RAAF ISIL deployment

[TBM-Legend]

In todays news, No 75 Sqn F/A-18A's are now deploying to the ME to rotate with No 1 Sqn Super Hornets for combat ops.

Safe flight to all concerned...

[FoxtrotAlpha18]

To quote Bruce Willis, YKYMFs

[TBM-Legend]

To quote the Brisbane News and on television today WDYKYO to yourself.
It was also on the ABC news...complete with the OC of Tindall waxing on about this deployment.
This is from the public domain and not off the back of a phone call.

Brisbane Times‎ - 23 hours ago
F/A-18A Hornets depart RAAF Base Tindal to join other Royal Australian Air Force aircraft operating in the Middle East. 04/03/15. GDP slows: ...
Second Australian Air Task Group deployed to support fight against IS A

[battlecruiser]

Your A330 tanker is doing a great job too, one of the most flexible here.

[Yeller_Gait]

Good luck guys and gals, wishing you all a great trip and happy return.

Y_G

[skippedonce]

Safe tour Top Hatters: Yippee Kay Yay!

[FoxtrotAlpha18]

TBM - I think you misunderstood my comment. It was not directed at or to you, it is 75's unofficial 'moto'.

'Yippee Ki Yay Mother F***er!'

[TBM-Legend]

My absolute apology....

Mick Parer, Jim Fleming, Foxy would turn in their graves for me not getting that right!

[Lonewolf_50]

ISIS Caught in Vise As Battle For Iraq Rages - NBC News (http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/isis-caught-vise-battle-iraq-rages-n322376)

Hopefully our Aussie friends contributed to this push back near Kirkuk! :ok:

Something in that article, however, made me a bit unhappy.

The battle for Tikrit is very different from the assault by the Kurds. It's massive; at least 24,000 troops, according to Gen. Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. Of those, he says 20,000 are from various Shi'ite militia groups. They in turn are trained, armed and backed by Iran. Iranian commanders are on the ground in Tikrit helping them, including one of the most famous fighters from Tehran, the head of the Revolutionary Guards elite force, Qassem Suleimani. Before the 2003 invasion, one of the arguments against that invasion, made by people who knew that region (including the most recent CENTCOM commander before General Franks) was that all it would do would improve the position of Iran in the region.

Looks like the intended Domino effect W wished to have is not only not happening, but Iran is getting more fingers into Iraq, thus improving its regional hand ... and making (among others) the Saudis very, very paranoid. Can there be a doubt that the Sauds are (on the quiet) trying to get their hands on a few nukes? For example, from Pakistan?

:mad::mad::mad:

[MPN11]

Best wishes to 1 and 75 ... who infested the Bar at Tengah in the 60s, and parked their Mirage III's in neat straight lines.

I have ever confidence they're the same sort professional guys I knew back then.