Agaricus, how little you know. The fast jet boys' egos were very deflated when the only real interception for the G8 at Gleneagles a few years ago was achieved by the rotary mates. The big guns affixed to our airframes were more than capable of ruining somebody's day. And it's not that Cessnas are a particular threat, it's about identifying unknown aircraft and reacting accordingly. Not a difficult concept.
Robin, aircraft crashing out of control in built up areas and possibly in many bits, historically results in fairly light casualties on the ground. We all know the results of airliners used as weapons successfully hitting their targets. The decision to shoot down an airliner is certainly a case of the lesser of two evils. You are right that the terrorists score a victory either way: either they carry out succesful atrocities or the force us to accept enormous inconvenience and loss of freedom in order to defend against it.
Last edited by Torque Tonight; 15th May 2012 at 00:08.