The 'Canberra incident'
I was intending to make a detailed reply to Pyms post which mentioned this farce, but have been unable to do so as yet.
As far as I can remember, the incident in question occured in 1970 when a PR version of the canberra over flew some sites of military intrest in the Republic of Ireland.
Because the same useless tripe were in power then as now, the country had no viable air defence aircrafts, all we had were 6 trainer versions of an intrim jet fighter which was designed in 1943 and was so primative that it was not considerd first generation.
During the time of this incident,the prototypes of 4th generation jet fighters were nearing completion, aircrafts like the YF-15, YF-16, and YF-14, while we had largely out of use plywoood junkpiles which wer'ent even serious aircrafts when brand-spanking new.
Even if miserable insult known as a budget had ran to keeping the Vampires airworthy, the canbera should have used it's speed to leave them looking like twits, or simply have climbed above their meger operating height, always assuming that we could have intercepted in the first place without such a basic requirment as a active radar system.
In the unlikely event of an interception, a pair of EE lightenings would have appeard at supersonic speed, released their Sidewinders AIM-9 missles and returned to the UK for tea and crumpet leaving the 'pride' of the IAC as dust and ash in the wind.
If it were to happen to day, results would be largely the same, except that 2 Tornados would reduce the PC-9's to fluttering scrap in less time then it takes to read these few words.
To be slightly less silly about it, I have always belived that the IAC aircrafts were deliberatly held on the ground to hide just how stupid the suitation really was, as it is now: a supposedly modern country which is incapable of mounting even a token defence of itself!
