Thirteen Aircraft Disappear From Radar Within 30 Min. In Central Europe

[Peter Lemkin]

Unprecedented': 13 aircraft mysteriously disappear from radars in heart of Europe

Published time: June 12, 2014 21:13
Edited time: June 13, 2014 10:10




Reuters / Toby Melville



http://rt.com/news/165636-aircraft-disap...s-austria/

A total of 13 aircraft suddenly vanished off radars for about 25 minutes on two occasions over Austria and neighboring countries, Austria's flight safety monitor said, calling for an EU probe into the "unprecedented" incidents.
The flights vanished from air traffic controllers' screens in Austria on June 5 and June 10 for 25 minutes each time, Marcus Pohanka of Austro Control Austria's flight safety organization said Thursday.

Air traffic control in neighboring regions of Germany and the Czech Republic also reported similar problems.

Pohanka said the location, height, and identity of the 13 aircraft vanished over Austria both times, in what he called "unprecedented" incidents, AP reported.

He added that some neighboring countries had experienced similar problems. The daily Kurier, based in Vienna, elaborated that similar problems were experienced by flight controllers in Munich and Karlsruhe in Germany and in Prague, Czech Republic.

Poahanka declined to say which airlines and planes were involved, but suggested that some may have been passenger jets, which fly at high altitudes. The EU's Eurocontrol and European Aviation Safety Agency will investigate the incidents.

Poahanka stressed that at no time were any of the planes in danger, as extra air traffic controllers were immediately called to their posts and emergency measures were brought in, which included immediately establishing voice contact with the pilots and the widening of flight corridors.

The Kurier cited an unnamed expert as saying that the problem was most likely to do with interference between the aircraft transponders and the ground.








Comments (126)



Miriam Fraser 14.06.2014 03:43

This has something to do with the military exercises undertaken by American B52 bombers in European airspace at the same time

[Peter Lemkin]

13 planes vanish from radars over Europe

As many as 13 planes flying over Europe vanish from radar screens in an "unprecedented" series of blackouts that lasted 25 minutes with claims air traffic control could have been hacked

So far experts are at a loss to explain what caused the aircraft to disappear Photo: KAREN FULLER/ALAMY








By Matthew Day, Warsaw

4:56PM BST 13 Jun 2014
113 Comments


An air-safety investigation has been launched after 13 planes flying over Europe disappeared from radar screens in two "unprecedented" blackouts, leading to reports stating air traffic control systems had been hacked.

The aircraft went missing from screens across the region in early June, leaving air traffic controllers with no information about their position, direction and height instead relying on voice communication alone.

Air traffic control centres in Austria, southern Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia all reported the same problem with each period of interference lasting around 25 minutes but varying from flight to flight.

Marcus Pohanka, from Austro Control, described the incidents, which occurred on June 5 and June 10 as "unprecedented," although the authorities stressed that all the aircraft involved continued with their flights as normal.

Concerns over air safety and radar have been heightened since the disappearance of a Malaysian Airlines flight in March.

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In the June 5 incident, 10 aircraft disappeared from radar screens while on June 10, a further three went missing.
On each occasion, Austrian authorities brought in more controllers in order to talk with the aircraft and maintain order.
"Planes disappeared from screens for a matter of seconds, here and there. The outages were sporadic and not grave," said a spokesman for German air-traffic control. "It must have been an external source of disruption. We are trying to identify the causes."
Der Kurier, an Austrian newspaper, suggested that a targeted cyber attack may have caused the disappearances. The paper also claimed the aircrafts' transponders may have been interfered with, but that, it stresses, would have required the use of a satellite.
Eurocontrol, a European air-management agency, and the European Aviation Safety Agency have started an investigation into the two incidents.
"Given the potential impact of the incident on safety, capacity and radio frequencies the Eurocontrol Network Manager immediately started an investigation," Eurocontrol said in a statement.
But so far experts are at a loss to explain what caused the aircraft to disappear.
At first a Nato electronic warfare exercise in Hungary was suspected as the cause of interference as it coincided.
The exercise, apparently, used devices designed to interfere with enemy radar and there were suspicions it may have affected civilian flights.
But Hungary's defence ministry denied any Nato involvement, saying the technology used was weak and had a range of only 4,000 metres a height well below the altitude of the aircraft.
Deepening the mystery is the fact that the second incident occurred after the exercises had finished.

