VIDEO: Harriers come home

Personnel from 1 (Fighter) Squadron returned to base to be greeted by their families, friends, the Minister of State for the Armed Forces Bill Rammell and senior officers from the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy.

Mr Rammell applauded the efforts of the Harrier Force. He said:

"Over the past five years Joint Force Harrier has played a crucial role in Afghanistan, flying thousands of sorties to provide vital close air support and reconnaissance information.

"Joint Force Harrier has made a significant and acclaimed contribution to coalition air operations and all those personnel involved can be proud of their many achievements.

"As they now hand over their responsibilities to the Tornado GR4 force, I am delighted to welcome the men and women of Joint Force Harrier back to the UK for a well-earned and deserved break from operations."

The Joint Force Harrier fleet is a combined Royal Air Force and Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm unit that first deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan, in May 2004 in support of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

Since then the Harrier Force has flown in excess of 22,000 hours on a total of over 8,500 sorties mainly supporting ground troops in the southern province of Helmand.

As well as flying 'show of force' and reconnaissance missions the Harriers were most noted for their very successful close air support to ground troops. Fitted with rockets and a range of guided bombs the Harriers flew over 2,000 close air support missions during the deployment.

Commenting on five years of high intensity war-fighting the RAF Cottesmore Station Commander and Harrier Force Commander, Group Captain Ken McCann, said:

"I must pay tribute to the outstanding and unflinching contribution the men and women of Joint Force Harrier have consistently delivered in providing peerless close air support during this extended period.

"The Harrier Force has undoubtedly saved the lives of countless personnel, Service and civilian, on the ground throughout the country - a magnificent effort."

The Officer Commanding 1 (Fighter) Squadron, Wing Commander Dave Haines, described the impact the Harriers had on the enemy:

"Taliban fighters would flee in terror when they heard the deafening roar of Harrier jets giving shows of force when the troops were under fire."

On close air support he added:

"After ensuring we're not going to harm 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."

Captain Michael Carty Royal Marines, a pilot with 800 Naval Air Squadron who is currently on loan to the RAF's 1 (Fighter) Squadron, spoke as Joint Force Harrier marked the end of its operations in Afghanistan:

"Much of the support that we give to the guys in the field doesn't involve dropping bombs at all," he said. "A lot of it is about providing over-watch - being soldiers' eyes in the air when they're trying to clear compounds.

"As well as keeping a watch out for insurgent activity, if it gets a bit lively on the ground we can provide shows of force - over-flying the enemy so that they know we'll hit them hard if they don't retreat. Most importantly, though, we can keep insurgents pushed back while medics are trying to extract casualties."

A former 45 Commando Troop Commander, Capt Carty added:

"As someone who has been on the ground, and who knows how limited the information can be when the fight is on, I have a great appreciation for how valuable the Harriers have been over here."

Although 1 (Fighter) Squadron is the last Harrier unit to serve in Afghanistan, it has shared the load over the last five years with the Naval Strike Wing and the RAF's IV Squadron.

The Joint Force Harriers have now been replaced in Afghanistan by RAF GR4 Tornado aircraft from 12 (Bomber) Squadron based at RAF Lossiemouth, Morayshire, Scotland.