My publications for December 2017

This month, in the latest issue of the "Avions de Combat" magazine, I am pleased to sign an article about the Battle of Fallujah, an Iraqi city that could not have been liberated without the air support of the coalition, particularly the Royal Air Force, which had already been widely engaged in the battle of Ramadi. In issue 358 of "Air Forces Monthly", my usual "Flashpoint" is dedicated to the Battle of Marawi. I look at the development of the Philippine Air Force’s offensive capabilities and how these were put to use in the recently concluded campaign to liberate the city.

Ce mois-ci, dans le dernier numéro du magazine "Avions de combat", je suis heureux de signer un article sur la bataille de Fallouja, une ville irakienne qui n'aurait pu être libérée sans le soutien aérien de la coalition, en particulier la Royal Air Force, qui avait déjà été largement engagée dans la bataille de Ramadi. Dans le numéro 358 de "Air Forces Monthly", mon "Flashpoint" habituel est dédié à la Bataille de Marawi. Je me penche sur le développement des capacités offensives de l'armée de l'air philippine et comment elles ont été utilisées dans la campagne récemment terminée pour libérer la ville.

Fighting are tough for Iraqi helicopter pilots

Iraq’s war on Islamic State has taken a heavy toll on the Iraqi army’s helicopter crews. And the battle of Mosul that began in October 2016 has only increased the pressure on the young aviation force, which formed with American assistance in 2007.

Many of the Iraqi army’s chopper crews fly from Erbil airport in Iraqi Kurdistan and Qayyarah airfield south of Mosul. The force suffered its latest loss on Oct. 29, 2016, when a Bell IA-407 belonging to the army’s 21 Squadron crashed in the Mukeshefah area north of Samarra.

We spoke to two pilots who’ve been fighting ISIS for more than two years.

Iraqi Army Chopper Pilot — ‘The Fighting Must Continue!’

My publication in July

This month, I published three articles in August issue of Combat Aircraft Monthly. Foremost, two short items in World News section about the second Iraqi 'Vipers' batch that began test flights and one of the two Libyan Mirage F1ED returned to sevice and finally lost. The major item is a Combat Report on operation 'Breaking Terrorism', the battle for the recovery of Fallujah in the hands of Islamic State since January 2014.

Who was really involved in the ISIS convoy attacks near Fallujah ?

On 30 June, 2016, the Ministry of Defense in Baghdad announced an attack on a big convoy of Islamic State fighters moving out of Fallujah.

During the night of June 28 and 29, someone destroyed most of this convoy — around 260 vehicles — and killed as many as 750 militants.

Later during the day, the spokesman for the coalition Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve announced that it took part in these air strikes — but Iraqis sources denied that claim.

Who was really involved and what was the actual target? I asked Iraqi military pilots. And what they told me contradicted the coalition’s official story.

Iraqis and Americans Butted Heads Over the ISIS ‘Convoy Massacre’