Just received this attached to an e-mail from a mate.... thought I'd share it with you
Top this for a speeding ticket... ((TRUE STORY))
Two British traffic patrol officers from North Berwick were involved in an unusual incident while checking for speeding motorists on the A1 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 300 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 RAF 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 systems alert status, and was able to override the automated defence system before the missile was launched and your hostile radar installation was destroyed.
Total Myth. The TWS system in jet fighters is an incredibly complex system, that can recognise and filter various radar signatures, before displaying them on the TWS scope. Even a known threat radar e.g. SAM-6 surface to air missile radar does not cause automatic lock for any HARM anti radar missiles carried by Wild Weasel flights. The most TWS can do, is turn on aircraft ECM and display threat radar type on the TWS scope.
Non military radars simply show as ground clutter, which is filtered out to avoid overloading the pilots situational awareness.
Footnote: Yes the story is funny, I still have a laugh when I hear it. One version even states that the Tornado tunrs on it's ECM jamming pod, which fries the radar gun.
Last edited by MoggyTech on Fri Nov 23, 2007 1:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
LOL! even if its not true technically, I can imagine the RAF responding to a cheeky police letter in such a fashion. I will ask my dad, he was in the RAF for 10 years as a radar technician.
Yes, that's all it was meant to be Roger... it was sent to me as a joke e-mail and I thought a few people would have a laugh and brighten up a cold wet November day seems a few people take life a bit too serious though
If it was only that easy to get rid of speed cameras
If you ever drive over Corney fell in Cumbria I can vouch for the fact that RAF pilots on training flights deliberatly home in on cars moving along the top and buzz you at about 50 feet as targeting practice although the first thing the driver usually knows about it is the incredible roar as the jet passes over, I have spotted one coming up the valley once and its a great sight to see, he or she even waved at me, I,ve also seen them so low over Morecambe bay that spirals of sand came up off the jetwash.
