On board the RAF's Sentinel R1 spy plane over Libya

By Caroline Wyatt Defence correspondent, BBC News

The Sentinel crew were scrambled to Cyprus from RAF Waddington when the Libya no-fly zone started

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Libya Crisis

• Backfiring tactics?
• Cats in the crossfire
• Misrata stand-off explained
• No easy exit for Nato

The RAF is flying reconnaissance missions over Libya with its Sentinel R1 spy plane, a modified business jet which uses radar to create accurate real-time images of what is happening on the ground.

Opposition forces are still locked in battle with those loyal to Col Muammar Gaddafi.
But without troops on the ground, how is Nato able to choose its targets, and make sure United Nations resolution 1973 is kept? Intelligence-gathering is key here.
The sun is setting over the Mediterranean as the ground crew at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus make the final checks on the plane.
They were scrambled here from 5 Squadron based at RAF Waddington when the Libya no-fly zone was put into place.
Their task: to ensure that one of the UK's only remaining types of spy plane - the Sentinel R1 - could be sent into action.
Bulking out its slim frame is its sophisticated radar equipment which can scan thousands of square kilometres in minutes.
The bulky portion underneath the airframe is known as the "canoe" for its shape.

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Sentinel R1

• Crew: Five
• Max speed: Mach 0.89
• Systems: High-resolution radar system Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and target identifier Ground Moving Target Indicator (GMTI)

• Timeline: UK road to Libya action

The plane itself is an adapted executive jet, much beloved of pop stars and oligarchs - although few will have chosen the same austere grey colour-scheme as the RAF.

There are no marble bathrooms or walnut walls inside these jets.
In place of rows of comfortable seats, three desks and three chairs face the side of the aircraft.
There are banks of computers with screens, and a small table and chairs for four other passengers.
Heavy weaponry At a final briefing, the air crew are talked through their mission.
They will be flying the skies over Libya, focusing on coastal areas and towns such as Brega and Sirte.

The Sentinel crew were scrambled to Cyprus from RAF Waddington when the Libya no-fly zone started

Their job is to gather information on the movements of pro-Gaddafi forces and any heavy weaponry, as well as to keep an eye on normal civilian movements and look for any changes.
Once they have built up a picture of what's happening on the ground, the intelligence is passed on to Nato commanders enforcing the no-fly zone. Continued