The Royal Air Force say that their Typhoon jets and French Mirage fighter jets worked together over the Channel yesterday to practise their response to an aircraft posing a simulated threat to the UK or France.
According to a news release:
“The front-line fighter aircraft met over the English Channel, known as La Manche or ‘The Sleeve’ in France, to intercept a jet simulating a potentially non-friendly military aircraft. The RAF and Armee de l’Air collaborated as part of routine NATO Air Policing training to recognise a potential threat and coordinate the response.
Known as Quick Reaction Alert, the process is similar whether inside UK airspace, on the maritime border with France, or as part of NATO Air Policing duties in Eastern Europe.”
Wing Commander Misiak, Officer Commanding 19 Squadron, was quoted as saying:
“The ability for us to train with our NATO allies is vital in assuring the task of responding to threats within our area of responsibility.
As a neighbouring country, our effective and efficient interaction with the French is key to ensuring mission success.”
The RAF add that air-to-air refuelling was provided by the RAF’s Voyager aircraft to both the UK and French jets during the exercise.
You can read more about the exercise by clicking here.
Some interesting background on Meteor for anyone who might be interested and a potential timeline for entry into service on the F-35B. JNAAM should be in service by the end of this decade which will be a real benefit to us and other nations going into the next. “The two nations plan to integrate the JNAAM with their respective Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II multirole fighter aircraft fleets. The U.K. missile technologies included in the program relate to Meteor, MBDA’s beyond visual range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM). On the Japanese side, the defence ministry is looking to integrate advanced radio frequency… Read more »
This makes me wonder what’s so good about the Japanese seeker and what’s so bad about the current seeker? Is the Japanese one easier to upgrade maybe?
It’s main USP is that it it uses an AESA Seeker Head.
“To improve the performance of this smaller seeker, it will use GaN modules. Thus, Japanese MoD claims that the new seeker will have a high-resolution that can even track down a low RCS target such as stealth fighter.”
As both the UK and Japan have access to the F-35, I’m sure they would have an excellent understanding of how true this is and at what range.
Coupled with Radar 2 it will make a formidable package!
https://www.f-16.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=53418
Yes it should be good. I need to look into what meteor has at the top just now.
Hi folks hope all is well.
Good to see. Just out of interest, payment for the French fuel. Is this founded by NATO or direct from our own defence budget? How does this work?
Advice from you experts as ever much appreciated.
Cheers,
George
The ew version proposed is game changer, going into contested air space
Why would the UK pay for French fighter fuel?
Hi Graham,
Thanks for the reply.
The article concluding paragraph mentions refueling both types of aircraft:
“refuelling was provided by the RAF’s Voyager aircraft to both the UK and French jets during the exercise.”
So how does that get funded and by whom?
Cheers
George
Thanks George. I’m not familiar with how that issue works.
There is some system in place for fuel offloaded to allies both for giving and taking from tankers.
I can’t stay anymore as I’ve got complete memory blank of how it works. If it comes back to me I will let you know. There is a great article about it but again I can’t remember
Even adults have to play at cowboys and Indians. An expensive game for adults, some never grow up and waste collosal sums of public money with expensive toys. The defense budget is three times greater than the NHS. The cash strapped NHS is a greater priority.
Health 166bn , defence 52bn , social protection 256bn !!
166billion of the social protection budget is pensions. However you are correct in the the orignal poster is way off with health budget, must be useing figures from the 1950’s !!
The UK defence budget is a fraction of the NHS budget.
Military exercises to train for war are not games.
The NHS is not cash-strapped – it takes 44% of the national cake – they just spend their money badly.
WTF are you gurgling about? Your facts and figures are very wrong! Big fail on first point, please make more of an effort at researching the subject you decide to pontificate about!
And when the shit hits the fan you’ll be at the back hiding behind someone, crying like a baby, whilst someone else steps up to protect you.
Norman the conqueror is coming again.
I just say any french people I’ve come across have always been very nice. Just like most Europeans. Main phrase to remember is no I’m not English I’m from Scotland. That’s a great ice breaker and gets any preconceptions they have taken away 😂😂😂😂
William the conqueror when I went to School😂
I wonder how “I’m a mix of English, Scots, Irish, Scandinavian, German, Scandinavian & French” would down😂
Yeah that one😂😂😂🙈
Do we really need these miltary aircraft just to watch the inflatables of illegal migrants crossing the channel?
Seriously a rather bit of useless information.
First line of article: “…practise their response to an aircraft posing a simulated threat to the UK or France”.
Nothing to do with migrants in rubber dinghies.
I have to admit to being a tad facetious but the point I made which I believe is still relevant is that the English Channel, virtual choke point for any seaborne threat does not need such highly sophisticated air surveillance from what are in essence combat aircraft.
Already drones and very sophisticated coastal radar are able to detect anything and again reiterate the main thrust of my comment,if the information so readily available is there but not acted upon by Border Force etc a waste of mony and materielle.
I am sure that drones and coastal radar (do we have that?) may well be able to spot aircraft posing a threat. But can they respond in the same ways that a manned aircraft can?
Well done for not reading the Article and then making your comment about something totally different. It’s better to practice things a lot so if it’s ever required to be done for real everyone knows what they need to do. Without these military aircraft the regular Russian bombers that get intercepted over the sea could be coming over your house. Bombs away I wish we lived in a world where no military or police forces were needed but we don’t, so they are needed. What I do know is I’m very fortunate to stay in the uk as most countries… Read more »
What does that have to do with intercepting a potentially hostile aircraft??? There isn’t even the tiniest of tenuous links!
The French with Blair were going to jointly build carriers,what has become the QE class. French pulled out but still have rights in the design I think. Would have been a big Anglo french relationship thing if it had come to pass.
Their next gen carrier doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the QE design.
yes pang the new french carrier is all new design
i do not know what the intention was about carrier planes at that time. brown was intent on a shipbuilding order for scotland. french bailed out. blair obvoulsy got seduced by bush jnr and the usa military orbit
French were probably annoyed with us over AUKUS, so bailed out of joint carrier project.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_aircraft_carrier_PA2
Thanjks. Cancelled in 2013! I am out of date!
The suggestion of a QE based French carrier was over a decade ago, long before AUKUS.
A bit more on the design phase can be found via this link.
https://www.janes.com/defence-news/naval-weapons/latest/pa-ng-carrier-design-matures-ahead-of-definition-phase-transition
No they weren’t going to jointly build the carriers. The french took the design to look at only. The french decided not long after that the budget wasn’t available to build a 2nd carrier at that time.
There was speculation that building 3 carriers together could save money but it was never seriously considered.
If you want more info in the subject look up PA2 carrier and CVF. Navy lookout website also has lots of information about the carriers.
Cheers, It does interest me that France and UK could have worked closely on carriers.
And some”dinghy strafing” with 30mm was conducted, in accordance with new Home Office guidelines!
Next week the Home Secretary will be taking a chinook over the channel.
Not to rescue people she’s manning the mini gun 😂😂😂😂