Bigglesbrother.
Saw successful* Lightning M2+ stern intercepts twice. (*As claimed by pilots in debrief anyway)
First, 1975-76, Wattisham F3 during exercise against Mirage IV.
The exercise routine was that the FAF would send a pair with a KC135 up the North Sea and they'd then do a M2.0 run south before RTB. LATCC would give us a heads up and we would scramble a pair of F6 with red Top to sit plugged into a tanker on TTL6 waiting for them to break cover and then break off with full tanks and do a frontal intercept when they were about 150nm north.
On this occasion, due to various problems, we ended up with an F6 and an F3 (flown by "the Wandering Milliamp"). The F3 intercept was performed as normal. The F3 was controlled by one of the older WOs and set up for a U26A(?) - 180 x 26 converting to a 90 x 8. He rolled out at 3-4 miles, closed and took the Fox 2 about 20nm north of Bravo 1 at about 48K - and diverted into CS because he didn't have enough gas to reach WT. Landed on fumes.
The Concorde intercept was on the occasion when it flew a trial as a high speed target for the UK AD sqns. Concorde flew a preplanned figure of 8 around the North Sea at a constant M2.0 with height between FL500-550 to hold the speed. Their were pre-planned CAPs and intercept points and times. As above the Binbrook CAPs were supported by AAR with the fighters dropping off the hose at the optimal point, height, heading and range to start to accelerate for the intercept - though on that occasion they were F6.
Last edited by ORAC; 30th Jul 2012 at 08:11.