BILLING IN PROGRESS Quick Reaction Alert

[Jamie]

QUICK REACTION ALERT
Security Classification: TOP SECRET

SITUATION REPORT

The Royal Air Force have always provided air policing duties to the United Kingdom but until now, this role was carried out reactively rather than having a dedicated, ready response. Concerned about the delays in launching aircraft to such circumstance, the Ministry of Defence have authorised the Quick Reaction Alert as a standing operation to prevent a delay in the launching of any combat aircraft in UK airspace.

BELLIGERENTS

BLUFOR United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland OPFOR Not Applicable.

ORDER OF BATTLE

QRA RAF Coningsby [4] Eurofighter Typhoons. No. 12 Squadron, C Flight Each armed with: 1 × 27 mm Mauser BK-27 revolver cannon with 150 rounds, 2 × 1000-litre supersonic fuel tanks, 4 × AMRAAM QRA RAF Lossiemouth [4] Eurofighter Typhoons. No. 6 Squadron, B Flight Each armed with: 1 × 27 mm Mauser BK-27 revolver cannon with 150 rounds, 2 × 1000-litre supersonic fuel tanks, 4 × AMRAAM QRA Support [1] Lockheed TriStar KC1. No. 2 Squadron, B Flight (ASCOT070)

CAMPAIGN REGISTER

Operation	Objective	Status
Quick Reaction Alert APRIL 2004 -	Immediate readiness of the Royal Air Force to respond to threats over UK Airspace.	In Progress

 

[Jamie]

For two years, the flights of No. 1 and No. 6 Squadron have shouldered the responsibility of Quick Reaction Alert for the United Kingdom, relentlessly rotating pilots and ground crews bi-weekly to allow all those within the respective units to gain the experience and skillset needed to defend British airspace, at a moments notice. Something that became a bit too real following events in America which saw RAF Typhoons down an aircraft that was posing a threat. It's easy to forget how serious their role was, until it happened. Their daily routine of training, maintenance and sat at immediate readiness was coming to an end.

At Coningsby, the early morning mist coated the QRA shed, barely noticeable from the dim lights but the shadows of people and aircraft in the doorway made it known. The four Typhoons of C Flight were been towed out, replaced with Typhoons from No. 12 Squadron, A Flight, who were taking their place. New faces, but the same mission of providing QRA South.

Further north, the weather was what you'd expect. A grey, cold drizzle surrounded Lossiemouth where similar movements were occurring, the swapping out of Typhoons and a handover for the crews. Except, Lossiemouth currently only had one operational squadron present so the faces were a bit more familiar. The team of A Flight were signing off to their counterparts, B Flight, a seamless transition between those within the same Squadron.

Across both stations, the Typhoons were armed, refuelled and ready for their next call. Those standing down, would resume normal operational duties and remained ready to deploy globally if required. Not unlike the Typhoons, the same process happened at RAF Brize Norton where the handover was much shorter, simply an airframe changeover from ASCOT069 to ASCOT070 which was to fulfil the role of tanker support.

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