David Cameron has announced an increase in the number of Tornado strike aircraft to be deployed to hit Muammar Gaddafi's forces.
The prime minister made the announcement during a two-hour visit to the Gioia del Colle air base in southern Italy, where he thanked British air crews policing the Libyan no-fly zone. The increase came on the day the defence ministry announced the first round of armed forces redundancies, and the air chief marshal, Sir Stephen Dalton, warned of overstretch and called for more money.
The prime minister said the number of Tornado attack jets deployed to the base would rise from eight to 12, to beef up British strike capability. Sourced from RAF Marham in Norfolk, the jets will arrive in the next few days.
The increase is partly due to the US moving out of Libyan frontline operations towards logistical and intelligence support, placing pressure on others to come forward. It is also intended as a signal to other Nato member countries to increase their contribution.
Cameron praised the British pilots, telling reporters: "I want to say 'well done' and give a heartfelt thanks from the British public to the brave Tornado pilots and their crews who have done an incredible job in a short period of time to save, I think, thousands of lives in Benghazi and elsewhere.
"The whole country should be proud of what they have done. They have responded incredibly quickly. They have flown many sorties, and they have been extremely successful in holding back Gaddafi's forces."
During the visit Cameron talked to 600 RAF crew, led by Group Captain Martin Sampson, and was briefed on the scale of the damage British fighters were inflicting on Gaddafi's army. This has included the destruction of 10 armoured vehicles and three tanks at the weekend around the beseiged town of Sirte.
Apart from the Tornado jets, Britain has 10 Typhoons engaged in its operations against Libya.
Cameron said that, on the basis of briefings over the past 24 hours, he believed the Gaddafi regime was showing signs of stress and looking for a way out.
On to the next phase of his overseas trip, Cameron will mend relations with the Pakistani government in Islamabad, where he will say the two countries have "an unbreakable partnership".
He will hold talks with the president, Asif Ali Zardari, and the prime minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani, during his first visit. Cameron upset the Pakistani government last July by accusing elements in the country of "facing both ways on terrorism".
His criticism of Pakistan for promoting the export of terror created such a diplomatic outcry because it was made on a trip to India, and because he refused to withdraw his remarks. He attempted to patch up relations during Zardari's visit to Britain in August, held against the background of Pakistan's floods. The two countries have agreed to hold a strategic dialogue comprising annual discussions between leaders.
Zardari has repeatedly warned the west that the battle for hearts and minds over the Taliban's use of Pakistan as the base for their attacks on Nato forces in Afghanistan is being lost. He says Cameron has not done enough to recognise how much Pakistan is doing to combat terrorism.
Acknowledging past misunderstandings , Cameron will argue in a speech to students that he wants "a new chapter" in the relations: "We want to deepen and enhance the unbreakable partnership between Pakistan and Britain. The unbreakable partnership must not just be between our two governments. It must be between our peoples, too."