The RAF's Typhoon - or Eurofighter - is primarily used in air-to-air combat Britain's contribution to efforts by coalition forces to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya is being stepped up.
The operation to move British aircraft to a base in southern Italy ready for missions is nearly complete, after the arrival of about a dozen planes. RAF Typhoon fighters have taken part in their first mission to patrol the zone.
It came as Armed Forces minister Nick Harvey said it was unclear how long the mission would take, adding that using ground troops "could not be ruled out".
Legitimate target He told the BBC: "We don't know how long this is going to go on for, we don't know for example... whether this might arrive at a state of stalemate or whether in a sense it will be possible to degrade his military capability relatively fast.
"Ask me again in a week, perhaps we'll have a clearer picture of what sort of scale of campaign we're in for."
His comments followed disagreement over whether Col Gaddafi himself could be targeted under the UN resolution 1973, after the head of the armed forces, Gen Sir David Richards, said it "absolutely" did not cover such an eventuality.
However, this was later disputed by government sources, who said, if there was evidence that Col Gaddafi was involved in violence against civilians, he could be a legitimate target.
Former head of the Royal Navy, and former security minister, Lord West told the BBC's Today programme there had "clearly been some confusion within government" and they were "a little bit muddled".
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End Quote Major General John Lorimer Chief of Defence Staff's spokesmanCoalition forces' action has, over the weekend, stopped Colonel Gaddafi's forces from seizing control of Benghazi”
"We need to be extremely careful. We're not into a campaign where part of it is to try and find him and hunt him out and kill him, which is the image that we will be given.
"And that will make it very difficult for the coalition if there was any feeling that that was part of it."Meanwhile, amid a third night of missile strikes, a government motion to support action in Libya won a majority of 544 votes in the House of Commons.
The debate focused on resolution 1973, which was passed by the United Nations Security Council last week.
This authorises "all necessary measures", short of bringing in an occupying force, to protect Libyan citizens from the Gaddafi regime, which has been fighting rebel forces.
The Commons motion - which was backed by 557 MPs and opposed by 13 - followed continued US-led action in Libya, with Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's sprawling Bab al-Aziziya complex, in the capital Tripoli, among the locations hit.
Libya's government has said more civilians have been killed in a third night of air and missile strikes by coalition forces.
Libyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim told a news conference that Monday's air and missile strikes had caused "numerous" civilian casualties, especially at the "civilian airport" in Sirte.
Explosions and anti-aircraft fire have been heard in Tripoli.
Operation Ellamy The RAF now has 10 Typhoon and four tornado jets at the Gioia del Colle base in southern Italy, which is about an hour from Libya by air.
The Tornados were initially being launched from RAF Marham in Norfolk, but are now being based in Italy along with the Typhoon jets.
The Chief of Defence Staff's spokesman, Major General John Lorimer, said the Typhoons had on Monday flown their first ever combat mission in relation to the no-fly zone.
"Coalition forces' action has, over the weekend, stopped Colonel Gaddafi's forces from seizing control of [rebel held] Benghazi," he said.
"GR4 Tornados left RAF Marham in Norfolk this afternoon on an air reconnaissance mission over Libya as part of Operation Ellamy.
"The Tornados have now landed at Gioia del Colle which will be their new base of operations, as we had planned," he said.
The action is in support of a UN resolution imposing a ban on all flights in Libyan airspace, excluding aid flights, to "protect civilians".
The UK is part of an international coalition, also including the US and France, trying to protect civilians from attacks by forces loyal to Colonel Gaddafi.
Col Gaddafi has ruled Libya for more than 40 years. An uprising against him began last month after the longtime leaders of neighbouring Tunisia and Egypt were toppled.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12813392
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