Direct proof of use
The UK Ministry of Defence's January 2015 Freedom of Information release for Operation Herrick records Dual Mode Seeker Brimstone weapon releases by UK Harrier GR7 and Tornado GR4 reporting categories in Afghanistan. The table shows the first Brimstone release in Q3 2009 and a total of 68 DMS Brimstone releases through Q3 2014.
A separate Ministry of Defence news report published on 23 March 2012 gives an incident-level example. It said a 12 Squadron RAF Tornado GR4 crew launched a Brimstone missile attack against an insurgent attempting to emplace improvised explosive devices in Kandahar after an ISAF forward air controller spotted the activity near a convoy route.
Sources: MOD Afghanistan Weapon Release FOI, MOD RAF Tornados Hit Taliban Bombers
Timeline
Tornado GR4 aircraft replaced the UK's Harrier force in Afghanistan during 2009. In the MOD's quarterly weapon-release table, DMS Brimstone first appears in Q3 2009, followed by further releases across 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and the first three quarters of 2014.
The clearest public strike narrative is from March 2012 in Kandahar, where the MOD described a Tornado crew using Brimstone in a close-air-support context against an insurgent laying IEDs. The same article also described a separate attack in the mission using 27 mm cannon against a suspect vehicle, so the Brimstone-specific claim is limited to the first IED-laying incident.
Sources: MOD Afghanistan Weapon Release FOI, MOD RAF Tornados Hit Taliban Bombers
Narrative
In the Afghanistan conflict record, Brimstone appears as a British air-launched precision munition used by RAF Tornado GR4 aircraft under the NATO and Afghan-government side of the war. The public sources support operational use for close air support and precision strike, but they do not provide a complete list of individual Brimstone strike locations or target outcomes.
The FOI table places Brimstone alongside other UK aircraft weapons used in Afghanistan, including Paveway IV bombs, 27 mm cannon, and earlier Harrier rocket and bomb releases. It records weapon releases rather than battle-damage assessment, making the strongest claims the fact of UK aircraft release, the aircraft reporting category, and the quarterly release totals.
The March 2012 Kandahar report shows how the missile was publicly described in theater: a Tornado GR4 crew responded to an ISAF forward air controller and used Brimstone against an insurgent connected to IED emplacement near a convoy route. That incident ties the missile's Afghanistan use to force-protection and close-air-support tasks against Taliban IED activity.
Sources: MOD Afghanistan Weapon Release FOI, MOD RAF Tornados Hit Taliban Bombers, BAE Tornado Weapon Enhancement
