Eastern bloc Cold War ops by civil aircrsft.
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Eastern bloc Cold War ops by civil aircrsft.
I'm indebted to this morning's edition of Her Majesty's Times for this:
Transcribed from a bigger article in the print edition. Online version is behind Uncle Rupert's paywall.
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I remember an IL-18 requiring a flight test ex-Heathrow. I can't remember the operator but, if pressed, would narrow it down to LOT or CSA. It had been on the ground at LHR for several days and BEA had carried out substantial work on an engine. In similar circumstances, with their own aircraft, they would file to leave CAS at Brookmans Park and do the necessary checks etc over East Anglia. Consequently they filed a similar plan for this aircraft. PPRuNers will not be surprised to learn that it flew over anything and everything of interest to the north of Red One and east of the Ambers.
Caused some fluttering in the dovecotes that did.
ETA Just noticed that there is a similar article on the Telegraph website:
Soviet Union used civilian airliners to spy on Britain - Telegraph
Soviet airliners on routine flights spied on Britain during the Cold War, according to government files released under the 30-year rule. Some turned off the transponders that gave air traffic control their positions before diverting to gather intelligence on sensitive sites, according to papers in the National Archive.
In a classified memorandum from December 1981, the Defence Secretary, John Nott, told Margaret Thatcher that the RAF was monitoring hundreds of flights a month involving Warsaw Pact airliners in UK airspace.
“One incident took place on 9th November, when an Aeroflot IL62 made an unauthorised and unannounced descent from 35,000ft to 10,000ft, just below cloud level, to fly over RAF Boulmer, a radar station currently being modernised. It subsequently climbed back to 37,000ft,” he wrote.
“Its Secondary Surveillance Radar, which automatically broadcasts the aircraft’s height, was switched off, though it was on before and after the incident. It must, therefore, be assumed that it was switched off intentionally to conceal a premeditated manoeuvre.”
In a classified memorandum from December 1981, the Defence Secretary, John Nott, told Margaret Thatcher that the RAF was monitoring hundreds of flights a month involving Warsaw Pact airliners in UK airspace.
“One incident took place on 9th November, when an Aeroflot IL62 made an unauthorised and unannounced descent from 35,000ft to 10,000ft, just below cloud level, to fly over RAF Boulmer, a radar station currently being modernised. It subsequently climbed back to 37,000ft,” he wrote.
“Its Secondary Surveillance Radar, which automatically broadcasts the aircraft’s height, was switched off, though it was on before and after the incident. It must, therefore, be assumed that it was switched off intentionally to conceal a premeditated manoeuvre.”
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I remember an IL-18 requiring a flight test ex-Heathrow. I can't remember the operator but, if pressed, would narrow it down to LOT or CSA. It had been on the ground at LHR for several days and BEA had carried out substantial work on an engine. In similar circumstances, with their own aircraft, they would file to leave CAS at Brookmans Park and do the necessary checks etc over East Anglia. Consequently they filed a similar plan for this aircraft. PPRuNers will not be surprised to learn that it flew over anything and everything of interest to the north of Red One and east of the Ambers.
Caused some fluttering in the dovecotes that did.
ETA Just noticed that there is a similar article on the Telegraph website:
Soviet Union used civilian airliners to spy on Britain - Telegraph
Last edited by None of the above; 28th Dec 2012 at 10:02. Reason: Telegraph URL added.
It is well known in ATC circles that the navigation abilities of some Aeroflot crews left something to be desired, like the IL62 which departed Heathrow for Moscow, incurred radio failure, and regained comms in the vicinity of Great Yarmouth having flown close to several military units in East Anglia.
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I hadn't heard of that one Chevvron, but I remember two ATCOs at LL managing to have a look at a TU-104(?) flight deck, and being taken aback by the large camera suspended from the ceiling.
That glass nose cone was there for a reason, it would seem.
That glass nose cone was there for a reason, it would seem.
Last edited by None of the above; 28th Dec 2012 at 14:18. Reason: Tidying up
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To be fair, the reciprocal was carried out also. Aircraft for a UK Carrier were routinely fitted with imaging devices on scheduled trips to the USSR back in the cold war era, and surveillance footage obtained via a similar method - used to have many random exteranl inspections by russians once arrived, looking for hidden cameras etc.
