Usman
18th Nov 2002, 03:24
How The RAF Will Shoot Down Commercial Airliners
By Jason Allardyce and Brian Brady
Scotland Sunday.com
11-17-2
The rules of engagement for RAF pilots dealing with rogue aircraft
are chillingly straightforward.
Documents seen by Scotland on Sunday reveal that Tornado pilots have
been told to give civilian aircraft suspected of posing a threat just two
chances to turn away or land before blowing them out of the sky - hijackers,
innocent passengers and all.
The same pilots have even been given special psychological training
to cope with the enormity of what they may be ordered to do.
The instructions set out in a partially censored Ministry of Defence
memo underline how seriously the government now takes the threat of a
terrorist assault on Britain in the wake of the September 11 attacks.
The memo states: "If the pilot of the intercepted aircraft refuses
to comply with orders... the pilot of the fighter aircraft... may then
authorise the use of a knife-edge manoeuvre to show the pilot of the
intercepted aircraft that the intercepting fighter is armed.
"If this fails to elicit a response, *** may order a warning burst
of gunfire (any warning burst is to be fired from such a position so as to
be immediately recognised by the intercepted pilot as a warning to reinforce
the order to land and not an attack)."
During the engagement RAF pilots will report any manoeuvres by the
intercepted rogue plane "construed as aggressive or evasive" before a
decision is taken, ultimately by Tony Blair, to take it out.
Within minutes of intelligence picking up an unexpected deviation in
the flight path of an aircraft towards a British terrorist target, the lives
of all those aboard would be lost.
The military has drawn up the rules of engagement to avert potential
attacks on over 350 critical national infrastructure sites identified by
MI5, including the Houses of Parliament, the Bank of England and military
bases and nuclear power plants in Scotland as well as England and Wales.
The procedures to be followed by the RAF,s Quick Response Aircraft
team, understood to be based at Cornwall, East Anglia and RAF Leuchars in
Fife, are not simply academic or the stuff of training exercises.
Military chiefs insist that the decision to shoot a hijacked
civilian plane out of the sky to prevent a larger loss of human life and
avoid "inevitable and irreparable evil" would not be taken lightly.
Aggressive manoeuvres can only take place after pilots have first
attempted to obtain visual confirmation of a plane,s identity, by operator,
aircraft type and registration number and where there is "no reasonable
alternative" to the use of force.
While RAF patrols are in the air, communications staff on the ground
will watch the location, height and speed of the suspect aircraft, including
the potential remaining duration of flight and range of the aircraft.
The memo notes that the degree of force must be "proportional". "In
circumstances where a rogue civilian aircraft carries only hijackers and, if
brought down would crash without further loss of human life, the application
of the principles of proportionality will be uncomplicated.
"Much more difficult, however, is the use of force against a rogue
civilian aircraft which will directly threaten the lives of passengers and
crew on board that aircraft who are innocent of any crime and who are being
held against their will.
"Further, if a downed aircraft is likely to fall in a location where
there is a risk of causing further loss of life on the ground, the
application of the principle becomes significantly more complicated. "
But this will be judged appropriate if it seems likely that those
innocents on board are likely to die "in a very short time" anyway and if
the loss of life from shooting it down is "not disproportionate to the
consequences which are expected from not doing so".
Another MoD memo reveals that Britain,s defence capability to deal
with rogue aircraft also extends to RAF and Army Ground Based Air Defence
assets, including high velocity missiles .
Royal Navy air defence ships also carry Sea Dart surface to air
missiles and many ships are equipped with Sea Wolf point defence missiles.
The acutely sensitive nature of the issue has persuaded ministers
that only they must be allowed to give the final instruction to shoot down a
civilian aircraft.
But Scotland on Sunday has learned that senior MoD figures are
pressing for this to change. They have warned privately how they fear the
requirement to wait for politicians to act could ultimately cost lives.
Handing responsibility to the MoD would bring the chain of command
into line with the US where the military has the authority to shoot down
civilian aircraft, consulting politicians all the way to the President if
time permits.
