GW1 Tornado raid transcript
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaW-eyrnixY

Could somebody explain the terminology in this please?

In particular:
"RHWR"
"Overiddance"
"Theres the canisters" (Audible alarm in background)

"Deltas off"
"Charlies off"
" We had some Roland on the run-in".


Plus last comment about under the wing and being within quater of a mile 'of it'.

Cheers.

RHWR = Radar Homing Warning Receiver
Overriddance = perhaps crew overriding the TFR, or a launch parameter, or an audible alarm
Cannisters = JP233 expensing its load I assume
Roland = SAM system
Delta & Charlie comments = Flight formation was 'Belfast', the call signs 'Charlie and 'Delta' are probably aircraft calling in as they clear the target
Under the wing comment = possibly the crew couldn't see the primary explosion of the ordnance?

Under the wing - they were discussing the proximity of the AAA they had seen (if it's under the wing then, at the height they were at, they knew it would have been within 1/4 mile).

One of my old friends flew GR1s in these attacks. His first thoughts on the way in were 'why have they left their strobe lights on?' - before long, though, he realized that the lights were the muzzle flashes of the AAA.

That's actually my youtube video clip with my youtube ID "Brecklander"

RHWR is Rear Homing Warning Receiver.
Overiddance is actually "overridden"
"There's the canisters" means that the JP233 sub munitions have been deployed and the empty canisters have been jettisoned.
I'm sure its Charlie hop and Delta hop. I'm not aircrew so I'm not sure what it means but googling it seems to indicate "hop n: A mission or flight."
Roland as someone else pointed out is a AA missile system.

As for the "quarter of a mile thing", I think the nav is saying that because the AAA battery disappeared under the wing of the aircraft, they must have been withing 1/4 mile of it.

Vendee. RHWR is RADAR Homing and warning receiver.

TV am
 

What a classic! I wonder if the TV am editing crew realised how big their video would become so many years later? That tribute to the lads has brought many a smile and a tear to all of us at some time (especially as the ale flows - wibble) as the hounding 'In the Air Tonight' plays through that slow motion scene and R/T "They're all in their beds boys..."

Wish someone would upload a decent (full length) copy of the original! The one with the out takes with crew banter and failed interviews post mission, pi$$ing in the buxton spring water..., etc. The parts that include the Buccs and the Jaguar scenes to Whitesnake`s "Here I go again on my own"
My original VHS copy has long perished :( It would be nice to have a decent copy on digital to throw on the widesecreen when the nostalgia demons come again! :D

Gosh! I haven't seen this video for over 20 years. If I recall correctly, wasn't Phil Collins a little miffed about his soundtrack being used? Or is this an Urban Myth? Also great to see a few people I have worked with in MB years later, in their youth, so to speak.

On a more serious note, this video en passant demonstrates how the nature of conflict has changed over the last two decades. Today, we would not dream putting together a video of ops over, say, Iraq, that identified the crews, showed their faces and casually described many aspects of the mission profile. The moment something like this is made, it is shared instantly around the world and could be exploited by any number of hostile groups and individuals, as well as FIS. Our aircrews are now, largely, anonymous, visor-down, back to the camera entities: increasingly de-linking the human dimension from the Western way of delivering air power.

There were a lot of things in GW1 that we did that were amateurish. I'd never seen a Paveway until I saw one hanging for our ac as we strapped in to go and drop them. We didn't override the JP233 on our formation so we ended getting an open-loop pull up and found ourselves at 2000' over target with the speed washing off and a Roland lighting us up. We didn't know about this particular glitch as our det were the last into theatre and hadn't heard the other det's stories.
Similarly, we were discussing new fuse settings on the bus out to the ac. As an 8-ship, four were impact fused, four were air burst. Two of the airburst ac turned back u/s and the two that dropped both had their bombs prematurely detonate. I'm quite convinced that we were very lucky that night not to lose 4 ac, rather than the 1 that we did.
Don't get me wrong, our det was very professional, but we had a massively steep learned curve. I'm very glad that we were in the Kingdom and didn't have the lure of booze and hosties to distract us.

I agree. It was the first time we had actually played with all the toys for quite some time. My overriding impression was that we came away understanding far more about DAS (and the need for it) and low level ops; JP233 was a cracking idea but not the most enamouring way of denying an airfield.

Great video, by the way. It must be 20 years since I last saw it.

Here is another from the same era:

GW1 Radio 4
 

One year on from GW1 BBC Radio 4 broadcast a series of programs detailing the conflict, I seem to remember it was narrated by Brian Hanrahan. The first program had numerous cockpit voice recordings from both RAF and American aircraft. It was a powerful tribute to the difficulties encountered and determination shown by them all. I did have a tape of the program but someone borrowed it.... Does anyone have a copy or know where to find it? If so it deserves a wider audience.

That was our detachment in Dhahran. The British news media pooled their resources, so Dhahran had Sky and Bahrain had GMTV, but all reports were shared.

From the song

"That's just the way it is - some things will never change".

23 years later, the same airframes are still bombing!

...the same country.

Ooops sorry, I did know that. The perils of posting under the influence of Chenin Blanc :=

Those videos are great. It is a real shame there was no go-pro/HD in those days.

It's had its knockers over the years, but footage like this I think will ensure the Tornado is remembered with reverence / fondly in years to come. It will be missed when its gone.

Thanks for posting these videos! Very evocative.

Perhaps a more sobering video.

http://youtu.be/2uh4yMAx2UA

The action starts at 3:00

Plus The Boys From Bahrain:

tidewatcher

I did tape the Radio 4 GW program back in 91/92 which has the Tornado and Buccaneer cockpit recordings. If memory serves the Tornado cockpit recording was the same as the one on the first post, while the Buccaneer one was during the attack which resulted in the last Tornado loss to s pair of SA-2. The tape is in the Loft somewhere, But I have a look for it if I get a chance.