The Ministry of Defence has revealed the details of air strikes launched by RAF Lossiemouth jets over Syria.
Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft from the Moray base were deployed in combat missions for the first time over the weekend, after landing at the RAF Akrotiri station in Cyprus on Thursday.
On Friday evening, they departed the airfield alongside two Tornado GR4 aircraft to complete a series of tactical strikes on IS-controlled oilfields at Omar, in the eastern part of Syria.
The Tornado and Typhoon jets targeted Paveway IV guided bombs at wellheads, in an effort calculated to cut off the terror group’s oil revenue at the source.
Eight attacks were carried out, and defence officers say early reports “suggest that they were successful”.
Following the strikes, the aircraft patrolled the surrounding region to collect intelligence on other possible positions occupied by IS troops.
The scouting session helped the crews to identify further targets that could be bombed in eastern Syria and in the west of Iraq.
The Typhoon and Tornado aircraft received “vital support” from an RAF Voyager refuelling tanker during the mission.
The operation mirrored a similar onslaught launched only hours after Prime Minister David Cameron’s appeal to escalate military action in Syria was granted on Wednesday night.
During that mission, Tornado GR4 planes used Paveway IV guided bombs to strike six targets within an extensive oilfield at Omar, 35 miles inside Syria’s eastern border with Iraq.
Military sources say the Omar oilfield represents more than 10% of IS’s potential oil income.
A retired RAF engineer told the Press and Journal that he expected more strikes to be carried out by RAF Lossiemouth Typhoons acting in conjunction with Tornado GR4 jets over the coming week.
The expert analyst predicted that the action on Friday evening represented the Typhoon pilots “getting their feet wet” as they prepare to ramp up activity in the next few days.
He added: “The Tornado crews will accompany the Typhoon pilots for a while, because there is just one person in the cockpit of the Typhoon.”
Meanwhile on Friday evening, a remotely piloted RAF Reaper aircraft provided support for Kurdish security forces in north-west Iraq as they strove to drive back IS fighters.