Bombing something? Propably in the last few weeks on Shader.

That was my point! Indeed, an RAF pilot shot down an enemy aircraft AFTER the RN sub sank Belgrano, so the Navy is more out of date than the RAF in that respect!
RAF Nimrods guided attacks on Iraqi ships in 1991, assisting in their sinking, etc. So that is why the oft asked question " when did the RAF last shoot down an aircraft " is an idiots question. Deterrence is a better application of force than shooting down.

But you were only suppose to shoot the SART / Flare pack off (being towed by the Jindivik). Bought a DVD box set of the Rank "Look at Life" films made in the 1950s and 1960's, one of which covered Rocket testing in the UK in the early 1960's. Part of the film covered the operations of the Bloodhound Mk 1 firing unit at Aberporth. After one firing they showed a close up of one of the Launchers that had kill markings on it!!! Most of them were parachutes (The majority of the RAF Bloodhound Mk 1's were fired at foil covered parachutes dropped from high altitude off a Canberra), however one of the kills was a Aircraft (either a Meteor or a Jindy, at the time that the film was made, the BHFU had killed one of each).

Someone needs to write a remark on a panel to save it when the aircraft gets RTPed. There is a panel off the Jag Killer that still exists.

It's the first time an RAF aircraft on operations has shot down another air system with a missile.

That article made my teeth itch.

Just need CAS and CASWO to congratulate each other as per last Christmas' video and I can pull them all out with pliers.

Back in time for tea and medals I hope

Would anyone care to speculate on the relative cost of the ASRAAM vs the "small hostile drone"?

They used an advanced fighter to shoot down a model airplane with a million dollar rocket?
Real hero’s

That is about the long and the short of it !!!

May have been waiting an opportunity to test ASRAAM against such a target. Also it must have been a reasonable size to have an engine producing a targetable heat signature

Inbalance said "They used an advanced fighter to shoot down a model airplane with a million dollar rocket? Real hero’s"
What was the point in that comment? Are you suggesting we have to look at every target, decide it's monetary value and see if the asset we are using is more expensive before we decide to engage it? It is what that target could have achieved in it's mission. Much the same as using very expensive smart bombs to take out a very old tank on the battlefield. I've no idea what the drone was doing - recce or had a warhead or whatever but it needed taking out and so it was.

well since they didn't have any Hawker tempests or Spitfires available to pun alongside and flip its wing over I can't see what else they'd do.

If all you have are high end solutions (for the reasons debated endlessly on here) then that's what you have to use - there is no alternative

Bit like the Saudis shooting down old Houthi missiles with Patriots - the cost balance is with the Yemenis but Saudi thinks its worthwhile to save refineries ... and face

You sound jealous. Classic pprune.

What would you have shot it down with instead? Interested to know. (Also not a million dollar rocket)

Jeez, there are a fair few bitter people on here. How about noting the professionalism of the team that made it happen?

It's an impressive technical achievement, but the huge cost/effort imbalance is important and speaks to the sustainability and eventual outcome. In Afghan, one illiterate bloke in sandals could tie-up huge amounts of resources and paralyse entire columns of vehicles with the threat of an IED that might not even be real or effective. We saw heroic efforts from specialist teams helicoptered in to spend half a day to clear a few yards of road, it became obvious to anyone who saw this that it was not sustainable, let alone win-able. A solution is needed to large numbers of cheap, low tech drones, and I don't think it's a Typhoon firing an ASRAAM at every one.

I'll never understand comments like this.

That drone wouldn't have been downed if it hadn't have been an immediate threat to life.

My congrats to those involved. I am just sad that it is deemed newsworthy by those at high level in the armed forces. Smacks a bit of desperation.

Happy Christmas all, especially those on ops,

Mog

From a heroic perspective I do understand your sarcassm. From a technical perspective shooting down a 'model plane' at distance is not easy at all. Shooting down a barn sized aircraft lit up like a can of fuel on fire is technically much easier. So I would give the medals to the designers/engineers that conceived radar systems and seekers which are able to take out such low profile equipment.