The actual shoot downs during 1982 are well recorded as are some of the atempted intercepts of the C130’s, Canberra’s and Learjets. But can anyone help with the question of, how many times did the Taskforce atempt to intercept the Trackers/Neptunes that were atempting to find them?
By: DaveF68 - 24th April 2009 at 09:13
The Trackers were only around right at the start, when 25 de Mayo was at sea. IIRC, one of them attempted to find the Task Force on or around the 1st May. A radar contact by the TF was amde, and a Shar sent to intercept, but nothing was found. I’ll need to check that though.
By: lmisbtn - 23rd April 2009 at 23:58
You need that hefty book ‘Falklands-the air War’ which I no longer have. From what I remember the P2’s tended to turn tail as soon as they got within Sea Harrier CAP range(200miles IIRC). Several 707’s were intercepted during the voyage from Asencision Is but not fired on until Argentina was warned they would now be. IIRC the Learjets were used as navigation escorts for some of the bombers but turned away before coming in Sea Harrier range. I dont think the Trackers operated from land as they didn’t have the range?
…from what I read (sorry – long time ago can’t remember source) the task force finally got the ok to shoot down the 707. The thing duly reappeared on the radar screen the next day, SHARs were scrambled and they came very close to shooting it down until someone realised, on this occasion, it was a commercial airliner en-route to Brazil.
Makes a good story but can anyone confirm or rubbish it? Lots of questions spring to mind:
Surely a SHAR pilot would have closed to confirm the identity of the target or were they operating BVR or in foul weather?
Or would a Sea Wolf be the preferred vector for this mission? A USS Vincennes type calamity could have been on the cards if this were so.
I seem to remember that the mission was scrubbed when the task force controllers checked the transponder code emanating from the mystery jet – is this how they’d have ID’ed it?
How were civilian aircraft dissuaded from overflying the task force – warned off by radio on an ad hoc basis or were the commercial airlines told to steer clear of huge stretches of the South Atlantic on certain dates?
I also seem to remember that there were attempts to spy on the task force, launched from a West African country, at the behest of the Soviets. Does anyone know anything of those ops?
And finally, bear with me 😉 … I was also once told by a serving member of HM armed forces that the task force engaged and sank a shadowing Soviet sub on the journey down – and that is was hushed up to save embarrassment and awkward silences all round. Sounds preposterous I know, but is there even a kernel of truth in this story – a near miss, accidental collision, any shenanigans between the task force and their shadows? I feel certain someone would have blabbed by now – USSR ceasing to exist and all that.
By: farnboroughrob - 23rd April 2009 at 17:02
You need that hefty book ‘Falklands-the air War’ which I no longer have. From what I remember the P2’s tended to turn tail as soon as they got within Sea Harrier CAP range(200miles IIRC). Several 707’s were intercepted during the voyage from Asencision Is but not fired on until Argentina was warned they would now be. IIRC the Learjets were used as navigation escorts for some of the bombers but turned away before coming in Sea Harrier range. I dont think the Trackers operated from land as they didn’t have the range?
Sign In
April 23, 2009 at 1:01 pm