RAF jet used to transport royals ‘narrowly missed smashing into drone at 200mph’
A £10,000,000 RAF jet used to fly VIPs came within 100ft of crashing into an illegal drone, a report has revealed.
Drone flying is often restricted in major cities and near airports, but occasionally they can slip through the net.
One drone almost caused a disaster when The Vespina jet zoomed past an illegal drone just 100ft away at 200mph.
The Vespina – a former RAF jet converted in 2016 – is used to carry members of the Royal family and UK prime ministers.
The near-miss happened on June 19 this year as the aircraft was cruising at 2,200ft before it was about to land at RAF Brize Norton, a report by UK Airprox Board has revealed.
The aircraft – which cost £10,000,000 to convert to a luxury VIP carrier – is fitted with secure satellite communications and missile detection systems, MailOnline reports.
It is not thought to have been carrying any VIPs or ministers when the near miss happened, flight tracker data suggests.
The jet took off from the RAF base in Oxfordshire for a four hour flight. It circled over the French coast for 40 minutes – likely for refueling mid-air which it is capable off.
How the incident unfolded
The report said the drone came so close the crew could see its lights.
It said: ‘The drone was close enough for the crew to see LED lights. The crew immediately made a report to ATC (air traffic control) over the radio and the approach and landing was completed without further incident.’
The risk of collision was rated as ‘high.’
The report continued: ‘The Brize Norton ATC Supervisor reports that the approach controller informed them of the incident as it happened.
‘They rang Fairford to see if they had approved a drone, as it was over their ATZ, but they confirmed that they had no knowledge of any drone activity.
‘In the Board’s opinion the reported altitude and/or description of the object were sufficient to indicate that it could have been a drone.’
The incident was rated as Category B, meaning safety had been compromised.
An RAF spokesperson said: ‘The RAF regularly conducts essential flying training across the whole of the UK.
‘Drones operating in the vicinity of our aircraft can offer a significant threat to their safety and can be extremely challenging for our aircrew to spot and take avoiding action.
‘We continue to encourage users to fly their assets responsibly and legally in accordance with CAA regulations.’
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