RAF spots Russian jets near Western Isles

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/8585432.stm

A RAF Tornado below one of the TU-160s

Two Russian bombers were intercepted by RAF fighter jets near Stornoway on the Western Isles, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has revealed.

The Tupolev TU-160 aircraft were shadowed by two F3 Tornados scrambled from RAF Leuchars in Fife in the early hours of 10 March.

The Russian crews made no contact with UK air traffic control before entering restricted airspace.

The MoD said it was a “perceived threat” to the UK but was not unusual.

A spokeswoman added there was also an issue of air safety for military and civilian aircraft flying in the same area.

Stood down

The flight of the bombers – nicknamed Blackjacks – were tracked by the RAF before their arrival in UK restricted airspace.

Tornado crews of 111 (Fighter) Squadron at RAF Leuchars play a lead role in the UK Quick Reaction Alert Force.

The Russian jets flew south before turning north after nearing the coast of Northern Ireland.

The RAF crews were stood down after the Blackjacks left UK airspace.

Wing Cdr Mark Gorringe said: “This is not an unusual incident and people may be surprised to know that our crews have successfully scrambled to intercept Russian aircraft on more than 20 occasions since the start of 2009.”

I don’t really understand the news story? Are they saying the UK is now only getting 8 MR4A’s instead of 9? I hope not this is a disater.
Or is it saying the MOD are going to have 11 MR4’s and one development aircraft is getting dumped?
I’ve got a nasty feeling its the first one.

They should have a race! who is faster Astute or Dauntless

Submarine Commander ‘Misread Chart’

Source: Guardian
Monday, March 15, 2010

http://www.modoracle.com/news/Submarine-Commander-Misread-Chart_20089.html?category=all

A Royal Navy commander crashed a nuclear-powered submarine into a large rock in the Red Sea after misreading a number one as seven on a navigational chart, a court martial heard today.

Commander Steven Drysdale, who was in charge of HMS Superb, had ordered the vessel to take a shorter route to make sure it reached a rendezvous point in time for an operation. The submarine dived to reach deeper water so that it could travel faster, the hearing at Portsmouth naval base was told.

A pinnacle jutting out from the seabed was marked as being at a depth of 123 metres, but Drysdale misread it as 723. Thinking that the boat would clear the obstruction easily, the submarine was directed towards it and it grounded.

Drysdale, officer of the watch Lieutenant Commander Andrew Cutler and navigation officer Lieutenant Lee Blair all admitted at a previous hearing an offence of neglecting to perform their duty.

Captain Stuart Crozier, prosecuting, told the hearing that the submarine had been suffering from technical problems, causing it to lose speed, at the time of the incident in May 2008. He said there was pressure on Drysdale to ensure the submarine arrived in the Gulf on time for planned operations.

Crozier said Drysdale ordered a new route to be plotted that cut about four miles off the previous plan. He also ordered the submarine to dive deeper to where there was colder water, allowing it to travel faster.

When the new route was charted by the plotting officer, who does not face the court martial, all three defendants failed to spot that the pinnacle marked on the map was only 123 metres deep, the only shallow point in the area.

Crozier said that when the submarine collided with the pinnacle, the vessel was brought to an almost immediate halt. “The submarine collided with the underwater obstacle reducing its speed from 16 knots to three knots in a very short time,” he said. “There was a significant amount of damage to the forehead of the submarine, but no casualties.”

He said all three of the accused had looked at the chart. “No thorough check was made as to the depths in relation to the decision to take the submarine to this dive depth (250 metres). The new navigational track went directly over the pinnacle which showed 123 metres.”

The court martial was told that checking the chart would have been made more difficult because the line of the new route had been drawn directly across the spot where the pinnacle lay on the map, making it difficult to see. The hearing was told that new procedures had since been introduced by the navy so that all depths are rechecked when a new route is charted for a submarine.

Commander Alison Towler, representing Drysdale, told the court that the commanding officer had since been moved to a desk job. She said the service had also stopped Drysdale from taking up the high-profile position of Royal Navy staff officer submarines in Washington DC shortly after the incident.

She said Drysdale, who has served in the navy for 25 years, had inspected the chart but had misread the depth of the pinnacle.

“Cdr Drysdale wishes to express his deep remorse and regret in relation to the incident which has led to this court martial. He fully accepts his responsibility in relation to this matter,” she said.

Commander Joe Turner, representing Cutler, said: “He regrets the incident and fully accepts his responsibility. He will have to live with what happened for the rest of his life. He expresses his full remorse.”

Commander Stuart Wright, representing Blair, said the navigation officer was “fatigued” at the time of the crash having lost his signal communications officer to illness.

The accident damaged HMS Superb’s bow and its sonar equipment, causing it to have difficulty diving. The submarine had to abandon its planned deployment but was able to return to the UK under its own power, the hearing was told.

The submarine, which came into service in 1976, was decommissioned in September 2008 and the MoD has said the accident did not lead to the submarine being taken out of service earlier than planned.

Drysdale pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the safe direction of the submarine, while Cutler pleaded guilty to failing to supervise the plot officer adequately. Blair pleaded guilty to failing to take into account all the dangers in or near the planned movements of HMS Superb.

I don’t know much about submarine operations but is the fact that the sub was struggling to reach 18 knots a bit worrying. i thought the Swifture should be capable of 25-30knots+?

The F3 will handle Northern QRA until its OSD (March 2011 on present plans).

There has been speculation that Coningsby may start undertaking a QRA det at Leuchars…..

But since it takes a two-squadron wing to sustain a single QRA det adding this, as well as the Falklands, would ensure that the Typhoon force could do nothing else. Basic A-G currency is already suffering.

I welcome intelligent debate as much as the next man, F-35B, old chap, but when a newby pops up with something that has been done to death, asking questions and putting forward propositions that are fundamentally flawed and that are likely to result only in a rehashing of old and tired debates, then I’m less tolerant.

“Typhoon is a Cold War dinosaur, designed purely as a Cold War interceptor, not fit for purpose in the air-to-ground role, isn’t it a scandal it’s not in Afghanistan” is just such a proposition.

If am honest i didn’t actually read everything he said so fair point. I was having a bit of a bad day this morning.
I surprised it takes 2 squadrons to do QRA. i thought it would only take 4 aircraft and personell? 2 aircraft ready to go and 2 spare?
I’m not to sure why the RAF didn’t stretch the tornado F3 out more for QRA to say 2012 and just use typhoon for multi role training. oh well thats the RAF/MOD for you.