VIDEO: RAF Pilot saved villagers by steering smart bomb away from villagers - Afghanistan

A dramatic video showing an RAF pilot steering a smart bomb away from its Taliban target to save a group of Afghan villagers was released today.

The laser-guided Paveway IV bomb was dropped from a Harrier jump jet to kill an insurgent commander in a car in Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan.

But while it was in mid-flight, the militant stopped his vehicle next to a number of Afghan civilians.

The previously classified footage, shot from the Harrier, shows the pilot changing the bomb's course so it detonates in a safe area of desert.

None of the Afghan civilians was killed and there was no damage to their property, the RAF said.

The pilot of the Harrier, who asked not to be named, said: "One task for fast jet pilots in Afghanistan is to conduct targeted strike operations against confirmed Taliban commanders.

"In this instance I found and tracked the target and had deployed my weapon. However, as it was flying to the target I saw the vehicle stop amongst civilians.

"Every pilot dreads the prospect of inadvertently causing harm to any innocent civilian, so I knew I had to act immediately.

"The Paveway IV smart bomb is amazingly accurate and incredibly flexible. I can control it whilst it is still in flight, so I used my onboard laser to guide the bomb into a safe area of open desert.

"It's a shame I couldn't prosecute the target as we had planned, but it was much better to let him go free this time than risk killing innocent civilians.

"In any case, this Taliban commander didn't get away for long - we continued to track him and he was successfully attacked a couple of days later when the moment was right."

The incident took place at the end of last year but the footage has only just been declassified.

The Paveway IV smart bomb, which was first used by the RAF in Afghanistan at the end of last year, can be controlled all the way to the target to minimise the risk of passers-by being killed.

Civilian casualties caused by foreign forces in Afghanistan are hugely controversial and the commander of Nato troops issued new orders in June aimed at reducing them.

Harrier heroes return home

RAF and Royal Navy top guns are on their way home after five years of supporting heroic soldiers in the battle against Taleban extremists.

1 (F) Squadron’s Harrier jump jets, from RAF Cottesmore in Rutland, have been fighting for the people of Afghanistan, and supporting brave British and NATO troops by attacking insurgents in the blistering deserts and barren mountains of Afghanistan. They depart Afghanistan on 26 June.

Since 2000, the RAF and the Navy’s Fleet Air Arm have flown Harriers together under the Joint Force Harrier formation. Navy and Royal Marines pilots have been fighting alongside their RAF comrades since the Harrier first arrived in Afghanistan five years ago.

Every Harrier pilot from every Harrier squadron has taken part in the fight. Over the past five years, more that 22,000 hours have been flown on more than 8,500 sorties, mainly over Helmand province.

1 (F) Sqn – the RAF’s oldest squadron, formed in 1912 – has been in Afghanistan four times before, alternating with the RAF’s 4 Squadron and the Fleet Air Arm’s Naval Strike Wing. The last Harriers in Afghanistan have been replaced by Tornado GR4 strike jets from 12 Sqn, based at RAF Lossiemouth in Morayshire.

Wing Commander Dave Haines, 1 Sqn’s commanding officer, says that Taliban fighters would “flee in terror” when they heard the deafening roar of Harrier jets giving “shows of force” when troops were under fire. “We deliver an awesome effect,” said the 39-year-old.

“Our guys on the ground can guide us to the enemy using TV data links. After making sure that we’re not going to harm any civilians, we can fire our missiles from such a distance that the insurgents don’t even know we’re there; sometimes the last thing they hear is the crack of a missile’s sonic boom before it hits.

“We’re here at the invitation of the Afghan government,” he added. “We do absolutely everything we can to make sure that civilians are safe; they’re the people we’re fighting for.”

Royal Marines hero Captain Michael Carty, 27, has been fighting Taliban terrorists since 2002 – first as a troop commander with 45 Commando, leading Marines into battle, and now as an elite Harrier pilot supporting Our Boys from above. “I used to lead 35 lads on the ground,” he said, after a 3-hour mission to hit the Taliban’s fighters. “That gives me a great appreciation of what it’s like for those in the field.”

Capt Carty now helps to keep insurgents at bay while RAF and Royal Navy helicopters fly medics into battle to extract wounded soldiers from the front line. “It makes me really proud,” he said. “Even helping our guys in a small way is fantastic.

“Whether we’re keeping an eye out for insurgents while the troops are clearing a compound, or warning patrols about suspicious activity, I get huge satisfaction from knowing I’ve done my bit.”

HARRIER GR9 FACT FILE

• Engines: RR Pegasus 105 or 107 turbofan
• Thrust: 21,750lbs
• Max speed: 574kts
• Length: 14.36m
• Max altitude: 43,000ft
• Span: 9.25m
• Aircrew: 1

Jet pilot ejects in Afghanistan - BBC

A British jet pilot has been injured after ejecting from his aircraft before it crashed in Afghanistan.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the Harrier pilot was forced to eject while landing at Kandahar airfield.

The RAF pilot is believed to have suffered minor injuries. The MoD said there was no suggestion the incident was caused by enemy action.

The cause of the crash is not known but it is thought the Harrier's undercarriage may have failed to lower.

The aircraft was badly damaged in the crash at about 1030 local time but no-one else was injured, the MoD spokesman said.

He said: "Emergency services have been called to the scene and are assessing the damage."