HALYARD & BATTLE FLIGHT
Is there a badge for intercepting a Comet, a Vautour, several Canberras, a couple of F100s, a CF100 and a Valiant?
Up to mid-1960s, Hunter day fighter squadrons were deployed in rotation to Cyprus for training and to man “Battle Flight” during the hours of daylight. Most Battle Flight aircraft got airborne for practice interceptions controlled by Troodos Radar(?), but I remember being scrambled for real to check out an unidentified aircraft which turned out to be a BOAC Comet.
During that particular deployment, on a Hunter T7 PI flight, Troodos called for us to intercept a low-level real bogey heading for Cyprus from the south east. It turned out to be an Israeli Vautour, which did a 180 on being discovered. It was followed and seen off by our performing a barrel roll around it.
Was "Ex Halyard" the 1960s version of QRA? I was scrambled from cockpit readiness on only one occasion, to intercept an unidentified aircraft approaching the UK from the east and “intercepted” a Canberra some thousands of feet above.
The other interceptions were made during UK air defence exercises. On 1 Nov 61 two Hunter squadrons stopped doing interceptions and concentrated on ground attack on being assigned to 38 Group, Transport Command.