Typhoons go supersonic

[ecsrobin]

On sky news now, police investigating "loud bang" in Kent, believed to be related to RAF activity.

Followed by: 2 RAF typhoons have escorted a Russian built Latvian cargo plane into stanstead.

Edited to add the typhoons reported to have got to Mach 1.2 and escorted YL-RAA which is an antonov AN-26B cargo aircraft owned by RAF-Avia]

Edited by ecsrobin on Wednesday 29th October 17:54

[72twink]

It was quite distinctive, everyone on site stopped work and came outside wondering what it was, Pprune came to our rescue!

they did get to offer a warning though!

Edited by 72twink on Wednesday 29th October 18:33

[V8LM]

I wondered whether an aeroplane had 'gone bang' last night, only to discover it was a boring earthquake.

[Far Cough]

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Typhoons ... Nice !

[RobGT81]

The Ruskies have been busy.

http://theaviationist.com/2014/10/29/russian-air-a...

[Simpo Two]

RobGT81 said:

The Ruskies have been busy.

http://theaviationist.com/2014/10/29/russian-air-a...

From the same paper - I don't understand this:

'In spite of a range (on paper) of 4,000 km, according to the Interfax news agency, the four bombers refueled twice during the flight, performing air-to-air refueling in pairs. The flight of Fullback planes covered a total distance of more than 50,000 km in three days; each Su-34 spent about 20 hours in flight during the trip.'

Why do jet bombers take three days to get from Russia to the North Pole and back (not far)?

http://theaviationist.com/2014/08/14/su-34-mig-31-...

[belleair302]

Not uncommon. A couple of years ago a friend who is a squadron leader in Lincs went supersonic across to Birmingham when a trainee pilot hit the emergency frequency. Two planes were scrambled and he was over Birmingham in under 18 mins. He described the whole thing as rather exciting and flying over the midlands at close to 1100 mph was pretty thrilling.

[Yertis]

belleair302 said:

he was over Birmingham in under 18 mins.

I wouldn't be too surprised if, in the not too distant future, we'll see a QRA based further south permanently, as during the Olympics.

[ecsrobin]

Yertis said:

belleair302 said:

he was over Birmingham in under 18 mins.

I wouldn't be too surprised if, in the not too distant future, we'll see a QRA based further south permanently, as during the Olympics.

I don't see a requirement for them to be any closer they can make london in 6 minutes once airbourne.

[mph1977]

Yertis said:

belleair302 said:

he was over Birmingham in under 18 mins.

I wouldn't be too surprised if, in the not too distant future, we'll see a QRA based further south permanently, as during the Olympics.

If the Coningsby QRA are given the go ahead to open the taps and fly to the point of interest in a straight line there there little to be gained.

This is why we have supersonic aircraft in the qra role.

[tuffer]

mph1977 said:

Yertis said:

belleair302 said:

he was over Birmingham in under 18 mins.

I wouldn't be too surprised if, in the not too distant future, we'll see a QRA based further south permanently, as during the Olympics.

If the Coningsby QRA are given the go ahead to open the taps and fly to the point of interest in a straight line there there little to be gained.

This is why we have supersonic aircraft in the qra role.

They would also have to relocate all of the support staff and eqpt.

[scubadude]

mph1977 said:

If the Coningsby QRA are given the go ahead to open the taps and fly to the point of interest in a straight line there there little to be gained.

OT I'm sorry but are there any records for flying across/top-bottom of the UK in military aircraft, my Google skills lets me down, although I found a whole pile of unbeatable SR-71 records for the US... I suspect you could get from anywhere to anywhere in the UK rather quickly "if" as mph1977 suggests you get permission to floor it :-)

I do remember being driven around Loch Ness rather tediously in the 80's and it taking half a day only to sit at one end for a picnic and watch a Buccaneer do it in under 10 seconds or so.

[Hooli]

scubadude said:

mph1977 said:

If the Coningsby QRA are given the go ahead to open the taps and fly to the point of interest in a straight line there there little to be gained.

OT I'm sorry but are there any records for flying across/top-bottom of the UK in military aircraft, my Google skills lets me down, although I found a whole pile of unbeatable SR-71 records for the US... I suspect you could get from anywhere to anywhere in the UK rather quickly "if" as mph1977 suggests you get permission to floor it :-)

I do remember being driven around Loch Ness rather tediously in the 80's and it taking half a day only to sit at one end for a picnic and watch a Buccaneer do it in under 10 seconds or so.

'Downwind' Gallen once had the record in a Spit, at just over 400mph I think. Clever in a plane that didn't do 400mph on the level.
I've got a feeling 'Black Mike' the Phantom recently saved by Brunty? holds the record these days.

[anonymous-user]

belleair302 said:

. He described the whole thing as rather exciting and flying over the midlands at close to 1100 mph was pretty thrilling.

Except 1100mph at altitude doesn't feel fast! I assume he didn't need to fly NOTE i this case ;-)

[Marc W]

Amazed that most reports have the Latvian cargo plane as Russian built, Antanovs are Ukrainian , which given the current situation is definitely not Russian (At the moment!) I'd imagine they'd be quite offended it had been called Russian built!

[djc206]

ecsrobin said:

I don't see a requirement for them to be any closer they can make london in 6 minutes once airbourne.

I do. London is very close to the Southern and Eastern edges of the London FIR which means very little notice/time.

[scubadude]

djc206 said:

I do. London is very close to the Southern and Eastern edges of the London FIR which means very little notice/time.

Flight time of AMRAAM is slightly less than 6min I'd wager, should push come to shove... more importantly only North of the river is worth defending anyway ;-)

Is there anywhere usable (not a civilian airport) left in the SE to base fighters should the need arise?

[tuffer]

scubadude said:

djc206 said:

I do. London is very close to the Southern and Eastern edges of the London FIR which means very little notice/time.

Flight time of AMRAAM is slightly less than 6min I'd wager, should push come to shove... more importantly only North of the river is worth defending anyway ;-)

Is there anywhere usable (not a civilian airport) left in the SE to base fighters should the need arise?

I think they were at Northolt during the Olympics.

[djc206]

The flight time is only part of the story. They don't just launch as soon as an aircraft ignores one call from civil ATC and it's common for aircraft to be transferred late especially by the French.

I'm not sure of the requirements but they've got a few out Salisbury way haven't they, also brize?

[Ginetta G15 Girl]

Benson and Brize, to the West, Odiham and Boscombe to the South West, Wattisham to the North East. Northolt is less than ideal owing to its short runway.