One way of being sure of getting a hostile intercept by a fully armed RAF Typhoon is to get your navigation wrong and penetrate the prohibited airspace over much of London and its surroundings during the 2012 Olympic Games.
In fact, at the time of the Olympics, if you diverge from your flight plan anywhere in South East England, the RAF will take about the same level of interest in you as they would have done in 1940.
If you are intercepted, you'd better comply - and quickly too.
Especially near the Olympics. Security measures against any form of attack from the ground or air, are already fine-tuned. Olympic venues have, historically, been popular places for staging acts of terrorism or protest.
Advice for pilots on how to act upon interception specifically in the 2012 Olympic areas is here. It's based on the standard international intercept protocol, but there are variations you had better know.
Here's a page from the instructions:
Basically the Typhoon will appear on your left and rock its wings. If you don't notice, it'll break right across your bow in dramatic fashion, rocking its wings. If really set on indicating serious intent, the pilot will also ignite flares. That would help at night.
The drill in either case is to rock your wings in acknowledgement, and follow the Typhoon. It's unlikely to be on its own, so don't try and break away - you're being tailed.
The official instruction describing your response is: "Rock your wings, follow the Typhoon, turn away from London".
If you're in a slow machine like a light aircraft or helicopter, your interceptor may be an RAF helicopter with a crewman standing at the open side door with a big notice reading FOLLOW ME. Do it.
It doesn't say what happens if you fail to follow the procedure. I'll leave that to your imagination.
on April 4, 2012 8:12 PM | Reply
Yes, and read this if you want to know more about what the RAF procedure is. ROCK YOUR WINGS, GODDAMMIT! http://www.airtrafficmanagement.net/2012/02/on-the-side-of-caution/
on April 5, 2012 2:45 AM | Reply
"...leave that to your imagination" well there's the rub, isn't it?
Who's going to order "weapons hot" on an airliner until they are somehow convinced killing 100s avoids killing 1000s. And how would you be convinced until the plane is actually aiming at the ground... by which time it's too late to avoid mass casualties. (The plane WILL be hitting a densely populated area, be it in one piece or many...)
on April 5, 2012 10:08 AM | Reply
Anon, you're not giving them any ideas that haven't already been thought through in detail.
on April 5, 2012 10:33 AM | Reply
In view of the military cutbacks I fully expected to read the following...
"Basically the Typhoon will appear on your left and rock its wings. If you don't notice, it'll beep it's horn!"
on April 6, 2012 4:13 PM | Reply
naaaaaa, they won't shoot you down if you violate airspace over the olympic area, but if you are a rynanair flight with micheal o'leary on board, my god those pilots will be itching to push that button!
on April 8, 2012 10:23 AM | Reply
Bring back barrage balloons!