In March 2011 some 120 TLAMs launched by US and UK boats and some key strikes by B2s on airfields took down the Libyan's air defence capabilities in very short order. But the difference between the B2 and the N-word is that one is designed for first night attack with an exceptionally low RCS and the other is based upon a 1950s airliner for MPA duties with an RCS the size of Wembley Stadium!
"During Operation Ellamy, UK forces employed a combined total of around 80 Storm Shadow and Tomahawk land-attack missiles," armed forces minister Andrew Robathan said in response to a parliamentary question in the House of Commons on 22 October 2011. Whilst not giving away the precise numbers it is believed that 3/4s were TLAMs. They used these because of the significant number of SAMs (inlduding S-200
) which is not the place to be waffling about in a modified MPA!
LJ
