This is not an article I ever thought that I would feel I have to write! However, given confusion about an image chosen in a regional English paper, it appears to be a conversation we need.
Let’s start by determining the error that occurred.
Estonia, 2019
On June 25, 2019, the British Ministry of Defense released a news story entitled The British Royal Air Force hurricanes twice in one day to intercept Russian military aircraft.
At that time, four hurricanes of the eleventh swarms of Rav’s rail were firm at the ämari air base in Estonia, which coincides with my local airport, although I have not been invited to visit yet. The Azotize operation was part of the Baltic Air Police Mission in NATO, where he took hurricanes from the German Air Force for four months. There was a lot of Russian activity on the Baltic Sea at that time and that day began with an unidentified plane flying under the Baltic from the east. The pilot explained on the rapid reaction alert (QRA) that they were required to determine and shade the plane:
We have determined that it is a military transfer and its shading in a western direction. Once the task is completed, we were cleansed to leave the communication and conduct training in the separate Astony airspace.
However, later that day, there was a second alert: three contacts wandering from northwestern Russia to Kalinesa. Another pilot explains:
We intercepted the plane off the western coast of Estonia, and we identified the communications as a military transport IL-22 (COOT B) and two suite suite fighters. The contacts were shaded south before they were delivered to a Swedish fast -reactions alert, and two Gripens SAAB.
I thought that “shadow” means following it quietly from behind, but the title shows that it was an objection. On the same day, the Ministry of Defense released a set of photographs taken by the pilots.
One of them appears Nokoi Su-27 No. 93, with the Seerilli text on the side and a red star on the tail, with no doubt that it is the Russian Air Force plane. The picture is clearly taken from the point of view of the cockpit from the hurricane.
The clarification name gives the context:
The image of the Russian Su-27 plane, along with the Hurricane of the British Royal Air Force, was taken today (25/06/2019). Hurricane Royal Air Force is intercepted by RAF Con segsby, which is currently based in the Ammari Air base, in Estonia as part of 121 of the far-wing (EAW) on the Russian Su-27. Royal Air Force (RAF) launched Typhoon fighter planes that operate from the Ammari Air base in Estonia twice on Tuesday, June 25 to intercept two Russian military transport planes and fighters of the Russian wings who were flying near the Astony airspace.
The image is released under the Crown Copyright News/Editorial license, which means it is free to use to clarify the reports and articles that deserve publication or with a public public interest. In other words, you cannot use the image to decorate your website but you can use it if you write about the event (such as I). The photographer is simply listed Royal Air Force. It is marked as SU-27, of course, but also as the Eurofighter masks, because this is the important context of this image from the Ministry of Defense’s point of view.
I think you can guess where this happens.
Thomas Nedic (Combatar) Share the image on TwitterDetermine the SUKHOI as the SU-27P Flanker-B version, which is based in Kaliningrad with the 698 fighter aviation regiment.
The same image was included in the August 2019 article by the Ministry of Defense, which is determined as a Russian SU-27, along with the British Royal Air Force hurricanes, then again in the RAF article dated September 3, 2019, entitled [RAF Typhoons complete NATO air policing mission in Estonia.
The photograph was used in the British press over the same time period and each time credited as “Ministry of Defence via Getty Images”. These articles all reference Russian jets but are focused on the RAF and the Eurofighter Typhoons involved in the NATO Baltic Policing initiative. The word “intercept” appears in every article.
I’ve noticed before that Getty Images and other stock image sites include free-to-use photographs such as Crown Copyright images, with the caveat (where necessary) that they are for editorial use only. News desks have subscriptions to these stock image libraries and so it is much faster for them to use pay a fee to use the image from the library than to track it down for themselves. In this case, I was unable to find the photograph on Getty but I did find it on Alamy. The tags on this image include RAF, Typhoon, Su-27, and intercept.
The image was released once more in an MoD collection called “Best of Defence Imagery 2019”. And there it stayed until this incident on the 5th of February, 2024.
Northern England, 2024
An Airbus A320neo departed Oslo, Norway normally as SAS Scandanavian Airlines Connect flight SK-4609 for a passenger flight to Manchester, England, with an estimated flight time of two hours and fifteen minutes.
While in the cruise over the North Sea at FL380 (38,000 feet), the flight crew stopped responding to Air Traffic Control while continuing towards Manchester.
