RAAF get the nod to shoot down lighties
An RAAF F/A-18 Hornet buzzed central Sydney as authorities warned lethal force could be used against errant aircraft during the APEC summit.
Brigadier Andrew Smith, speaking to reporters in a restricted area at Walsh Bay, said civilian pilots should be aware they would need a permit to enter the temporarily restricted airspace over Sydney during the September 2-9 summit.
As the Hornet flew a low-level familiarisation pass over the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Brigadier Smith warned that any pilots entering the area without a permit ran the risk of being shot down.
"That would be an absolute last resort," Brigadier Smith said.
"What is more likely to occur is we'll find a pilot who hasn't been reading his mail ... and we'll remind him of his civil aviation obligations in the nicest possible way."
The restricted airspace zone will encompass a 45 nautical mile radius around Sydney Airport during the summit, which will climax with a meeting of world leaders on September 8 and 9.
In the restricted wharf area, Australian Defence Force (ADF) troops put on a display of searching cars for hidden bombs while wetsuited navy clearance divers checked the surrounding water.
Authorities signed a memorandum of understanding which formalised the sharing of security operations between NSW Police and the ADF.
"The ADF, under the MoU, don't have a role as an aggressor..." Mr Campbell said.
Be a real shame if the first air-to-air kill by a RAAF pilot since - what, the Korean War??? - turned out to be poor old Joe Lighty in his C140 or some nerd from the Aero Club or D.S. in his robbo!!!!!!!!
Does the knuck still get a silhouette for that?