Landings: News: Aviation News by Pacific Flyer

Two British traffic patrol officers from North Berwick were involved in an unusual incident while checking for speeding motorists on the A-1 Great North Road.

One of the officers used a hand-held radar device to check the speed of a vehicle approaching over the crest of a hill, and was surprised when the speed was recorded at over 400 mph. Their radar suddenly stopped working and the officers were not able to reset it.

Just then a deafening roar over the treetops revealed that the radar had, in fact, latched on to a Tornado fighter jet which was engaged in a low-flying exercise over the Border district, approaching from the North Sea. Back at police headquarters the chief constable fired off a stiff complaint to the RAF liaison office.

Back came the reply in true laconic RAF style: Thank you for your message, which allows us to complete the file on this incident. You may be interested to know that the tactical computer in the Tornado had detected the presence of, and subsequently locked onto, your hostile radar equipment and automatically sent a jamming signal back to it.

Furthermore, an air-to-ground missile aboard the fully armed aircraft had also automatically locked onto your equipment. Fortunately, the pilot flying the Tornado recognized the situation for what it was, quickly responded to the missile system s alert status, and was able to override the automated defense system before the missile was launched and your hostile radar installation was destroyed.

Good day.


Source (thanks Per): http://www.landings.com/evird.acgi$pass*100097466!_h-www.landings.com/_landings/pacflyer/jan8-2008/Jn-27-police-vs-tornado.html

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/techno/radar.asp

Haha, that would have been funny as if it was real.

Seems more like a story.

amusing, but improbable. I have worked in Air Defense for the US Army for many years. The signal would be too weak and most AF missiles are heat seeking, not radar seeking.

Now on the other hand, I have heard stories of stinger missile shooters in training locking on aircraft from el paso international airport next to Fort Bliss/ McGregor range complex. Naturally the pilots would be pissed having a SAM being painted on them.

Thats why i said 'if it was real'

Three cheers for the RAF..! What good is having all that firepower if you're not allowed to abuse it. Is there anybody here still thinking that that would have been the first friendly fire mishap? Although it probably would go on record as the first air to ground destruction of a Ford Prefect on British soil by a British fighter. It's S*** like that which can drive your car insurance premiums sky high! <(pun intended).

wow, that's a situation i kinda believed it till i've read the comments...

I also believed it for a second...

Here I was thinking this could have been an operational triumph for look down, shoot down radar. Julio, those guys ruined it for me. The next thing they'll be telling me is that there's no Santa Claus, and M$ isn't a non-profit organization. Can't you ban them or something before they ruin everything? ROTF & LOL.

Funny - I just recently got the same joke in an email form - except it was an American cop and an F18 . . . gotta love snopes.