Is our country really a safer place to live.. To hold a sports event we are now committing an awful lot of our military capability which might suggest our government disagrees with that suggestion. If Argentina really wants to play games then wait a few months and occupy Gibraltar.. We do not have so much as a spare row boat to defend that peninsula, help yourself..

Are we seriously considering shooting down aircraft over the most densely populated area of Great Britain? Has anyone stopped to think about what we are doing? We are already committing a significant number of our front line RAF aircraft along with the largest warship in the Royal Navy. No doubt there will be other Naval assets playing silly fools off of the South-East coast, there are even silly reports of using 'depth charges' if the need were to arise. Hundreds, if not thousands of troops to carry out so called security duties, are we going to have Challenger tanks driving round the M25 looking for suspect vehicles. Rapier missiles with the military acting as security for the operating crews and then no doubt the police acting as security for the military.. It is madness.. Here in Devon we are sending hundreds of Police Officers up to the capital to assist with these games so how many other forces will also deplete their own police service just so London can hold these games?

A few days ago the Queen and Prince Philip paid a much appreciated visit to the city of Exeter. Yes she had security but none of this crazy nonsense we are reading about in our press, both the Queen and her husband went 'walk-about' shaking the hands of dozens of total strangers, none of which had been searched and most were carrying large bags. There surely must come a time when we ask ourselves what are we doing?? If the security service deems it safe for our Queen to walk the streets of our cities without the need for Typhoon aircraft, aircraft carriers, rapier missiles, Royal Marines and crikeys knows what else, then surely it should be safe for Mr Joe Bloggs competing in the Olympic Air pistol event to safely walk our streets?

Is the aim of the terrorist to inflict terror, be it physical, or psychological pressure? How many hours, be that hundreds of thousands, or millions of hours have there been in the planning of this sports meeting? How much money has there been spent on just the security side of holding an athletics meeting? Has the terrorist already struck and indeed won? The terrorist has not so much as said boo and yet here we are flooding our capital with military hardware 'just in case'

I totally accept we all have a duty to protect the population, but there comes a time when we have to say enough is enough!! Are we seriously going to shoot down ANY type of aircraft over the capital?

What about these Typhoon aircraft towing a banner that states 'Follow me to waste ground so I can shoot you down' Of course this would have to be in multiple languages otherwise the Politically correct brigade would be crying foul, but at least it would avoid a downed aircraft from falling on the Palace of Westminster (House of Commons)

At least if this was done it would be good training as after the games were over these aircraft could then tow other types of banner

http://www.air-ads.com/Images/aerial...sal_banner.jpg

Certainly no Auxies. Post war around the capital there was 600 and 615 at Biggin with Spitfires and then Meteors, 601 with Spitfires, Vampires and Meteors at North Weald; and 604 similarly equipped at Hendon and then North Weald.

I had some hope for our gallant allies ("shut up in Polish!") whose memorial is of course nearby, but the last ones (Spitfire IXs of 317 Sqn) left in April '44, five months before 140's Mossies.

[information from Halley [Sqns of the Royal Air Force] who my friend Old-Duffer opines is not always reliable....]

Yes, a couple of shotguns and a clay pigeon trap to help keep ones eye in :ok:

And of course a chess board on a small folding card table - to be knocked over en route to the "kites".

The most popular GA types (C152,C172,PA-28) potter about between 90-120kts. Can a Typhoon even fly slowly enough to effect a meaningful interception (the interception procedures recently promulgated by the CAA say the Typhoon will 'join on left side of your aircraft and rock wings').

Hence why the same document details helicopter interception procedures.

Fair enough. So why the Typhoons then? This is just like Blunkett parking tanks at Heathrow isn't it? It's all bollocks! Incidentally WillDAQ, I don't suppose you know exactly why the recently promulgated interception procedures do not comply with ENR 1-12-1?

Thud,
For the sake of those of us who are a bit lazy, would you be so kind as to point out the difference/discrepency ? Thanks muchly

I wonder how much that cost?

Call me old fashioned but what if they decided to fly more than one 172, 152, pa28 at once.... then of course there are those numerous aircraft that are close to London, one would have thought the Missile defences would have been better forming a "ring of steel" around the perifery London, but no doubt our capabilities these days would have amounted more to a collander than a shield.

Suprised we can afford a CHAG these days let alone a RHAG

As far as I recall, ENR 1-12-1 simply says the intercepting aircraft will take up position ahead to the left. The Typhoon Olympic interception procedure offers three possible scenarios (including firing flares), but none of which require the intercepting Typhoon to take up position ahead and to the left. Seems like a recipe for a SNAFU to me, if not a FUBAR.

Portable Aircraft Arrestor Gear
 

Airpolice

The equipment fitted is probably a Portable Aircraft Arrestor Gear (PAAG) not a Rotary Hydraulic Arrestor Gear (RHAG). If so, it will have been installed, along with the Rapid Erect Shelters (RES), by 5001 Sqn "at no cost". There is a budget for the maintenance of the deployable facilities stockpile - sometimes end users are required to pay, sometimes they are not - usually they pay for post-use maintenance and return to storage.

And that surely has to say it all :( Crazy

Depends where that aircraft is assumed to be heading. Think yourself lucky that you won't have to face the decision - luckily there are a set of trained people that can!!

On a lighter note - a Tiffy with the blowers in (I hope!!) might stop local white van men jumping the lights on The West End Road...

Only if they have paid their congestion charge.

Don't forget what Mathias Rust did, and that was far more than a couple of Typhoons and a handful of rockets.

And 4 years earlier they shot down a 747 thinking it was an RC-135 and they didn't look good. They didn't see Mathias Rust as a threat, so they didn't engage. Doesn't mean that they didn't track him.

2Planks: Depends where that aircraft is assumed to be heading. Think yourself lucky that you won't have to face the decision - luckily there are a set of trained people that can!!


A set of trained people? When F3's were doing Southern QRA I went to a brief that stated that a Government Minister had to be contacted to give permission to shoot down an AC. Now who is going to take that decision and how long will it take?

Its ok. The Mash has the lowdown on the shootdown.

The Daily Mash - MoD unveils surface-to-air cockneys

I wouldn't lose sleep over it! It has been practiced for years however, none of it is open source and all of it is very, very boring.

Just seen 2 roar off, awesome sound.

Don't be tight on the burners boys, make sure the people of London realise we still have an airforce base in London