Armed, dangerous and waging war

BRITAIN has amassed a military force in the Gulf the scale of which has not been witnessed for almost 12 years. Now that war has begun, British forces will be in use in the sky, on the land, and on - and beneath - the water.

A total of 42,000 servicemen and women have been deployed, only slightly fewer than during the first Iraq crisis. Then, 43,000 British troops and 137 aircraft joined the US and allies in liberating Kuwait and forcing Saddam Hussein's forces back on to home soil.

In 1982, only 28,000 servicemen were needed to regain the Falkland Islands after the Argentinian invasion.

BY AIR MOST of the preliminary bombing is being done by the vast US Air Force, but at least 100 RAF aircraft and about 8,000 personnel are likely to be involved.

Britain's fighter pilots are used to the region, having been involved in the UN policing of the no-fly zones in north and south Iraq.

Flying from airfields rather than aircraft carriers, the RAF contingent includes the Tornado GR4, Harrier and Jaguar attack fighter jets and the Tornado F3 air defence fighter.

Although the Tornados are similar, they have been set up for very different roles.

The Tornado F3 - operated from RAF Leeming, in North Yorkshire - is designed for long-range interception and can patrol for more than three hours at 350 miles from its base - a range that could prove crucial as Allied aircraft press deep into Iraq.

The Tornado GR4 has been designed for high-risk bombing missions, and it is likely that GR4s have been used in the first wave of attacks to destroy Iraqi air defences with precision bombing.

An up-grade of the original GR1 (which was designed in 1968), the GR4 has been extensively upgraded with sophisticated infra-red optics, night-vision capability (crucial for night bombing raids), and a global positioning system that plots the plane's position by satellite.

The GR4 can carry a wide payload including the Paveway 2 laser guided bomb, cluster bombs, brimstone and air launched anti-radiation missiles, as well as Sidewinders for defence.

During Operation Granby - the first Gulf War - Tornados were used to drop so-called "dumb" bombs on Iraqi targets, with poor results. RAF aircraft sustained the heaviest loss rate of any Western airforce partly because these weapons required pilots to fly in low - exposing them to enemy anti-aircraft fire.

This time, British aircraft will be using smart weapons that are much safer to use and far more deadly.

The force also includes Rapier air defence missiles operated by the RAF Regiment.

Supporting them in the skies are the Sentry advanced warning aircraft, VC10 and Tristar refuelling aircraft and Hercules transporters.

In addition, the RAF element of the Joint Helicopter Command will provide 27 Puma and Chinook aircraft.

BY SEA FIRST of the Royal Navy's contingent into action are the submarines. They launched missiles against the Taliban in Afghanistan and at the Serbs during Nato's Kosovo conflict operations, and are being used in the same way against Saddam: lying beneath the surface of the Gulf and firing precision-guided Tomahawk cruise missiles to targets deep inside Iraqi territory.

Britain's submarine fleet consists of seven Trafalgar class vessels, five of their smaller Swiftsure class cousins, and four Vanguard class submarines - which are about four times bigger - fitted with Trident nuclear missiles. Only one of the Vanguard subs is on patrol at any one time. As a result, they are likely to leave action to the smaller Trafalgar and Swiftsure vessels.

Although HMS Trafalgar itself will not be involved in operations against Iraq - having sustained damage when it ran aground recently off the coast of Scotland - its sister vessel, HMS Turbulent, is understood to be in the region along with several other subs, probably including HMS Splendid.

Trafalgar class submarines - each with a crew of 130 - are also capable of attacking surface vessels and are armed with Spearfish torpedoes and Harpoon missiles - a deadlier surface-skimming missile similar to the Exocet - for that purpose. In the Gulf, they may be called upon to carry out surveillance activities, each being fitted with cameras and thermal imaging periscopes.

They displace 5,208 tonnes submerged and measure 85.4 metres in length. Powered by a single pressurised water-cooled nuclear reactor, Trafalgar subs can travel at a speed of 32 knots and dive to more than 985ft.

On the surface is the Naval Task Group 03 (NTG03) which has 4,000 elite Royal Marine Commandos and 4,000 Royal Navy personnel.

Headed by the Invincible class carrier HMS Ark Royal, and the assault ship HMS Ocean - Sunderland's adopted warship - the taskforce comprises 15 ships and a submarine, making it the largest maritime deployment since the Falklands.

The Ark Royal has been adapted to carry helicopters, like the Ocean, rather than fixed-wing jets, with the aim of quick deployment of marines into Iraq.

If an Allied assault on one of the ports, such as Basra, Iraq's second largest city and a strategically important oil terminal, is ordered, then these vessels would spearhead the operation in conjunction with Army Air Assault units.

The marines come from 40, 42 and 45 Commandos, with the 3 Commando Brigade headquarters and other supporting elements.