Yes, many moons ago I travelled several time on an Aeroflot IL62 from Heathrow to Moscow and had splendid views of Woodbridge and Bentwaters Air Bases and that was without any alarms or diversions from the designated airway.
The glass nose is a navigators station, it was standard on many Soviet types of course. It is normally accessed by a short tunnel and a couple of steps down from the centre of the flight deck console, and covered with a small loose curtain. The view when in flight must be spectacular, and of course a good view of the stars at night for astral nav.
Notably, it was discontinued on "export" aircraft (which included those for the other Warsaw Pact countries of Eastern Europe), and replaced by a western-sourced radar in the same position, long before the aircraft delivered to Aeroflot itself were changed to this style.
On one occasion an attempted hijack was thwarted when the hijacker came onto the flight deck and took the pilots and FE hostage, but was then overcome by the navigator suddenly storming back through the curtain and taking him by surprise.
Notably, it was discontinued on "export" aircraft (which included those for the other Warsaw Pact countries of Eastern Europe), and replaced by a western-sourced radar in the same position, long before the aircraft delivered to Aeroflot itself were changed to this style.
On one occasion an attempted hijack was thwarted when the hijacker came onto the flight deck and took the pilots and FE hostage, but was then overcome by the navigator suddenly storming back through the curtain and taking him by surprise.
Last edited by WHBM; 28th Dec 2012 at 17:35.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
I have seen photographs taken from the flight deck of a Dakota as it was making approaches to certain middle eastern airfields. The pilot took the photos (a telephoto SLR) while flying the aircraft!
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Glass noses in Soviet airliners
"The glass nose is a navigator's station, it was standard on many Soviet types of course. It is normally accessed by a short tunnel and a couple of steps down from the centre of the flight deck console, and covered with a small loose curtain. The view when in flight must be spectacular, and of course a good view of the stars at night for astral nav."
And here is a shot of one:
658 Ferihegy 9-4-07 Tu 134 HA-LBE navigator's station | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
And Air Atlantique's Pembroke, when it was with the RAF, was fitted with hidden cameras and regularly flew up and down the air corridoors to and from Berlin, with the crew merrily clicking away.
And here is a shot of one:
658 Ferihegy 9-4-07 Tu 134 HA-LBE navigator's station | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
And Air Atlantique's Pembroke, when it was with the RAF, was fitted with hidden cameras and regularly flew up and down the air corridoors to and from Berlin, with the crew merrily clicking away.
Last edited by Proplinerman; 29th Dec 2012 at 12:48.
Back on thread sounds like everyone was at it -
Air France Caravelles whose pilots took photogaphs through the cabin windows. Apparently they regularly succeeded in getting lost!
Even goes right to the top where it was alleged that the new presidential Boeing VC-137A, purchased in 1959, was equipped with hidden cameras.
Air France Caravelles whose pilots took photogaphs through the cabin windows. Apparently they regularly succeeded in getting lost!
Even goes right to the top where it was alleged that the new presidential Boeing VC-137A, purchased in 1959, was equipped with hidden cameras.
My hunch is they didn't know what they were looking at, and mistook the astral navigation sextant for a camera. You can see one in this position in Proplinerman's photo linked above.
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Yes, you might have a point there, WHBM.
Trouble is, I remember being told this by one of the ATCOs immediately after they'd made the visit and his astonishment was obvious.
Of course, none of us is infallible, but he was a switched on sort of chap as you'd expect, and I'm inclined to believe his assessment.
Trouble is, I remember being told this by one of the ATCOs immediately after they'd made the visit and his astonishment was obvious.
Of course, none of us is infallible, but he was a switched on sort of chap as you'd expect, and I'm inclined to believe his assessment.
Last edited by None of the above; 30th Dec 2012 at 16:43. Reason: Spelled 'punctuation' incorrectly in last edit. Oh dear...
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Great story in the 50s when a tu104 had to divert in to Manston when heathrow was fog bound and the base then was run by the americans rumour has it the americans could not hide all there secret aircraft away but the russians where more interested in the spitfire which was located as a gate guardian.