In evidence, Desmond Bowen, MoD,s director-general of operational
policy, one of a group of key military chiefs charged with running the
British leg of "Operation Enduring Freedom", acknowledged that "these are
appallingly difficult judgements to make".
-------------------------
http://www.scotlandonsunday.com/uk.cfm?id=1279432002
Military want right to down passenger jets
Brian Brady and Jason Allardyce
SENIOR military officers want the right to shoot down civilian
aircraft seized by suicidal terrorists, without consulting the Prime
Minister.
Tony Blair is resisting the move, which would give the military
absolute authority to order RAF jets to blow a hijacked aircraft out of the
sky with the loss of hundreds of lives.
High-ranking military officials believe Britain should follow the
lead set by the US in the wake of the September 11 attacks last year.
American generals have the power to order the destruction of any hostile
aircraft, if they do not have time to contact senior politicians.
Military officers in Britain fear that unless they are given the
same powers, terrorists could bring down a fuel-laden plane, causing
devastation, while they seek ministerial approval.
The Prime Minister, backed by Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon and
senior MPs, has insisted the final judgment must remain with politicians.
But a senior ministerial source last night admitted the military
might have to take on the responsibility in a critical situation.
He said: "There might be occasions when we have our suspicions an
aircraft is foul,, but they can,t raise anybody to make the decision to
shoot it down."
The clash between Blair and the military goes to the heart of
Britain,s strategy for fending off an airborne attack of the type that
killed thousands of people in the World Trade Center in New York and the
Pentagon in Washington last year.
It emerged amid renewed warnings over the threats terrorists pose to
British aircraft and airports. On Friday a flight from Prestwick to Dublin
had to be evacuated after a hoax bomb alert at the Scottish airport.
Scotland on Sunday has learned that the RAF has set up special
squadrons of Quick Response Aircraft (QRA), made up of Tornado fighters, at
strategic sites including RAF Leuchars in Fife, Cornwall and East Anglia.
Pilots have been given special training - including counselling - to
prepare them for the task of shooting down a civilian aircraft laden with
passengers. They have been issued with rules of engagement detailing how
they should identify, pursue and destroy aircraft displaying hostile
intent,.
The QRA jets have been scrambled at least three times since
September 11, to intercept aircraft they feared were heading for the Queen,s
residence at Sandringham, the nuclear power plant at Sellafield or
overflying the Midlands. Each was a false alarm.
But with Britain still on high alert for a terrorist attack, the
question of who decides on the ultimate action against a rogue aircraft has
yet to be resolved.
Last night an MoD insider said: "This is not about the military
trying to keep hold of powers because they don,t want politicians to take
them away.
"There are people who think the military command should at least
have the flexibility to make that decision if there was a time pressure."
Senior MoD officers, who have drawn up a list of the 160 most likely
targets for terrorist attack, including Downing Street, the Foreign Office
and the BT Tower, have told members of the influential MPs, Defence
Committee that the ultimate decision rests with ministers.
Desmond Bowen, the MoD,s director of general operational policy,
said: "This is something we have consulted ministers on."
But the committee,s report on Britain,s protection against terrorism
insisted: "Any decision to shoot down a suspected rogue civilian aircraft
must be taken by ministers."
The recommendation was broadly backed by ministers, but a number of
MPs have confirmed they were warned that senior figures within the MoD were
unhappy with the policy.
One committee member said: "Under no circumstances can they shoot
down an aircraft unless they get the political say-so to do that.
"But the flight time is something like 20 minutes from take-off at a
London airport to the centre of the city - 10 minutes to get up and 10
minutes, flying time. The reality is that it doesn,t give much leeway for
spotting a rogue plane, deciding it is hostile and then getting the say-so
from politicians to destroy it."
