Air Power, Insurgency and the “War on Terror” - Prof. Joel Hayward's ...

Chapter 3
It would be wrong, however, to infer that British withdrawal was inevitable or that air
control was incapable of countering a modern insurgency. Between 1957 <strong>and</strong> 1959 <strong>the</strong>
RAF played a significant part in <strong>the</strong> defeat of rebel groups in Oman. Shackleton maritime
patrol aircraft <strong>and</strong> Venom fighters based at Aden were deployed forward <strong>and</strong>, toge<strong>the</strong>r
with modest ground forces, allowed <strong>the</strong> Sultan’s authority to be re-established. The final
defeat of <strong>the</strong> rebels, based on <strong>the</strong> almost inaccessible Jebel Akhdar, was achieved through
a combination of air action <strong>and</strong> an assault by Special Forces. Although much of <strong>the</strong> credit
should be given to <strong>the</strong> role of <strong>the</strong> SAS, air proscription had greatly weakened <strong>the</strong> rebels
<strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> prospect of an air assault – including parachutists – hastened <strong>the</strong> end.
Radfan Operations
Following <strong>the</strong> Yemen revolution of 1962, Egypt took every opportunity to support <strong>the</strong>
Yemeni claim to sou<strong>the</strong>rn Arabia <strong>and</strong> to ferment unrest in Aden <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Protectorates.
The tribes of <strong>the</strong> Radfan (including <strong>the</strong> Quteibis) were particularly susceptible <strong>and</strong>,
given <strong>the</strong> history of unrest under British rule, more than willing to rebel. This external
subversion steadily grew as did terrorism within <strong>the</strong> colony itself. After an unsuccessful
attempt on <strong>the</strong> life of <strong>the</strong> High Commissioner at Khormaksar, a state of emergency was
declared in 1963.
The security problem was now so severe that it was regarded as beyond <strong>the</strong> scope of air
control. Military action on a considerable scale, was required, using l<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> air forces,
supplemented where suitable by naval forces. The irony is that <strong>the</strong> formal end of air
control as a policy saw <strong>the</strong> RAF reach its greatest strength in Aden, with over eighty
aircraft permanently based at Khormaksar.
Initial operations in January 1964 were aimed at compelling <strong>the</strong> rebels to withdraw <strong>and</strong>
demonstrating <strong>the</strong> Government’s ability to enter <strong>the</strong> Radfan at will. The RAF’s contribution
comprised close support to <strong>the</strong> advancing forces as well as lifting <strong>the</strong>m to <strong>the</strong>ir start
positions <strong>and</strong> subsequent re-supply. RN aircraft <strong>and</strong> helicopters from HMS Centaur were
also involved. Operations were successfully concluded ten days later. Unfortunately, once
<strong>the</strong> ground forces had been withdrawn, <strong>the</strong> area was immediately re-occupied by <strong>the</strong> rebels.
Insurgent activity continued to increase, to some extent buoyed by <strong>the</strong> rebels’ “success” in
<strong>the</strong> Radfan. For <strong>the</strong> first time, Yemeni aircraft <strong>and</strong> helicopters crossed <strong>the</strong> border to attack
frontier posts. Retaliation took <strong>the</strong> form of a highly destructive rocket <strong>and</strong> bomb attack
on <strong>the</strong> nearby Harib fort in Yemen territory. Fur<strong>the</strong>r flights across <strong>the</strong> border ceased but
Yemen used <strong>the</strong> incident to good effect in <strong>the</strong> United Nations. Embarrassed by continued
international criticism, <strong>the</strong> employment of 1,000lb bombs was ended in favour of 25lb
bombs known (for presentational reasons) as aerial grenades.
<strong>Air</strong> <strong>Power</strong>, <strong>Insurgency</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> “War on Terror” 61