>It would't surprise me - I certainly remember reading somewhere that the patriot interceptions were far, far lower than we were originally told.
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>Unfortunatly, it appears that this time around a patriot may have very well shot down a UK Tornado...
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2877349.stmJohn;
The incident which caused the loss of the RAF Tornado and the loss of life was an unfortunate event. My wife asked me how such a thing could happen.
I did design work on the F-111 radar system and may have some concept of what could have happened.
Every airplane will cause radar(ground or air) to react in a specific way. Depending upon the aircraft it might be a “friend or foe”. If the correct signals are not sent from an aircraft it can be a threat and treated accordingly. Radar systems on the ground and in the air obtain information from each other (interrogate). They can determine if it is a Search or Height Finder, or any of about 100 different types of threats such as IR missiles, AAA, the state of a possible attack, etc. Many systems are automated to react automatically.
Here are three possible explanations:
1. The United States did not share information with the British.
2. The RAF fighter did not have its equipment turned on.
3. The RAF fighter’s equipment failed.
Hopefully this type of event will not recur.
Tom
