http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13941130000841
英國媒體報導，盡管已經發射了9枚，英國硫磺精密空對地導彈迄今未殺死一名恐怖分子。該導彈使用雷達尋地和激光製導技術，一枚導彈價值10萬英鎊。硫磺導彈第一次使用是在1月10日，打擊在拉卡省的卡車。
從2015年12月2日到2016年1月29日，英國空軍消耗了伊斯蘭國有生力量，總共擊斃7名作戰人員。其中，2名聖戰分子被鋪路IV激光製導炸彈擊斃，另外5人被從收割機UAV發射的美國製造的地獄火消滅。
英國發言人稱，皇家空軍總共將近打擊伊斯蘭國600次，正在將恐怖分子驅趕出拉馬迪等伊拉克城市，嚴重削弱了他們在敘利亞的基礎設施。皇家空軍的首要目標不是打擊人員，而是打擊恐怖分子的基礎設施，如油田，切斷和減弱恐怖分子軍事基礎設施，後勤路線，財政收入等。
硫磺導彈打擊距離11公裏，可以打擊速度達每小時110公裏的目標。裝備低能量高聚集力裝藥彈頭。可以打擊恐怖分子架設機槍的卡車。在英國皇家空軍參加打擊前，英國總理稱其為斬斷蛇頭的利器。英國一名議員稱其為和其他盟國的關鍵不同。保守黨部長稱其為世界上獨一無二的武器，
硫磺導彈目前僅能從旋風戰機發射。該型戰機可以攜帶硫磺導彈和鋪路炸彈。新型的台風戰機可以投擲鋪路炸彈，但想要發射硫磺導彈需要經過現代化改裝。從華盛頓得到的收割機UAV可以發射地獄火。
TEHRAN (FNA)- Britain’s sophisticated air-to-surface Brimstone missiles have not killed any terrorists in Syria so far, although at least nine missiles have been fired. A single missile using radar homing and laser guidance technology costs 100,000.
The Huffington Post UK made a freedom of information (FOI) request to the British Defense Ministry and discovered the much-touted Brimstone missiles with promised standalone precision have not claimed any terrorist scalps yet, RT reported.
After British MPs voted in favor of the Royal Air Force joining the Syria campaign in December, the expensive missiles were held back for at least the first month of operations.
Brimstone’s first recorded deployment took place on January 10, the Independent reports. It was aimed against terrorist supply trucks in Raqqa. By the end of January, Brimstone missiles had been used in nine raids.
“We are playing a crucial role in a campaign that will take time and patience. Using the right weapon for each scenario, RAF jets have struck Daesh [Arabic acronym for ISIL] almost 600 times,” a British MoD spokeswoman said, adding that the RAF is driving ISIL) out of Sinjar and Ramadi in Iraq and has “severely weakened” key terrorist infrastructure in Syria.
According to MoD information, between December 2, 2015 and January 29, 2016, RAF airstrikes in Syria have managed to deplete ISIL manpower by just seven combatants. Two jihadists were killed with Paveway IV laser-guided bombs (US$20,000 each) and five were killed by US-made Hellfire missiles ($70,000 apiece) fired from Reaper UAVs.
The British MoD insists that killing terrorists is not a primary goal of the RAF in Syria. Instead, the aim is to target jihadist infrastructure, such as oil fields under terrorist control, to disrupt and degrade ISIL military infrastructure, logistics’ routes and revenues.
Yet razing stationary oil extraction infrastructure does not require expensive precision weapons - an old-fashioned drop bomb would do the job.
Brimstone missiles have an 11-kilometer range and are armed with a low-powered yet “highly focused” explosive warhead. They can engage targets moving as fast as 110 km/h. That means that in theory no terrorist pickup truck with a machine-gun mounted on it can escape. However, the target’s worth is practically guaranteed to be many times lower than the price of the weapon.
Ahead of the RAF joining the campaign in Syria, British Prime Minister David Cameron praised Brimstone as a tool to “cut off the 'head of the snake’” in the terrorists’ self-proclaimed capital of Raqqa. MP Sir Gerland Howarth said Brimstone missiles represented a “key difference between us and other coalition partners,” hinting that neither the US nor France have such missiles to deal with jihadists. Conservative minister David Jones simply described the weapons as “unique.”
The combat effectiveness of the new weapon and the cost of participation in the Syrian campaign urgently needs objective evaluation, according to the Scottish National Party (SNP) MP, Alex Salmond. As the party's international affairs spokesman in Westminster, he said the Huffington Post’s findings “contrast dramatically” with David Cameron's previous argument.
“It is now the common practice of this prime minister to mislead the country into military engagement and then to only devote a passing interest towards these crucial issues as his case crumbles before our eyes,” Salmon said, stressing that he has “no doubt” that Libya is going to be the “new crucial theater of engagement” once again.
The only operators of the Brimstone weapon are the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia, which is not only playing a role in the US-led anti-ISIL coalition, but has also announced the creation of an anti-terrorist coalition of its own.
The Royal Air Force in Syria can only deploy Brimstone missiles from older Tornado jets, which carry both Brimstone missiles and Paveway bombs. The newer Typhoons jets drop Paveway bombs and have not been modernized to fire Brimstone missiles. British Reaper UAVs brought from Washington use American-made Hellfire missiles and bombs.