Two Eurofighter Typhoons were scrambled from RAF Coningsby to intercept the SAS flight, a standard response to an aircraft which is not communicating. Meanwhile, the A320neo had entered a holding pattern at the coast near Newcastle upon Tyne, still without establishing contact with Air Traffic Control. There are specific transponder codes that flight crew use for emergencies: 7500 for hijackings, 7600 for radio failure and 7700 as a general distress call. However, the A320neo was still broadcasting its originally assigned transponder code.
The flight crew finally re-established communications and the two Typhoons escorted the A320neo to Manchester, where it landed safely about half an hour past its scheduled arrival time. Emergency services surrounded the aircraft; however, it was soon clear that there was no emergency. The aircraft was allowed to the gate and the passengers deplaned.
Manchester Airport announced that they had put on extra staff to support any passengers who may need it, presumably as a result of looking out the window and suddenly seeing an RAF fighter jet alongside.
I probably would have died of excitement.
Scandinavian Airlines explained that there was a “brief and temporary loss of communication” before reiterating that there was never any danger to the flight or the passengers.
About two hours later, the Airbus departed with a new load of passengers for the return flight to Oslo.
I haven’t found anything further that explains why the flight crew were out of contact for over 30 minutes other than one reference to a technical fault.
However, it seems someone at the CAA was having a very bad day, because for the first time ever, the pilot was prosecuted for not maintaining radio communication with air traffic control during a flight. As the captain of the flight had already reported the circumstance, he pleaded guilty to the charge.
From the CAA’s release:
The regulator’s Investigations and Enforcement Team found that on a SAS Connect flight from Oslo to Manchester with 58 passengers, [the captain] He failed to create a bipping radio communication with the appropriate traffic monitoring unit, in violation of the law.
The accident was reported by Nats after losing more than 30 minutes for radio communications with [the captain]Which leads to the announcement of a security incident. Two RAF hurricanes were launched to intercept the plane.
The plane was accompanied by Manchester Airport, where it landed and went to a distant position and the police boarded the plane.
The flight commander was fined 4,511 pounds for the crime.
Here is the place that happens everything (unlike the captain, which was already fine).
Most of the UK press used the general photos of the SAS or the tower at Manchester Airport. However, someone in Cheshire Live chose, supposed to be enthusiastic as you were through the idea of the British Royal Air Force hurricanes that fly alongside the plane, to lead a more exciting picture as an explanation of what happened on Newcastle on that day. Certainly, here we have a 2019 image that has undoubtedly appeared in the search for “RAF” “Typhoon” and “Intercept”.
The pilot was fined after the hurricanes of the Royal Air Force, Al -Baha
Note here that the credit image is perfectly identical to these credits provided by the media in 2019, although the image itself is no longer included in Getty. All I can think somehow, someone found this image on a search for “the hurricane of the British Royal Air Force”
Now it is easy to understand how someone can be excited: it’s a great picture. I understand that I am on a fragile floor here, after I also made a mistake in the image of the F-18 as an Eurofighter contemporary when I came International Baltic International Air ExhibitionSo believe me, I have some sympathy.
However, I do not receive salaries for the news photography Within a week, I ate the crow in Follow -up article Which has since become one of the more than a visit to the fear of landing.
But frankly, I find it more surprising Not one person In The Cheshire News I noticed it was Russian Air Force, complete with the red star on the tail? I mean, it requires less than a minute of actual focus on the image to find a long list of how Airbus A320neo cannot be depicted on the way to Manchester, which is hired by the Royal Air Force.
Part 3, practical guide
Therefore, in order to be useful, here are some supreme advice if you discover yourself in need to be able to inform the Russian Air Force SUKHOI Su-27 of the Royal Air Force Hurricane in a hurry of their matter.
Raf has a A fine web page About Typhoon FGR.MK4 with an interactive 3D image you can interact with.
Note almost rectangular delta wings with the engines in the back at the back woe washed.
Now let’s look again with Su-27.
It can be recognized quickly through his long, hanging nose, twin tail fins and red star on the tail, not to mention the surprising lack of a round of the Royal Air Force on the side.
conclusion
Thanks to the NATO Baltic Air Police, we already have a 2014 photo of Hurricane and Sukoy side by side. So if you are still not sure that you can know the difference, you may study this image:
In this picture for two combat aircraft, again With permission from the Ministry of DefenseThe Russian SU-27 Franker Aircraft is close, as it gives up, as the Royal Air Force hurricane flies in the background.
I’m sure this is useful! Although I am happy because I was in service, I hope this will not turn into a continuous chain.