Libya: RAF Typhoon, Tornado Jets Destroy Gaddafi Ammunition Depot

June 2, 2011

RAF Typhoon and Tornado jets struck ten Gaddafi-regime ammunition storage bunkers and a military vehicle yesterday at a site near Waddan in Libya, using Enhanced Paveway II and Paveway IV bombs.

The bombs use both satellite and laser guidance to ensure they are as accurate as possible. Numerous secondary explosions, seen in video from the aircraft’s Litening III targeting pods, showed that a significant quantity of munitions was stored at the site.

The Chief of the Defence Staff’s Strategic Communications Officer, Major General John Lorimer, said:

“Intensive air missions continued yesterday under NATO’s Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR to protect Libyan civilians under threat of attack and enforce United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973.

“RAF ground attack aircraft conducted successive strikes against one of Colonel Gaddafi’s largest ammunition depots, located at Waddan in the central region of Libya.

“As NATO operations have taken their toll of stockpiles closer to the coast, the regime has become increasingly dependent on Waddan for the ammunition to sustain its attacks on the civilian population.

“The Tornado and Typhoon strikes yesterday destroyed ten ammunition bunkers and a military vehicle at the depot. RAF VC-10 tankers, and Sentinel, Sentry and Nimrod R1 surveillance aircraft, continue to provide vital and widespread support to UK and NATO operations over Libya, while Royal Navy vessels maintain their surveillance patrols off the coast.”

On Monday this week, RAF patrols near Zlitan located five heavy transporters carrying main battle tanks, destroying or severely damaging all of them.

On Sunday, the RAF engaged a multiple rocket launcher and support vehicles south of Zlitan, and, on Saturday, they destroyed a main battle tank near Jadu.

On Friday, 27 May, RAF Typhoons, along with other NATO aircraft, brought down guard towers along the walls of Colonel Gaddafi’s Bab al-Azizia complex in the centre of Tripoli.

Major General Lorimer said:

“For decades, Colonel Gaddafi has hidden from the Libyan people behind these walls, spreading terror and crushing opposition. The massive compound has not just been his home, but is also a major military barracks and headquarters, and lies at the heart of his network of secret police and intelligence agencies.

“Previous NATO attacks have hit command and control and other military facilities within the complex. This action sends a powerful message to the regime’s leadership and to those involved in delivering Colonel Gaddafi’s attacks on civilians that they are no longer hidden away from the Libyan people behind high walls.”

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Source: MoD, June 2, 2011;