The British lion's claws: With Syrian airstrikes looming, these are the weapons that will rain fire on ISIS

RAF warplanes are gearing up to launch airstrikes in Syria - and these are the weapons British pilots will wield against the terror thugs of ISIS

RAF warplanes are gearing up to launch airstrikes in Syria - and these are the weapons British pilots will wield against the terror thugs of ISIS.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has previously released details of arms used during successful operations. Here is a run-down of the ordnance that will play a key role in the coming air campaign.

Brimstone missiles

Speculation has already suggested these could be key in the fight to defeat Islamic State (IS). Brimstone missiles are a rocket-propelled, radar-guided weapon that could be used to attack smaller targets such as vehicles at long range.
Upon impact, a tandem charge warhead is detonated to ensure penetration of armour.
Sections of the RAF are already equipped to fly with the missiles and were recently used when Tornado fighter bombers carried out airstrikes on IS targets in Iraq a year ago.

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Devastation: A strike on an Islamic State armed pick-up truck, using a Brimstone missile

Deadly: A state-of-the-art Brimstone missile

Paveway IV bombs

Like the Brimstone missiles, the RAF has also used these laser-guided 230kg bombs to attack key ISIS locations, including in recent weeks in northern Iraq.
It contains 89 kg of devastating tritonal high explosive
The Paveway IV air-to-surface weapon offers improvements over older weapons such as greater accuracy. It requires no maintenance, has a higher resistance to GPS jamming and a lower cost.
In September 2014, an RAF Tornado GR4 dropped a Paveway IV bomb on a heavy weapon position operated by Islamic State militants in northwest Iraq. It was the first engagement of the British military against the terror group.

Powerful: A Paveway IV was used in the opening salvo of the British military against ISIS

Death from above: RAF Tornado GR4 aircraft have been in action over Iraq

Stormshadow missiles

Stormshadow cruise missiles are described by the RAF as "arguably the most advanced weapon of its kind in the world" and were used during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
The long-range air-landed missiles feature an integrated GPS to navigate their way to targets at low level.
The GR4 Tornado can usually carry a handful of Paveway IV guided bombs or two Stormshadow "bunker busters", which could be used against IS buildings or compounds.

Tomahawk cruise missiles

Another potential option could be to use Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from Royal Navy attack submarines.
British submarines have been equipped with the missiles since the late 1990s. The Tomahawk IV has a range of well over 1,000 miles and can be redirected to a new target in mid-flight.
It can also beam back images to the submarine.

Deadly accuracy: A Tomahawk cruise missile

Blast-off: A Tomahawk cruise missile launch

Drones

Unmanned drones deployed on operations in Afghanistan could be redeployed to attack targets in Syria.
The UK has a handful of Reaper drones, which can be used for reconnaissance and ground attack missions.
In October, David Cameron said he would double the number of drones in the British fleet by buying 20 Protectors and scrapping the existing model, Reapers.
However, it may be that the drone would be used for surveillance - leading to information about key targets and IS strongholds - rather than to carry weapons.

Unmanned: An RAF Reaper UAV drone armed with Hellfire missiles

Surveillance: Taliban suspects filmed by a remotely-operated drone