Airforces Monthly - February 2017

BALTIC AIR POLICING
Mirage 2000-5Fs armed with
live MICA IR and EM (infrared
and radar-guided) air-to-air
missiles. Bartek Bera
of ammunition for the 27mm cannon.
For no-holds-barred DACT versus an
opponent like the Mirage, the Automatic
Low-Speed Recovery system (ALSR)
can be a headache for the Eurofighter
driver. “ALSR prevents spin but can
be frustrating”, explained Zielinski.
“[The pilot] wants to be slower. But
it’s a safety feature.” Instead, the
Eurofighter pilot is advised to make
the most of [his advantage in terms
of] altitude before the ALSR cuts in.
Zielinski also had the chance to fly
DACT against F/A-18 Hornets of the
Finnish Air Force (Ilmavoimat) over the
Baltic. He considers the Hornet “a little
underpowered” while offering excellent
high-Alpha capability, but adds: “The
AIM-9X completely changes the game
as far as the Hornet is concerned.”
Using the Eurofighter Helmet Equipment
Assembly (HEA) can mitigate the
advantage conferred by this highly
agile missile, but not all TaktLwG 74
pilots are currently equipped with it.
While dicing with allied fighters over
Baltic waters has an important training
value, the real-world mission out of Ämari
is still, however, exciting for a Luftwaffe
Eurofighter pilot. Zielinski had between
400 and 500 flight hours on the type at the
time of the latest Estonian deployment,
and had prepared for the mission in the
simulator at Neuburg, which features
detailed representations of Ämari air base
as well as aircraft likely to be intercepted.
When he took part in BAP at Ämari
in 2014 and 2015, the first of the
deployments saw no live scrambles, but
the situation has since become “more
interesting” with more scrambles.
“Everyone can’t wait to get airborne to
see the so-called Red Stars.” While the
Eurofighters now have a GoPro installed in
the cockpit to record the intercepts, pilots
still carry a handheld camera as back-up.
Protocol during a peacetime intercept
calls for the investigating fighter to arrive
from the left and behind the aircraft to be
examined. If it’s an airliner, the interceptor
pilot will try to get a little lower so as not
to alarm the passengers. “Geometry is
pretty much the same,” explained Zielinski,
“but it depends on the aircraft type.”
Aircraft heading southbound have
to be approached from the rear,
although a preferred ‘de-escalating’
tactic is to approach from the side.
Another way of reducing potential tension
during an intercept is to complete the
visual approach without selecting radar
mode – indeed, the whole routine can
be undertaken using Link 16 alone.
“As soon as I’m tally and know the aircraft’s
speed, I need to avoid overtaking,” said
Zielinski. “We prefer this [method]; we’re
just interested in a visual ID and then
passing it on to the control agency.”
Radio contact?
Capt Zielinski had never experienced
a Russian pilot making radio contact,
although it’s not unheard of. But since these
intercepts invariably occur in international
airspace there’s no requirement for
the Russian pilot to ‘check in’.
A number of incidents between Russian and
NATO aircraft over international waters in
recent years have focused on the ‘dangerous’
behaviour of certain Russian aircrew, but as
far as Zielinski is concerned, the ‘Red Stars’
he encounters over the Baltic play it safe.
“Five-hundred feet is the normal minimum
[separation], but sometimes the tail number
might be a bit harder to read,” he said.
He noted that the current trend is
towards an increased number of ‘heavies’,
and fewer fighters, and that he was
still hoping to catch an example of the
Tu-95MS strategic bomber: “I haven’t
seen a Bear but would appreciate it –
someone did see one back in 2014.”
According to Maj Mathieu, Russian
aircrew are probably used to being
joined by NATO jets while flying over
the Baltic Sea. “As a matter of fact, we
88 FEBRUARY 2017 #347
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