Canada’s CF-188 Hornets depart for Operation Impact to fight ISIS

Operation Impact is the Canadian Armed Forces’ contribution to coalition assistance to security forces in Iraq who are fighting against ISIL.
The Hornets will transit through 3 Wing Bagotville, Quebec, before flying to Kuwait to participate in Operation Impact.
Canadian contribution to coalition operations against ISIL includes six CF-188 Hornet, one CC-150T Polaris air-to-air refueller and two CP-140M Aurora long-range patrol aircraft to provide reconnaissance capabilities and approximately 600 personnel. Seventy members of the Canadian Armed Forces are already working with American forces in an advisory and assistance role by providing strategic and tactical advice to Iraqi security forces.
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Turkey denies it agreed to let US use air bases for Islamic State fight

In the latest sign of discord between two key NATO allies, Turkey on Monday formally denied news reports that it had agreed to open a major air base to U.S. and other coalition combat aircraft fighting Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq.
For a few days, there appeared to be a deal. Reporters accompanying Hagel on a trip to South America over the weekend quoted senior officials as saying that Turkey had agreed to U.S. use of the base.
National security adviser Susan Rice strengthened the impression Sunday. “They have said that their facilities inside of Turkey can be used by coalition forces, American and otherwise, to engage in activities inside of Iraq and Syria.”
But Turkey’s foreign minister shot that down Monday. “Turkey has made no decision on whether to open its Incirlik Air Base to the U.S.-led coalition in the fight.”
A Turkish spokesman said the U.S. request for Incirlik was still under discussion, as was the Turkish demand for steps against the Syrian government of President Bashar Assad.

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Australia will send F-18, B-737 Wedgetail and a KC-30 military force to fight ISIS in Iraq

The Australian Prime Minister Abbott said in a statement on Sunday that Australia was responding to a request from the United States for specific contributions to an international coalition against Islamic State (Isis).
Australia is preparing up to eight F/A18 aircraft, an E-7A Wedgetail Early Warning and Control aircraft, and a KC-30A Tanker and Transport aircraft to be deployed to the United Arab Emirates to contribute to the campaign.
Combat troops would not be deployed, but 600 specialist operations personnel who could assist Iraq’s security forces were being prepared to go, 400 from the air force and around 200 from the military.
independent

Iraq's First Mi-28 'Havoc' Attack Chopper Has Taken To The Air

Iraq's first Mi-28 Havoc 'Night Hunter' attack chopper has taken flight in Iraq. Three were delivered alongside four new Mi-35 'Hind' attack helicopters from Russia as part of an expedited order placed to help fight the spread of ISIS.
foxtrotalpha

US Marines Harrier strikes Islamic State for the first time

A Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier has struck an Islamic State target near the Haditha Dam in Iraq.
The strike occurred on Monday, and involved a Harrier from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit operating from the amphibious ship Bataan.
It was the first time that a Marine unit dropped ordnance in the current fight against Islamic State.
marinecorpstimes

France will take part in Iraq military air operation if needed

France said on Wednesday it would take part in military air action against Islamic State militants in Iraq if necessary, but it said any action it takes against the group in Syria would take a different form.
reuters

US Looks at Expanding Airstrikes in Iraq

The Obama administration is considering a major expansion of the scope of U.S. airstrikes in Iraq to target the logistics hubs and supply lines of militant Islamic State forces, in operations intended to help Iraq's new government retake lost territory.
The new phase would represent a departure from the past month, when American military forces confined their operations to categories such as protecting U.S. personnel in the northern city of Erbil, humanitarian relief operations and defending key Iraqi infrastructure from the militants' advance.
wsj

US to convert older Mavericks into laser-guided missiles as strikes on IS continue

The US Navy (USN) is to convert its stockpile of TV-guided AGM-65A/B Maverick air-to-surface missiles to the laser-guided AGM-65E2 configuration.
The conversion of 500 missiles will run through to the end of January 2017. The contract most likely arises from the current USN air strikes against Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq, where the Maverick missile is being used extensively.
The out-of-production laser-guided Maverick was recently reconstituted by the US Air Force (USAF) as a result of operational experience during Operation 'Iraqi Freedom', where it was used on the service's Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon combat aircraft. In USAF service, the laser-guided Maverick is designated the AGM-65L.
Following the USAF's example, the USN decided to re-introduce the 300 lb-class laser-guided Maverick to provide a precision strike capability against rapidly moving targets in urban environments. It is this niche capability that makes AGM-65E2 the weapon of choice for the current conflict in Iraq.
While the newer AGM-65E2 looks physically identical to the older AGM-65A/B, they are actually completely different missiles inside.
The conversion of the older TV-guided Maverick stocks into laser-guided weapons should provide the US Navy with a steady supply of precision-guided munitions until the replacement Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) enters service after 2016.
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US leads largest airdrop over Iraq

US and allied air forces have staged the largest airdrop mission to date to deliver humanitarian aid to the besieged Iraqi town on Amirli.
Four US, two British, one Australian, and a French transport aircraft participated in the mission on the night of 30-31 August, backed up by a package of US strike aircraft that attacked targets around the town. Fighters from the Islamic State, the jihadist group formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), had surrounded the town for more than two months.
Allied air commanders had been preparing the mission for more than a week as reports of a humanitarian crisis continued to emerge from the northern Iraqi town.
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