Aircraft interception: Difference between revisions

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Aircraft interception (view source)

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'''Aircraft interception''' is when one aircraft moves up to another aircraft.  Most often this relates to when a military aircraft is intercepting a civilian aircraft that is entering restricted or prohibited airspace, aircraft having communication failures or aircraft that can not otherwise be identified.  For those cases there is internationally standardised procedures.
'''Aircraft interception''' is when one aircraft moves up to another aircraft.  Most often this relates to when a military aircraft is intercepting a civilian aircraft that is entering restricted or prohibited airspace, aircraft having communication failures or aircraft that can not otherwise be identified.  For those cases there is internationally standardised procedures.


Aircraft that have not filed a flight plan and/or have no transponder and can not be contacted can only be identified by interception.
== Interception in FlightGear ==
=== Things to consider ===
While in real life practice interception of civilian aircraft is not supposed to be done it can be a fun challenge in FlightGear. There is a few points to consider though:


There is of course also the case of military aircraft intercepting other military aircraft. During the Cold War many interceptions of intelligence, surveillance and spying aircraft from both the the western and eastern block where made. Interceptions where also sometimes made to redirect aircraft that actually tried to probe the opponents airspace. And of course there is interception to shoot down enemy aircraft.
* Be polite, other pilots are more likely to be friendly if you are friendly.
* Don't expect other pilots to have a clue about the procedures below, and accept that they may not be interested.
* Make sure you don't stray into an intercepted aircraft. While it wont crash it is annoying.
 
* At any time the intercepted aircraft may tick the "Ignore" box and the fun will be over.
 
* Do not be rude in text or voice communications.
* Do not try to redirect or ram an unsuspecting pilot.
* Do not start firing guns and missiles upon an unsuspecting pilot.
 
=== Challenges ===
==== Getting to know your aircraft ====
Getting to know your aircraft is part of the process to acquire skills used when intercepting aircraft.  Military pilots have access to a flight manual that almost always include charts for optimum climb (usually for both fastest climb and fuel efficient climb), time to altitude, fuel to altitude and endurance for different mission profiles.
 
Taking notes you might develop rules of thumb for those performance data.


While in real life practice interception of civilian aircraft is not supposed to be done it can be fun in FlightGear.
==== Screenshots ====
Taking good screenshots of the interceptions is a bit fun, and can probably be more fun if you are two intercepting pilots.


== Reasons for interception ==
== Interception in real life ==
=== Civilian aircraft ===
=== Civilian aircraft ===
While interception of civilian aircraft is a last resort, interception is often the only means available to identify an aircraft that have not filed a flight plan and/or have no transponder and can not be contacted.  Apart from identification interception is as well often the only means to redirect an aircraft that is straying into limited airspace or is believed to be involved in illegal activities.
;Identification
;Identification
:Visual identification of aircraft that can not otherwise be identified.
:Visual identification of aircraft that can not otherwise be identified.
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=== Military aircraft ===
=== Military aircraft ===
There is of course also the case of military aircraft intercepting other military aircraft.  During the Cold War many interceptions of intelligence, surveillance and spying aircraft from both the the western and eastern block where made.  Interceptions where also sometimes made to redirect aircraft that actually tried to probe the opponents airspace. And of course there is interception to shoot down enemy aircraft.
;Identification
;Identification
:Visual identification of aircraft that can not otherwise be identified.  Sometimes done well outside of sovereign airspace or air defence identification zones (ADIZ's) to identify aircraft appearing in regular patterns and and with regular timing.
:Visual identification of aircraft that can not otherwise be identified.  Sometimes done well outside of sovereign airspace or air defence identification zones (ADIZ's) to identify aircraft appearing in regular patterns and and with regular timing.
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:Shooting down opponents aircraft trying to attack your territory.
:Shooting down opponents aircraft trying to attack your territory.


== Procedures for intercepting civilian aircraft ==
== Procedures when intercepting civilian aircraft ==
There is a set of standard procedures defined by ICAO that includes radio communication and visual signals both for night and day.  There are procedures both for the intercepting aircraft and for the intercepted aircraft.  These are defined in annex 2 to the convention on international civil aviation, ''Rules of the air''.
There is a set of standard procedures defined by ICAO that includes radio communication and visual signals both for night and day.  There are procedures both for the intercepting aircraft and for the intercepted aircraft.  These are defined in annex 2 to the convention on international civil aviation, ''Rules of the air''.


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== Some background on radars ==
== Some background on radars and interception ==
On the [[MPMap|multiplayer maps]] FlightGear anyone will see some information about an aircraft.  Callsign, type of aircraft, altitude and speed are all readily available.
On the [[MPMap|multiplayer maps]] FlightGear anyone will see some information about an aircraft.  Callsign, type of aircraft, altitude and speed are all readily available.


In real life this is only the case if the aircraft both have filed a flight plan and are equipped with a transponder and there is both a primary radar, which bounces radio waves at the aircraft, a secondary radar, which interrogate the aircrafts transponder.  Note that the transponder only will supply an four digit identity that the pilot have gotten from air traffic control and sometimes the altitude, which will be given in 100 feet intervals.
When an aircraft is not equipped with a transponder and have not filed a flight plan, air traffic control or an air force will only see an unidentified blip moving.  The only way to identify it is to get an another aircraft close enough to do a visual identification.


Basically an older primary radar would only report the position of an aircraft and nothing else.  Sometimes there would be a height finding radar co-located with the primary radar, but the height finding radar could only be used to find the altitude of one aircraft at a time.  Newer primary radars will often report both the position and and approximate altitude.
In real life this is only the case if the aircraft both have filed a flight plan and are equipped with a transponder and there is both a primary radar, which bounces radio waves at the aircraft, a secondary radar, which interrogate the aircrafts transponder.  Note that for civilian aircraft the transponder only will supply an four digit identity that the pilot have gotten from air traffic control and sometimes the altitude, which will be given in 100 feet intervals.


When an aircraft is not equipped with a transponder and have not filed a flight plan, air traffic control or an air force will only see an unidentified blip moving.  The only way to identify it is to get an another aircraft close enough to do a visual identification.
An older primary radar would basically only report the position of an aircraft and nothing else.  Sometimes there would be a height finding radar co-located with the primary radar, but the height finding radar could only be used to find the altitude of one aircraft at a time.  Newer primary radars will often report both the position and and approximate altitude.


== External links ==
== External links ==
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* [http://www.faasafety.gov/files/gslac/courses/content/24/293/Interception%20Procedures.pdf Summary of Interception Procedures], FAA.
* [http://www.faasafety.gov/files/gslac/courses/content/24/293/Interception%20Procedures.pdf Summary of Interception Procedures], FAA.
* [http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/20110217SSL11.pdf SafetySense leaflet 11, interception procedures], CAA (UK).
* [http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/20110217SSL11.pdf SafetySense leaflet 11, interception procedures], CAA (UK).
* [http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ref/RADEIGHTA/index.html RADAR BULLETIN No. 8A, AIRCRAFT CONTROL MANUAL], Office of The Chief of Naval Operations, 1950.  Declassified manual for navy air controllers dealing with interception among other things.
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