EXCLUSIVERAF jet used to transport Royals and the UKs prime ministers came within 100ft of smashing into an illegally flown drone at nearly 200mph, report reveals
An RAF jet used to transport members of the Royal family and the UK’s prime ministers came within 100ft of smashing into an illegally flown drone at nearly 200mph, a report has revealedThe close-call happened on the afternoon of June 19 this year as the glossy Union Jack colour-themed Voyager plane was coming in to land at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire.
An RAF jet used to transport members of the Royal family and the UK’s prime ministers came within 100ft of smashing into an illegally flown drone at nearly 200mph, a report has revealed
The close-call happened on the afternoon of June 19 this year as the glossy Union Jack colour-themed Voyager plane was coming in to land at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire.
The drone which was spotted by both pilots was being flown at a height of 2,200ft – more than five times the usual 400ft legal altitude limit for the devices.
The Voyager aircraft was converted to its VIP role in 2016 at a cost of £10million and fitted with secure satellite communications and missile detection systems.
Boris Johnson ordered its military grey colour scheme to be replaced with a patriotic red, white, and blue livery at a cost of £900,000 when he was prime minister in 2020.
The plane which has 58 business-class seats in a front cabin and 100 premium economy-style standard seats at the rear was named Vespina when it was repainted.
The close-call happened on the afternoon of June 19 this year as the glossy Union Jack colour-themed Voyager plane (pictured) was coming in to land
The records show that the plane had earlier taken off from RAF Brize Norton on a four hour flight
When not transporting VIPs, it continues to operate like other RAF Voyager aircraft as an air-to-air refuelling tanker.
Flight tracker records suggest the plane was not carrying any Royals or Government ministers, and was returning from a routine mission when the near miss with the drone happened.
The records show that the plane had earlier taken off from RAF Brize Norton on a four hour flight which involved circling for an hour and 40 minutes off the French coast when it was likely to have been refuelling other aircraft.
A report by the UK Airprox Board which assesses near misses in UK airspace said the drone was spotted ‘heading in the opposite direction’ when the plane was on its final approach to it base and over Fairford Park around seven miles from Brize Norton’s runway.
The report 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 crew estimated the drone passed 100ft directly above the Voyager and rated the risk of collision as ‘high’.
The report added: ‘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 report rated it as a Category B incident where safety had been compromised, saying: ‘The Board considered that safety had been much reduced below the norm to the extent that safety had not been assured.’
An RAF spokesperson said: ‘The RAF regularly conducts essential flying training across the whole of the UK.
Boris Johnson (pictured) ordered its military grey colour scheme to be replaced with a patriotic red, white, and blue livery at a cost of £900,000 when he was prime minister in 2020
A report by the UK Airprox Board which assesses near misses in UK airspace said the drone was spotted ‘heading in the opposite direction’ when the plane was on its final approach to it base and over Fairford Park around seven miles from Brize Norton’s runway
‘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.’
Most drones have software limiting the height that they can be flown, but updates can be illicitly purchased over the internet to cancel it out.
It is believed that some rogue drone operators load up their devices with extra batteries to try and fly as close as possible to planes and get dramatic videos of them in flight.
But if they are caught and convicted of endangering an aircraft, they risk getting a maximum prison sentence of five years.
It is believed that the operator of the drone which threatened the VIP plane was never traced.
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer also has the use of a second ministerial jet in an identical livery which he used for his flight to Washington with Foreign Secretary David Lammy this week.
Pilots and aviation experts have repeatedly warned in recent years about the risks posed by drones smashing into cockpit windows or engines of passenger jets.
It was revealed in August last year that another RAF jet used to transport members of the Royal family and Cabinet ministers came within 30ft of smashing into an illegally flown drone.
An RAF spokesperson said: ‘The RAF regularly conducts essential flying training across the whole of the UK
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer (pictured) also has the use of a second ministerial jet in an identical livery which he used for his flight to Washington with Foreign Secretary David Lammy this week
The Envoy IV jet from the RAF’s No.32 (The Royal) Squadron was flying at 260mph and coming in to land at Bristol airport after a flight from Edinburgh when the near miss happened at a height of 9,700ft on June 21 last year.
Envoy IV jets in The Royal squadron are described on the RAF website as playing ‘a crucial role in defence diplomacy’ and are used to ‘transport members of the Royal family, government and military leaders’.
Buckingham Palace has refused to confirm or deny if any Royals were on board the three-engine plane at the time and the RAF said it could not comment on the identity of passengers.
Court Circular records suggested that no members of the Royal family had official engagements in Bristol or Edinburgh on the day of the incident, although some engagements are private and do not feature on official records.
But flight records suggested that the same Envoy plane was used just three weeks earlier to transport the Prince and Princess of Wales to and from Jordan for the wedding of King Abdullah’s oldest son Crown Prince al Hussein.
A report by the UK Airprox Board rated the near miss last year as a Category A incident where there was a serious risk of collision.
