"We set the pace in Libya and we have been driving very much of the
military process," Defence Secretary Liam Fox said.
In an assessment on June 6, Fox cited the British deployment of its
U.S.-origin AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, Middle East Newsline reported. The secretary said the Libyan
mission marked the first time the British military deployed the Apache from
naval vessels off the coast of the North African state.
"We were able through NATO to stand up with command and control, we were
able to get our assets moving very quickly, we were more than capable within
the limitations we had to get our air power projected to ensure that we had
Typhoon and Tornado performing very effectively, of course very recently
adding in our Apache attack helicopters," Fox said.
Officials said the Apache enhanced the accuracy of air strikes against
targets of the regime of Col. Moammar Gadhafi. They said both the
Eurofighter Typhoon and the Tornado, equipped with the Israeli-origin
Litening air targeting and navigation pod, were also being deployed against
Gadhafi's military assets.
The British assets have been working with other NATO air forces,
particularly that of France. In late May, NATO was said to have intensified
air strikes on Libya.
"Every day fast jets deliver precision-guided weapons on selected
targets and each mission is a culmination of extensive planning," NATO said.
So far, Britain has played a major role in NATO strikes in Libya.
"All these elements will put more pressure on Gadhafi," NATO
secretary-general Anders Fogh Rasmussen said. "It is not a question of if,
but when he leaves power."
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