The UK military has joined the US in bombing Houthi rebels positioned in Yemen in a bid to end the Iranian-backed group’s attacks on international shipping.
Typhoon jets carried out the overnight bombing raids. The twin-engined jets have been the workhouse of the RAF since their introduction in 2003.
Typhoons can reach top speeds of Mach 1.8, climb up to 55,000 feet and carry a powerful payload of bombs and missiles.
The programme to develop the Typhoon was a joint effort by European defence firms to build a multipurpose fighter for NATO members.
According to the UK Ministry of Defence Typhoon used 500-pound bombs known as Paveway IV to strike targets in Yemen.
The Paveway IV bomb can navigate to a target by following instructions from laser markings or GPS coordinates.
The latest estimated cost for the RAF Typhoon programme, including manufacturing and testing, is roughly £17.6 billion
This makes it the most expensive weapon system the UK Armed Forces have ever developed with each plane cost estimated to be approximately £110 million according to www.armedforces.co.uk.
Iran is widely linked with the Houthi movement in Yemen which has been firing drones and anti-ship missiles at vessels navigating through the Red Sea since Israel’s war in Gaza began.
The Houthis formed out of Yemen’s Shia tribes which had historically been marginalized by the central government.
Sharing Iran’s anti-western outlook the group’s slogan is “God Is Great, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse on the Jews, Victory to Islam.” Iran is believed to have passed advanced missile and drone technology to the Houthis the group used to strike at passing commercial ships.
Typhoon jets, the RAF’s dependable workhorse, are essential to the joint UK-US operation against the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Houthi general Major General Abdul Salam Jahaf claimed a “major battle has erupted” in the waters in the early hours of this morning despite offering no evidence, he said American and British battleships have been hit in the Red Sea.
He said: “The American, British and Israeli barbarism has been responded to and now a major battle has erupted in the Red Sea.
“It is certain that a number of American and British battleships have been hit.”
The bombing started late last night and this morning (January 12), a spokesperson for the Houthi group says the US and UK forces attacked Yemen with 73 strikes, which killed five fighters and wounded six others.
