RAF aircraft participated in a major NATO strike against Colonel Qadhafi's navy, as part of Operation Unified Protector, to protect Libyan civilians under threat of attack and enforce United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973.

The RAF attack was mounted against the naval base at Al Khums, the nearest concentration of regime warships to the port of Misratah which Colonel Qadhafi has repeatedly attempted to close to humanitarian shipping. As well as hitting two corvettes in the harbour, the Royal Air Force Tornados successfully targeted a facility in the dockyard constructing fast inflatable boats, which Libyan forces have used several times in their efforts to mine Misratah and attack vessels in the area.

An email to the Ministry of Defence reveals that, "Although we only record the types of vessels struck, and not the specific names, we can confirm that the ship pictured is a Koni class vessel. The Libyan navy had two Koni class vessels, named Al Hani and Al Ghardabia. An open source search suggests that the vessel pictured is likely to have been the Al Ghardabia and was struck as part of allied action in 2011. "

• Organization: RAF
• Object Name: Screengrab_LibyaWarship3
• Category: MOD
• Supplemental Categories: Equipment, Ships, Foreign Ships, Operations, Theatres, Libya, Aircraft, Offensive, Tornado
• Keywords: Libya, Nato, Tornado, Typhoon, Warship, Strike, Hit, Royal Air Force, RAF, Equipment, Weapon, Reconnaisance, Pod, Operation, Op, Campaign, Ellamy, Unified Protector
• Country: UK