mary_hinge
3rd Apr 2007, 07:06
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/04/03/nsuicide103.xml
RAF fighter pilots were asked to consider flying suicide missions as a last resort to stop terrorists, the Ministry of Defence said.
Air Vice-Marshal David Walker put forward the last-ditch scenario at a conference for air crews.
According to The Sun newspaper, he said: "Would you think it unreasonable if I ordered you to fly your aircraft into the ground in order to destroy a vehicle carrying a Taliban or al-Qa'eda commander?"
advertisementAn MoD spokesman stressed Air Vice-Marshal Walker did not say he would order his crews on suicide missions.
He said: "As part of a training exercise, he wanted them to think about how they, and their commanders, would react, faced with a life and death decision of the most extreme sort - for example terrorists trying to fly an aircraft into a British city being followed by an RAF fighter which suffers weapons failure.
"These are decisions which, however unlikely and dreadful, service people may have to make and it is one of many reasons why the British people hold them in such high esteem
RAF fighter pilots were asked to consider flying suicide missions as a last resort to stop terrorists, the Ministry of Defence said.
Air Vice-Marshal David Walker put forward the last-ditch scenario at a conference for air crews.
According to The Sun newspaper, he said: "Would you think it unreasonable if I ordered you to fly your aircraft into the ground in order to destroy a vehicle carrying a Taliban or al-Qa'eda commander?"
advertisementAn MoD spokesman stressed Air Vice-Marshal Walker did not say he would order his crews on suicide missions.
He said: "As part of a training exercise, he wanted them to think about how they, and their commanders, would react, faced with a life and death decision of the most extreme sort - for example terrorists trying to fly an aircraft into a British city being followed by an RAF fighter which suffers weapons failure.
"These are decisions which, however unlikely and dreadful, service people may have to make and it is one of many reasons why the British people hold them in such high esteem