Yesterday Liberal Democrat defence spokesman Paul Keetch called on
the government to give the military the powers to shoot down any aircraft
deemed to be posing a threat to targets on the ground.
http://www.scotlandonsunday.com/uk.cfm?id=1279642002
By Jason Allardyce and Brian Brady
Scotland Sunday.com
11-17-2
The rules of engagement for RAF pilots dealing with rogue aircraft
are chillingly straightforward.
Documents seen by Scotland on Sunday reveal that Tornado pilots have
been told to give civilian aircraft suspected of posing a threat just two
chances to turn away or land before blowing them out of the sky - hijackers,
innocent passengers and all.
The same pilots have even been given special psychological training
to cope with the enormity of what they may be ordered to do.
The instructions set out in a partially censored Ministry of Defence
memo underline how seriously the government now takes the threat of a
terrorist assault on Britain in the wake of the September 11 attacks.
The memo states: "If the pilot of the intercepted aircraft refuses
to comply with orders... the pilot of the fighter aircraft... may then
authorise the use of a knife-edge manoeuvre to show the pilot of the
intercepted aircraft that the intercepting fighter is armed.
"If this fails to elicit a response, *** may order a warning burst
of gunfire (any warning burst is to be fired from such a position so as to
be immediately recognised by the intercepted pilot as a warning to reinforce
the order to land and not an attack)."
During the engagement RAF pilots will report any manoeuvres by the
intercepted rogue plane "construed as aggressive or evasive" before a
decision is taken, ultimately by Tony Blair, to take it out.
Within minutes of intelligence picking up an unexpected deviation in
the flight path of an aircraft towards a British terrorist target, the lives
of all those aboard would be lost.
The military has drawn up the rules of engagement to avert potential
attacks on over 350 critical national infrastructure sites identified by
MI5, including the Houses of Parliament, the Bank of England and military
bases and nuclear power plants in Scotland as well as England and Wales.
The procedures to be followed by the RAF,s Quick Response Aircraft
team, understood to be based at Cornwall, East Anglia and RAF Leuchars in
Fife, are not simply academic or the stuff of training exercises.
Military chiefs insist that the decision to shoot a hijacked
civilian plane out of the sky to prevent a larger loss of human life and
avoid "inevitable and irreparable evil" would not be taken lightly.
Aggressive manoeuvres can only take place after pilots have first
attempted to obtain visual confirmation of a plane,s identity, by operator,
aircraft type and registration number and where there is "no reasonable
alternative" to the use of force.
While RAF patrols are in the air, communications staff on the ground
will watch the location, height and speed of the suspect aircraft, including
the potential remaining duration of flight and range of the aircraft.
The memo notes that the degree of force must be "proportional". "In
circumstances where a rogue civilian aircraft carries only hijackers and, if
brought down would crash without further loss of human life, the application
of the principles of proportionality will be uncomplicated.
"Much more difficult, however, is the use of force against a rogue
civilian aircraft which will directly threaten the lives of passengers and
crew on board that aircraft who are innocent of any crime and who are being
held against their will.
"Further, if a downed aircraft is likely to fall in a location where
there is a risk of causing further loss of life on the ground, the
application of the principle becomes significantly more complicated. "
But this will be judged appropriate if it seems likely that those
innocents on board are likely to die "in a very short time" anyway and if
the loss of life from shooting it down is "not disproportionate to the
consequences which are expected from not doing so".
Another MoD memo reveals that Britain,s defence capability to deal
with rogue aircraft also extends to RAF and Army Ground Based Air Defence
assets, including high velocity missiles .
Royal Navy air defence ships also carry Sea Dart surface to air
missiles and many ships are equipped with Sea Wolf point defence missiles.
The acutely sensitive nature of the issue has persuaded ministers
that only they must be allowed to give the final instruction to shoot down a
civilian aircraft.
But Scotland on Sunday has learned that senior MoD figures are
pressing for this to change. They have warned privately how they fear the
requirement to wait for politicians to act could ultimately cost lives.
Handing responsibility to the MoD would bring the chain of command
into line with the US where the military has the authority to shoot down
civilian aircraft, consulting politicians all the way to the President if
time permits.
