British Shift to Less Risky Air Strategy : Gulf War: Low-level bombing of airfields resulted in high rate of losses. New tactics will utilize high-flying planes.

The British air force is switching tactics after suffering relatively high aircraft losses in dangerous, low-level bombing raids on Iraqi bases, the commander of British forces in the Persian Gulf said today.

Gen. Sir Peter de la Billiere told reporters at a briefing that his country would be dispatching Buccaneer bombers to the gulf to give the Royal Air Force a high-level bombing capability.

But, he added, “low-level tactics are not out. When they are required, they’re back in. Right now we do not need them” because the Iraqi air force effectively “has been grounded.”

In the first nine days of the war, Britain has lost five Tornadoes in low-level raids on Iraqi airfields. Eight crew members are reported missing and two others are known to be prisoners of war after 600 British combat sorties.

Although the United States has a much larger bomber force in the gulf, it has lost only 11 planes in combat.

The Tornadoes were assigned the mission of streaking low over the desert to attack airfields because the Royal Air Force alone possessed JP 233 attack weapons, including cluster-like cratering bombs and mining devices.

“Our only way of delivering it was low-level,” Sir Peter said, “so our pilots--young, many of them, inexperienced in this sort of combat, all of them--were primed straightaway into the cutting edge of the battle and did that with the greatest credit to their nation and their service.”

The battle situation has changed, the British commander said, adding, “We no longer need to keep the airfields closed permanently. We’re looking for a different sort of tactics. The Iraq air force has been grounded and declined to come into contact with our own forces.”