of an array of ships we wanted to hit and it was a nightmare.

"My Maverick went for the hot-engine department of the patrol boat and hit the water 20 feet short, but it is designed to act like a skimming stone and like a dam-busting bouncing bomb. It carried on and hit just

above the water line and it exploded right inside the hull. The 50ft patrol boat erupted in a huge flash. I flew over it again and it was as though it had gone straight down and was sitting on the bottom.

"Yesterday I hit a tank. It's been very successful. It's nice seeing these Mavs work because they're good, they're very good, and create precise hits.

"I had a good look at Saddam's yacht and it looks like a billion-pound motor cruiser. It is a colossal gin palace that looks like a small cruise liner and it was parked right in the middle of the harbour in Basra port.

"It's a great feeling that my weapons actually worked and came off the rails. It's a very expensive weapon and in peacetime you don't get to release one very often.

"Now I have a huge feeling of elation at having got a lock-on and a good hit."

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