In evidence, Desmond Bowen, MoD,s director-general of operational
policy, one of a group of key military chiefs charged with running the
British leg of "Operation Enduring Freedom", acknowledged that "these are
appallingly difficult judgements to make".
-------------------------
http://www.scotlandonsunday.com/uk.cfm?id=1279432002
Military want right to down passenger jets
Brian Brady and Jason Allardyce
SENIOR military officers want the right to shoot down civilian
aircraft seized by suicidal terrorists, without consulting the Prime
Minister.
Tony Blair is resisting the move, which would give the military
absolute authority to order RAF jets to blow a hijacked aircraft out of the
sky with the loss of hundreds of lives.
High-ranking military officials believe Britain should follow the
lead set by the US in the wake of the September 11 attacks last year.
American generals have the power to order the destruction of any hostile
aircraft, if they do not have time to contact senior politicians.
Military officers in Britain fear that unless they are given the
same powers, terrorists could bring down a fuel-laden plane, causing
devastation, while they seek ministerial approval.
The Prime Minister, backed by Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon and
senior MPs, has insisted the final judgment must remain with politicians.
But a senior ministerial source last night admitted the military
might have to take on the responsibility in a critical situation.
He said: "There might be occasions when we have our suspicions an
aircraft is foul,, but they can,t raise anybody to make the decision to
shoot it down."
The clash between Blair and the military goes to the heart of
Britain,s strategy for fending off an airborne attack of the type that
killed thousands of people in the World Trade Center in New York and the
Pentagon in Washington last year.
It emerged amid renewed warnings over the threats terrorists pose to
British aircraft and airports. On Friday a flight from Prestwick to Dublin
had to be evacuated after a hoax bomb alert at the Scottish airport.
Scotland on Sunday has learned that the RAF has set up special
squadrons of Quick Response Aircraft (QRA), made up of Tornado fighters, at
strategic sites including RAF Leuchars in Fife, Cornwall and East Anglia.
Pilots have been given special training - including counselling - to
prepare them for the task of shooting down a civilian aircraft laden with
passengers. They have been issued with rules of engagement detailing how
they should identify, pursue and destroy aircraft displaying hostile
intent,.
The QRA jets have been scrambled at least three times since
September 11, to intercept aircraft they feared were heading for the Queen,s
residence at Sandringham, the nuclear power plant at Sellafield or
overflying the Midlands. Each was a false alarm.
But with Britain still on high alert for a terrorist attack, the
question of who decides on the ultimate action against a rogue aircraft has
yet to be resolved.
Last night an MoD insider said: "This is not about the military
trying to keep hold of powers because they don,t want politicians to take
them away.
"There are people who think the military command should at least
have the flexibility to make that decision if there was a time pressure."
Senior MoD officers, who have drawn up a list of the 160 most likely
targets for terrorist attack, including Downing Street, the Foreign Office
and the BT Tower, have told members of the influential MPs, Defence
Committee that the ultimate decision rests with ministers.
Desmond Bowen, the MoD,s director of general operational policy,
said: "This is something we have consulted ministers on."
But the committee,s report on Britain,s protection against terrorism
insisted: "Any decision to shoot down a suspected rogue civilian aircraft
must be taken by ministers."
The recommendation was broadly backed by ministers, but a number of
MPs have confirmed they were warned that senior figures within the MoD were
unhappy with the policy.
One committee member said: "Under no circumstances can they shoot
down an aircraft unless they get the political say-so to do that.
"But the flight time is something like 20 minutes from take-off at a
London airport to the centre of the city - 10 minutes to get up and 10
minutes, flying time. The reality is that it doesn,t give much leeway for
spotting a rogue plane, deciding it is hostile and then getting the say-so
from politicians to destroy it."
Yesterday Liberal Democrat defence spokesman Paul Keetch called on
the government to give the military the powers to shoot down any aircraft
deemed to be posing a threat to targets on the ground.
http://www.scotlandonsunday.com/uk.cfm?id=1279642002