The Royal Air Force carried out its first airstrikes in Syria after the British Parliament voted Dec. 2 to extend strikes against ISIS targets from Iraq in to Syria. The British Ministry of Defense said in a press release that the GR4 Tornados used Paveway IV guided bombs in strikes on an ISIS oilfield at Omar. “We have come to the aid of France and responded to the call of the United Nations. This will take time, but I am very pleased that a clear and decisive majority was attained to target the group, which is a menace to us here in the UK,” UK Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said in the release. US Defense Secretary Ash Carter called the vote “further evidence of the strength of our coalition, and the enduring importance of the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom.” The United Kingdom, which has been a member of the coalition since it began in September 2014, has conducted more than 350 airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq, and carried out intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions in Iraq and Syria.
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design, the Air Force said.