RAF jet used to transport royals and PM ‘narrowly missed' smashing into drone at 200mph
17 September 2024, 10:28
A Royal Air Force jet used to transport royals and prime ministers alike has ‘narrowly missed smashing into drone at 200mph’
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A report into the incident has revealed the near-miss took place on the afternoon of June 19 this year, as the 58-seater plane came into land at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.
Two pilots spotted the illegally flown drone at a height of 2,200ft - nearly four times the legal altitude for such a device.
The Voyager aircraft is said to have come within 100ft of the flying object, with experts confirming there was a "high" risk of a collision.
The Voyager aircraft became widely known after Boris Johnson decided upon a bold rebrand during his 2020 premiership, re-painting the traditionally grey RAF aircraft with patriotic colours at a cost of £900,000.
The report also revealed that the drone was close enough "for the crew to see LED lights".
The jet is fitted secure satellite communications and missile detection systems and was frequently used by Johnson during his stint as Prime Minister.
It's described by the RAF as an air-to-air refuelling tanker, a craft that's also able to operate as strategic air transport.
However, it was converted to become a VIP aircraft in 2016 at an estimated cost of £10million.
Compiled by the UK Airprox Board, which assesses potential collisions in UK airspace, the report revealed the drone was spotted "heading in the opposite direction" when the plane was on its final approach.
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It's believed the RAF aircraft was returning to base from a routine mission at the time of the incident.
"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 Mail Online says.
Records revealed the jet was not carrying any members of the royal family or government ministers at the time of the incident.
It comes just a year after the RAF Envoy IV aircraft came close to a collision with a drone as it came into land at Bristol airport.
Flight tracker records of last year's flight reveal it was a smaller, twin-engine jet, which forms part of the airforce's No.32 (the Royal) Squadron.
