Typhoon jets have been scrambled from RAF Lossiemouth to identify aircraft off the coast of the United Kingdom.
An MoD spokesperson said:
“A spokesman said: ‘Typhoon fighters from RAF Lossiemouth were scrambled today as a precautionary measure against unidentified aircraft approaching the UK area of interest. However, no intercept took place and the Typhoons subsequently recovered.”
#QRA tanker now in a refuelling pattern, north of the Western Isles
?? RAF Voyager ZZ332 TARTN710 pic.twitter.com/eHi3c8tpCL
— CivMilAir ✈ (@CivMilAir) December 10, 2018
Anyway, back to the #QRA
Nothing new to report. The tanker’s still on a refuelling pattern off the west coast of Scotland. The Typhoons aren’t showing up. pic.twitter.com/0PaceWRaAW
— CivMilAir ✈ (@CivMilAir) December 10, 2018
Pilots and engineers on QRA duty are at immediate readiness twenty-four hours a day fully dressed in the Crew Ready Room, which are next to the hangars (a hardened aircraft shelter known informally as Q-sheds) which houses the interceptor aircraft, since 2007 the Typhoon.
Pilots are on QRA duty around once or twice a month, each a twenty-four-hour shift. While engineers are on QRA duty three or four times a year, each for a twenty-four-hour a day shift for seven days at a time.
Eight to Twelve Typhoon aircraft are on duty, each with two 2,000 litre drop tanks, four Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missiles (ASRAAM), and four AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles. The aircraft will soon routinely carry the Meteor missile. A Voyager tanker is also always ready, with aircrew available 24hrs a day, at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire; before 2014 this was carried out by a TriStar.
The Telegraph has reported that Meteor-equipped Typhoons were used operationally for the first time last week in response to an incident.
RAF Typhoons launched from RAF Lossiemouth this morning for the first time with the Meteor Air-to-Air missile in defence of UK airspace during a Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) mission.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/typhoons-launch-with-new-missile
Obviously, this will increase in the coming months and years? Without a doubt, ‘hassle and hinder,’ is the new order in Russian foreign policy, and possibly not just around Europe?
On another topic, it’s not just our waterways and skies where we need to be vigilant, what a better time for Russian political skulduggery whilst the UK struggles with Brexit, and France with the deeply routed displeasure with their government? Now, is possibly the time for the secret services to be working around the clock?
The UK intelligence community is currently at its largest size its ever been, im sure they are working around the clock without a doubt.
Hi folks, yes we are in a period of interest. UK to be prepared for any form of intrusion into our space and territories far from our home shores. What do we know of the recent O2 outage? Was this a cyber attack being covered up?
No it was a failure of an update to Ericson Hardware… Something BT are now taking the company to court over.
I live a few miles from RAF Lossiemouth and I love watching and hearing these jets thunder into the sky as fast as they can go…. No matter the time or day they do it, it’s so inspirational and I know we are well protected. They also fly directly over my house when heading to the Republic of Ireland to also protect their sky’s, we should charge them for protecting them lol, or jus give them some old tranche 1 typhoons that we are scrapping. I live closer to old RAF kinloss (Nimrod base) and I miss the amazing Nimrods… Read more »
Hi Cam-regarding the ROI-their PM has been no friend of the UK over the Brexit issue. Every time he opened his mouth he was playing local politics or ingratiating himself to his pals in Brussels. I say this as a fencesitter on the subject btw. In addition one of his Cabinet Ministers was extremely nasty about the RAF intruding on Irish Airspace-talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth!! Time maybe to levy a charge or politely tell our Irish neighbours to arrange for their own air defence.
Hi Geoff. Yeah the Irish can be anoying at times. But all they have are Cesna aircraft… you would think they might take there air defence seriously, like I said above even buying some old RAF typhoons or even some hawks for air defence, I’m sure the new hawks are even better and can carry missiles, and cheaper than even second hand typhoons… if Ireland gets any worse on Brexit we should let them protect there own airspace with cesnas….
I wouldn’t sell Ireland any Typhoons. We need them all even the Tranche 1s, if for nothing else but interceptor duties, training and parts. We should just charge them an annual fee for the air defence and that money go straight to the RAF to cover the cost.
And quietly threaten to withdraw it or raise prices if they try to screw us over in Brexit negotiations!
Ok some hawks then, better than cesnas… But I’m sure the MOD are scrapping early typhoons anyway in the “scrap to build” bollocks….
Aliens!!
Come on folks, this the next stage of tbe Chrimbo windup.?
That was my thought upon first seeing the headline!
UK government bring rather coy over this incident. Playing some sort of game if not they would not have released any news. Possibly intercepted something unusual from Russia hence letting them know without letting on exactly how much we know?
It’s intriguing isn’t it Basil. I found the Telegraph article on Meteor, but details are not available.
And what could be unusual? They have elderly Bear and more capable Blackjack bombers that NATO intercept routinely?
I think he means the aircraft itself being unusual. The article says unidentified aircraft, when normally when this happens with a bear or blackjack it’s reported what plane it is but not with this one.
Obviously Steve, that too is what I meant. Why would Russia send something different, and would it even have the range. Thirdly, why hide it if they have used a different type?
The Russia didn’t enter Irish Airspace, don’t know how it helps to say that they did