[Peter Lemkin]

These [at least!] 13 disappearances from radar over heavily flown European routes happened just ten days ago [as I write this], I posted it with 9-11 and the Malaysian flight 'disappearances' of aircraft from radar in mind...! The technology seems to be in place [and there is ample proof this predates 9-11!] to make any aircraft [military, civilian, plane, missile, etc.] disappear from radar....so seeing is not believing; and not seeing is also not believing!

[David Guyatt]

Interesting number 13 too.

[Magda Hassan]

It's a weather balloon. ::drevil::

[Peter Lemkin]

It's a weather balloon. ::drevil::

or a 'trial balloon'....for some soon-to-come 'event'.

[Magda Hassan]

Electronic war games blamed for jets vanishing off radars in Europe

Published time: June 14, 2014 03:49 Get short URL

Reuters / Jason Reed






Tags
EU, Military, Planes

Electronic military exercises were to blame for the mysterious disappearance of dozens of planes from air-traffic control screens in the heart of Europe, Slovak authorities have said.
About 50 planes temporarily disappeared from radars in Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia between June 5 and June 10, Austria's flight safety monitor said.
German and Czech air traffic control also reported brief disappearances.
Slovakia blamed the outages on planned military exercises.
"The disappearance of objects on radar screens was connected with a planned military exercise which took place in various parts of Europe...whose goal was the interruption of radio communication frequencies," the Slovak air traffic services said in a statement.
"This activity also caused the temporary disappearance of several targets on the radar display, while in the meantime the planes were in radio contact with air traffic controllers and continued in their flight normally."
Right after the problem with the radars was detected, the organizing party was made aware and the exercises were stopped, Slovakia's air traffic services added.
Slovakia did not mention a military force involved in the exercises, but Austrian media pointed towards NATO.
Austrian daily Kurier reported on June 7 that the first disappearance problems coincided with NATO conducting electronic warfare exercises in Hungary.
During the exercises NATO was reportedly using devices that can interfere with enemy radar, according to the Telegraph.
German air traffic control stated that it is trying to identify the cause of the outages.
"Planes disappeared from screens for a matter of seconds, here and there. The outages were sporadic and not grave...It must have been an external source of disruption," a spokesperson said.
Authorities said the outages did not pose any serious threat.
http://rt.com/news/165872-military-exerc...appearing/

[David Guyatt]

That would account for it. Apply that technology to the missing Malaysian jet I would argue.

Mind you, when things disappear in the sky, you just know it's those pesky grey aliens who are really to blame.

::beammeup::

And speaking of aliens, I was told a story not so long ago about the infamous Suffolk RAF Woodbridge/Rendlesham Forest UFO incident of 1980. RAF is a misnomer really, as it was then a USAF base housing thousands of American servicemen and the 79th fighter squadron and elements of the 81st fighter squadron. I used to go walking in the forest behind RAF Woodbridge and it was always interesting to peak through the fences and see the perpetual construction working being done there. I always felt there was more going there than officially admitted.

Anyway, back to the curious story. On the day before the famous UFO incident, all personnel at the base and in surrounding housing were ordered to stay in-doors the following evening. And except for an authorised few who went with the base commander supposedly to investigate - and I guess, ever afterwards perpetuate a myth, most did stay indoors.

However, not all confined base personnel strictly followed this order.

Whoops.

And guess what? The UFO that appeared and landed wasn't at all alien, but human. But it was very fucking strange.