Photo: Royal Air Force
Typhoon jets belonging to the UK's Royal Air Force came out to play and showed what they could do during a recent military exercise called Seihan River. The Aggressor DA20 Falcon played the bad guy, while Voyager aircraft were used for air-to-air refueling.
A fighter jet losing communication and deviating from its flight plan – this isn’t a scene from a war movie, but a scenario that was played out during Seihan River. It was a way to test the Quick Reaction Alert capabilities of the Typhoon jets arriving from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland.
Operated by Draken Europe, the Aggressor DA20 Falcon aircraft acted as the airborne threat. "It was phenomenal to see how quickly the QRA aircraft can intercept our Falcon. Within minutes of the Exercise starting, a Typhoon was alongside our aircraft running through the carefully rehearsed intervention procedures,” said Mr. Heasman, DA20 Aircrewman.
According to RAF, its Control and Reporting Centers are constantly monitoring the country’s airspace. When it’s necessary, the controllers at RAF Boulmer or Scampton scramble (quickly mobilize) the Typhoons so that they can intercept any unidentified or un-notified aircraft that is approaching. Indeed, these multi-role fighter jets are able to take off within minutes when needed.
As the name suggests, the Quick Reaction Alert operations are meant to provide an immediate “air counter-terrorism response” to a threat. But they can also provide this kind of fast response to unauthorized airspace incursions taking place in other countries under NATO command and control.
Exercises such as Seihan River are meant to not only test and refine the procedures and tactics of the National Air and Space Operations Center but also provide training for these types of QRA operations.
The Eurofighter Typhoon, powered by two Eurojet EJ200 turbofans, can engage several target types. It’s equipped with a Captor radar and a Pirate electro-optical targeting system, in addition to infrared-guided and radar-guided weapons.
Operated by Draken Europe, the Aggressor DA20 Falcon aircraft acted as the airborne threat. "It was phenomenal to see how quickly the QRA aircraft can intercept our Falcon. Within minutes of the Exercise starting, a Typhoon was alongside our aircraft running through the carefully rehearsed intervention procedures,” said Mr. Heasman, DA20 Aircrewman.
According to RAF, its Control and Reporting Centers are constantly monitoring the country’s airspace. When it’s necessary, the controllers at RAF Boulmer or Scampton scramble (quickly mobilize) the Typhoons so that they can intercept any unidentified or un-notified aircraft that is approaching. Indeed, these multi-role fighter jets are able to take off within minutes when needed.
As the name suggests, the Quick Reaction Alert operations are meant to provide an immediate “air counter-terrorism response” to a threat. But they can also provide this kind of fast response to unauthorized airspace incursions taking place in other countries under NATO command and control.
Exercises such as Seihan River are meant to not only test and refine the procedures and tactics of the National Air and Space Operations Center but also provide training for these types of QRA operations.
The Eurofighter Typhoon, powered by two Eurojet EJ200 turbofans, can engage several target types. It’s equipped with a Captor radar and a Pirate electro-optical targeting system, in addition to infrared-guided and radar-guided weapons.
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