As the UK's "go anywhere" forces, marines are trained to work in environments ranging from Arctic cold to the heat of the desert.

They will be invaluable in Iraq, where temperatures can plummet at night and soar during the day. Heroes of the Falklands War, their toughness and skills put them in the same league as other elite units such as the SAS, Paras, US Marines and the French Foreign Legion.

But amphibious forces are only lightly equipped. Their role is to capture and secure targets ahead of heavier units equipped with artillery and armoured vehicles.

Members of 3 Commando Brigade were deployed in Afghanistan as part of the war on terror, but were said to be frustrated at their lack of engagement with the Taliban, most of whom had already fled. This time around, though, such frustrations seem unlikely as they will be involved from the beginning of an invasion.

On board the carriers are Lynx attack, Gazelle reconnaissance and Sea King support helicopters.

The remainder of the NTG03 comprises the destroyers HMS Liverpool, HMS Edinburgh and HMS York, and the frigate HMS Marlborough.

In addition, there are two minesweepers, HMS Grimsby and HMS Ledbury; three landing vessels, Sir Galahad, Sir Tristram and Sir Percivale; and four Royal Fleet Auxiliary support vessels, including the Argus, which can be fitted out as a hospital ship.

BY LAND MORE than 26,000 men and women from Britain's mightiest armoured and air assault divisions will provide a powerful force on the ground. They will certainly be involved in any drive for Baghdad.

In fact, it would be surprising if members of the SAS had not already been on the ground for days. Special forces will be behind enemy lines, attempting to destroy launch sites for Saddam's Scud missiles to stop him attacking Israel as he did in 1991.

Air assault forces will be in the vanguard of the battle for Iraq.

They include the 1st and 3rd battalions of the Parachute Regiment and part of the 16 Air Assault Brigade, which also includes the 1st Battalion Royal Irish Regiment, 7 (Para) Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, 23 Engineer Regiment, Household Cavalry Regiment and 3rd Regiment Army Air Corps.

"This is a basic air assault formation," said Charles Heyman, editor of Jane's World Armies and a former major himself. "It would not drop from parachutes but would be dropped by helicopters.

"If there was an amphibious assault on Iraq we would expect 16 Air Assault to be dropped to the west of Basra by helicopter, and they would seize any defences and prevent a counter attack. They could also seize bridges and passes in the hills, securing them for safe passage."

Airborne forces are essential to any modern military and allow a combat-ready force to be delivered over a large distance in a very short space of time.

According to the Ministry of Defence, this force "can deploy, and fight across enormous depth to secure a point of entry to a theatre of operations, this acts as an enabler for the follow-on deployment of heavier formations.

"Also, 16 Brigade can conduct area interdiction operations and long-range raids."

But the bulk of Britain's 26,000 troops comes mainly from Headquarters 1 (UK) Armoured Division, with support from 7th Armoured Brigade (the Desert Rats), 16 Air Assault Brigade and 102 Logistics Brigade. These are the heavyweights who work in a combination of artillery, armoured and infantry battalions, punching holes in enemy lines.

The most famous of these brigades is the Desert Rats, a flexible and rapid response unit renowned in British military history for the role they played during the Second World War, especially during the victory at El Alamein. They will spearhead the land offensive in Iraq.

The highly-trained armed and infantry units, made up of 4,000 troops, offer a number of options.

The Challenger 2 tanks will be employed as the shield from which the infantry, more often than not carried by the Warrior light tank, will launch the offensive.

Built up of engineers, artillery and armoured regiments, the Desert Rats have approximately 60 tanks per regiment. They operate in a "battle group" which combines all of their specialist skills.

The Challengers - built in Newcastle by Vickers - are among the most fearsome battle tanks in the world. Only the American Abrahams M1 has a better record. They are fast, powerful and - thanks to their sophisticated Chobham armour - virtually impossible to stop.

The ageing tanks used by the Iraqi army will be no match, nor will the artillery pieces already dug into the desert. Although sand has proven a formidable obstacle in the recent past - when it clogged air filters and caused engines to break down - the tanks have been adapted for desert warfare.

"They are essentially armoured warfare," said David Stevens, of the Ministry of Defence. "They lead the attack, punching through enemy lines before sweeping round the rear to punch through and tear a hole in the defences. They are the heavyweights."

RESERVES SUPPORTING the regular troops are up to 6,000 reservists drawn from all arms of Britain's military forces.

Making use of the vast force of part-time soldiers across the country is a process used regularly in wartime.

The civilian volunteers range from medics and intelligence gatherers to signallers and logistics experts, and provide crucial back-up services.

They are drawn from the Royal Navy Reserves, Royal Auxiliary Air Force and the Territorial Army.

20/03/2003