I presume they targeted air bases because the CEP gave them a 50/50% chance of actually hitting it? With around a 1000lb warhead it’s an expensive way of pounding sand - but if it is enough to satisfy their sense of honour, let them get away with it.
Meanwhile, from The Times:
....”
As the crisis escalates, Britain is doubling the number of heavy-lift Chinook helicopters within range of Baghdad,
The Times has learnt. Up to five of the RAF’s fleet of 60 Chinooks are expected to be dispatched within days, joining four that are stationed in Arbil.
The Times knows the destination of the additional helicopters, which have been put on high readiness to fly out of RAF Odiham in Hampshire, but has agreed not to disclose it on the grounds of operational security.
Chinooks, which are armed with machineguns, are used to transport troops and supplies. Each can carry up to 55 troops or ten tonnes of mixed cargo. The aircraft could be used to remove Britons from Iraq. There are 1,400 British military and civilian personnel in Iraq to support the fight against Isis.
Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, said that helicopters and warships had been placed “on standby to assist if the need arises”. He confirmed that all non-essential British military personnel had been moved from Baghdad’s green zone....”