HL Deb 22 July 1959 vol 218 cc377-8

2.50 p.m.

LORD OGMORE

My Lords, I beg to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in view of recent incidents, involving military and civil aircraft, they will seek international agreement to the issue of orders that in no circumstances will military aircraft approach, intercept or imperil civil aircraft and that, in the unlikely event of a check of a civil aircraft's identity being necessary, it should be done by civil ground control.]

THE EARL OF ONSLOW

My Lords, military authorities must be able to establish the identity of aircraft flying over territory for the defence of which they are responsible. It may, on occasions, be necessary to use military aircraft for this purpose, since it is not always practicable to rely on the use of civil ground control.

LORD OGMORE

My Lords, why is it always necessary for them to ascertain the identity by going up and flying within 100 yards of the civil aircraft? Is this not a barbaric practice, and is it not time that the Air Forces either learnt aircraft recognition or depended upon the perfectly satisfactory civil control that already exists?

LORD SHEPHERD

My Lords, further to the noble Earl's Answer, may I ask him a question with regard to the recent reports of interception by two United States fighters of a British European airliner coming out of Berlin on scheduled service? May I ask the noble Earl whether the American authorities sought information first from the ground control before sending aircraft for interception, or whether it was a question, as is believed in some quarters, that the United States Air Force was carrying out training in interception?

THE EARL OF ONSLOW

My Lords, in answer to the supplementary of the noble Lord, Lord Ogmore, I would point out to him that there was a standard agreement, the N.A.T.O. agreement of 1958, of which I have a summary (if he would like it I would willingly give it to him afterwards) stating the standard practice in this interception by military aircraft and the reasons for so doing. As regards the question of the noble Lord, Lord Shepherd, concerning the B.E.A. aircraft that was intercepted by two American aircraft, I understand that British European Airways took up the incident at once and that the Americans are investigating but the answers have not yet become available.