AVIANCA B787 Intercepted by Venezuelan Sukhois

[recceguy]

Originally Posted by ATC

Interception procedures require the first interceptor ( the one that comes close to the target ) to switch off his transponder

Never heard of that when I was doing intercepts on my own fighter.
Same answer as towards those asking why fighters are not equipped with TCAS : intercepts are the daily staple of fighters, you rejoin other aircraft, big or small, VFR or clouds/night up to a very close range, and quite often the ground-based radar does need you return (which he can have on his primary radar, however)
For a liner, a TCAS event is a big thing - for a fighter, a sort of non-event. A successful interception in itself is more important.
By the way, Venezuelans are Venezuelans, when Colombians are in the hands of the Americans (their president got the the Nobel peace prize, which is a confirmation of that