A £10,000,000 RAF jet used to fly VIPs came within 100ft of crashing into an illegal drone, a report has revealed. Drone flying is often restricted in major cities and near airports, but occasionally they can slip through the net. One drone almost caused a disaster when The Vespina jet zoomed past an illegal drone just 100ft away at 200mph.
The Vespina – a former RAF jet converted in 2016 – is used to carry members of the Royal family and UK prime ministers. The near-miss happened on June 19 this year as the aircraft was cruising at 2,200ft before it was about to land at RAF Brize Norton, a report by UK Airprox Board has revealed. The aircraft – which cost £10,000,000 to convert to a luxury VIP carrier – is fitted with secure satellite communications and missile detection systems, MailOnline reports.
It is not thought to have been carrying any VIPs or ministers when the near miss happened, flight tracker data suggests. The jet took off from the RAF base in Oxfordshire for a four hour flight. It circled over the French coast for 40 minutes – likely for refueling mid-air which it is capable off.
How the incident unfolded The report said the drone came so close the crew could see its lights. It 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 risk of collision was rated as ‘high.’ The report .