Has MOD gone completely mad?
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what audible warning the Honeywell Traffic Collision Avoidance System II will give in an imminent collision scenario. [187988]
Mr Dunne: As two suitably-equipped aircraft approach one another, their crews will hear the words, ‘traffic, traffic', If there is a risk of collision the Honeywell Traffic Collision Avoidance System II will direct the crews to manoeuvre to avoid a collision and they will subsequently hear either the instruction: ‘climb, climb now,' or alternatively, ‘descend, descend now.' Once the aircraft have achieved safe separation, the crews will hear the words ‘level off'.
So we have two Tornadoes closing around 14nms/min at 500ft, and one gets "climb, climb now", and the other poor sod gets "descend, descend now". This is the very reason why AAIB advised in 1994 that TCAS was unsuitable because
"It resolves conflictions by advising manoeuvers in the vertical plane and this would be inappropriate at low level"
So we have waited 20 years for MOD to select a piece of equipment that they were advised against using in 1994.
DV