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Re: Modern UK Air to Air Kills ?
Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2016 2:14 pm
by ColintheCaterpillar
No.
The last time a HM Forces aircraft shot down a hostile aircraft would have been in the South Atlantic in 1982; Sea Harriers shot down 21 Argentine aircraft, although some of the SHAR pilots were RAF.
The last time an RAF aircraft shot anything down was the unfortunate downing of XX963, a 14 Sqn Jaguar, by a 92 Sqn Phantom. That was also in 1982. The pilot survived, fortunately.
Re: Modern UK Air to Air Kills ?
Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2016 2:48 pm
by Thunder
Challenger wrote:Hello All
Can someone tell me if there has been any air to air kills by Typhoons or Harriers using meteor missiles whether in combat or enforcing no fly zones.
Regards
Challenger
Would be extremely hard, in fact impossible as Meteor isn't even in service yet.
Re: Modern UK Air to Air Kills ?
Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2016 6:25 pm
by Arthur Tee
ColintheCaterpillar wrote:No.
The last time a HM Forces aircraft shot down a hostile aircraft would have been in the South Atlantic in 1982; Sea Harriers shot down 21 Argentine aircraft, although some of the SHAR pilots were RAF.
The last time an RAF aircraft shot anything down was the unfortunate downing of XX963, a 14 Sqn Jaguar, by a 92 Sqn Phantom. That was also in 1982. The pilot survived, fortunately.
I thought the Tornado GR1 that shot down the MiG-29 in Iraq was technically the last air to air kill?
Re: Modern UK Air to Air Kills ?
Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2016 6:37 pm
by iainpeden
A Phantom manged to down a Jaguar a good few years ago!
Re: Modern UK Air to Air Kills ?
Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2016 6:45 pm
by Ravendriver2008
ColintheCaterpillar wrote:No.
The last time a HM Forces aircraft shot down a hostile aircraft would have been in the South Atlantic in 1982; Sea Harriers shot down 21 Argentine aircraft, although some of the SHAR pilots were RAF.
The last time an RAF aircraft shot anything down was the unfortunate downing of XX963, a 14 Sqn Jaguar, by a 92 Sqn Phantom. That was also in 1982. The pilot survived, fortunately.
I heard this story from a couple of lab techs at my uni assigned to our aerospace mech and electrical dept to help us undergrads in the lab. The senior lab tech had an apprentice straight out of school in the late 60s, did his time then joined the RAF (cant remember if went in as SAC then decided to get commissioned before commencing flying training). Said apprentice was the then Flt Lt Steve Griggs, weapons officer for the squadron and found himself at the wrong end of 92's mount,
cheers
Re: Modern UK Air to Air Kills ?
Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2016 6:46 pm
by Thunder
Arthur Tee wrote:I thought the Tornado GR1 that shot down the MiG-29 in Iraq was technically the last air to air kill?
Wasn't it the other way round, supposedly
"RAF Tornado GR.1 vs. IRAF MiG-29
It has been claimed by some sources that an RAF Tornado (ZA467) crewed by Squadron Leader Gary Lennox and Squadron Leader Adrian Weeks was shot down on 19 January by an R-60MK (NATO reporting name: AA-8 Aphid) missile fired from an Iraqi MiG-29 piloted by Jameel Sayhood, however this aircraft is officially recorded as having crashed on 22 January on a mission to Ar Rutbah."
Re: Modern UK Air to Air Kills ?
Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2016 6:47 pm
by beefsteak
iainpeden wrote:A Phantom manged to down a Jaguar a good few years ago!
look 4 posts up from yours!!

Re: Modern UK Air to Air Kills ?
Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2016 7:01 pm
by T_J
An RAF Tornado F3 with Skyflash came close during late 1999 over Iraq against a MiG. This was during Operation Southern Watch
Back in Oct/Nov 99 I locked up an Iraqi MiG declared 'hostile' on JTIDS just inside the no-fly zone about 5 miles from the SkyFlash Launch Success Zone (LSZ). Late Arm was made live and next action was to ditch the tanks when the MiG turned around and went back over the line - my LSZ and excitement shrinking with it! Did the F3 do it's job that day? You bet, sweetlips...and the RIVET JOINT and E3 High Value Assets (HVAs) they were were trying so very hard to shoot down were never threatened. Saddam even rewarded one of his MiG drivers a pair of Silver Pistols for getting close to some HVAs on a previous sortie - so the stakes were high during Op Southern Watch right up to Op Telic in 2003.
This sortie was not unusual and you be wise to remember that not 1 friendly aircraft has been lost whilst F3 has been conducting Offensive Counter Air (sweep or escort) during it's Service; just because it never brought down an enemy aircraft is not a measure of failure in Air Defence (the clue is in the 2nd word!).
http://www.pprune.org/military-aviation ... ost6306583
Re: Modern UK Air to Air Kills ?
Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2016 7:14 pm
by willow70
I think I rolled this grenade of a question a couple of times on a couple of forums and one RAF mess. "When did an RAF pilot in a RAF aircraft last shoot down an enemy aircraft"
The standard Jag answer was trotted out but the most likely answer is 1946 an Israeli Spitfire.
Re: Modern UK Air to Air Kills ?
Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2016 9:02 pm
by ColintheCaterpillar
willow70 wrote:I think I rolled this grenade of a question a couple of times on a couple of forums and one RAF mess. "When did an RAF pilot in a RAF aircraft last shoot down an enemy aircraft"
The standard Jag answer was trotted out but the most likely answer is 1946 an Israeli Spitfire.
It's not a grenade, but just rather irrelevant.
Re: Modern UK Air to Air Kills ?
Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2016 10:56 am
by 22A
Arthur Tee wrote:ColintheCaterpillar wrote:I thought the Tornado GR1 that shot down the MiG-29 in Iraq was technically the last air to air kill?
That's what I heard and the emphasis is on "
technically".
The Tornado was on an attack run, dropped munitions to take out the runway just as the Mig29 was getting airborne. That's why the crew claimed an air to air kill. On the other hand, they didn't actually
shoot it down
Re: Modern UK Air to Air Kills ?
Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2016 1:27 pm
by ColintheCaterpillar
SG1 wrote:RAF pilots had 6 kills flying Sea Harriers in the Falklands war, which I think was more than the navy kills. Flying RAF Aircraft, no idea.
6 out of 21. 5 of those were Flt Lt David Morgan IIRC, who is credited as the last RAF pilot to have gained an air to air "kill". That said, he was originally in the RN, transferred to the RAF at some point, then retired as an RN Lt Cdr having gone back to the dark side again post Falklands War.
22A wrote:Arthur Tee wrote:ColintheCaterpillar wrote:I thought the Tornado GR1 that shot down the MiG-29 in Iraq was technically the last air to air kill?
That's what I heard and the emphasis is on "
technically".
The Tornado was on an attack run, dropped munitions to take out the runway just as the Mig29 was getting airborne. That's why the crew claimed an air to air kill. On the other hand, they didn't actually
shoot it down
Careful with the quotes 22A, as you've attributed words to me that aren't mine.

Re: Modern UK Air to Air Kills ?
Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2021 5:14 pm
by KevinR
Holy thread resurrection, the RAF got an air to air kill on the 14th December 2021.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59615769
RAF Typhoon shoots down "small hostile drone" in Syria. (using an ASRAAM)
Re: Modern UK Air to Air Kills ?
Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2021 5:19 pm
by Mike
As reported here by Gary :-
viewtopic.php?f=287&t=213822