Keystone Kops Go flying!
Bl**dy Hell. Just found this in the Telegraph. What are we going to do with the Sea Harrier's AMRRAMs once that aircraft (the one with the radar that supports AMRAAM) gets scrapped.
RAF abandons missile system after near miss
By Macer Hall
(Filed: 23/06/2002)
The RAF has abandoned moves to arm its Tornado F3 aircraft with a £125 million medium-range weapon system after a radar failure led to fears that pilots could be put at risk by stray missiles.
Live firing tests found that the Foxhunter radar on the Tornado F3, the RAF's main air defence fighter, was not compatible with the Amraam [Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile system] bought by the Ministry of Defence.
An accident was narrowly avoided in one test after a missile fired by one RAF Tornado flew off course and threatened an escorting aircraft. In a major embarrassment for the MoD, officers admitted that Amraam, which was expected to come into service last month, cannot be used safely. There are no plans to replace the Foxhunter with an Amraam-compatible radar system.
Last night, the Conservatives urged the Government to reverse a cost-cutting decision to scrap the Navy's Sea Harriers. Bernard Jenkin, the shadow defence secretary, said: "To spend £125 million on a missile system that cannot be used in combat is an absolute scandal. At present, this means the Sea Harrier is the only one of our fighter aircraft that can use this new missile effectively.
"This is another reason for the Royal Navy to keep the excellent Sea Harrier, which the Government has decided to scrap. With no plans to modernise the radar on the Tornado, it will never be able to effectively use Amraam." Originally ordered from British Aerospace in 1996, Amraam was seen as the most modern system for defences against air attacks. About 100 Tornado F3 aircraft were upgraded to carry it but the compatability problem means that a Tornado pilot cannot use radar to guide a missile towards a target.
In the live firing test, carried out within the past 12 months, Amraam was fired "blind" - without radar guidance - by pointing the aircraft at a target and launching a missile. An RAF officer said: "The Tornado F3 radar is unable to communicate with Amraam before or after firing. The missile is programmed to follow its host radar guidance system to its target. When that guidance is lacking, the missile reverts to a simple 'seek and destroy' mode: the first target that it sees is the one it goes for. The Amraam detected the Tornado aircraft that was escorting the firing aircraft and tried to intercept and destroy that aircraft."
It was only the airborne positions of the aircraft in the test that prevented an accident, the officer said.
He added: "This is a blatantly irresponsible way to try to engage an enemy. Following this operational practice could lead to friendly fighters - or even civilian aircraft - getting shot down."
A spokesman for the MoD said: "The Amraam missile is not part of the RAF's inventory at the moment." Tornado F3 aircraft regularly patrol the no-fly zone over southern Iraq and are a key weapon in the defence of British mainland airspace. The aircraft is expected to be replaced by the Eurofighter, which can use Amraam, in a few years.
Baaah Humbug!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!