Original subtitles

NEWS REPORT: Britain has scrambled RAF Typhoon fighters from Scotland

after a long-range Russian spy plane was detected near British airspace.

It is an uncertain time.

I've pulled everyone together.

Our mission is simple - we have to counter the Russian threat.

I'm station commander, but also, I'm a fighter pilot.

I need to do my bit to help.

Dog fighting is THE ultimate test.

Time to prove what I can do.

This program me contains strong language

The RAF is on high alert.

The world at the moment is not in the best of places.

The Russian vessel running along at ten knots.

Everything's happening,

with Russia and Ukraine, it's like a tinder box.

You're doing an important role, protecting from Vladdy the Baddy.

ALARM WAILS

Ha-ha!

With conflict in Europe and the Middle East...

...British war planes are poised to face any threat.

We are one trigger press away from starting World War IIl.

Only when you've sat in your own pee for about two hours over Mosul

have you really made it.

It's what you don't see on Top Gun.

Just once he's finished doing his checks, mate,

he should be good to go.

Copy that. Will do. Thank you.

150 miles north of Edinburgh,

RAF Lossiemouth is mainland UK's closest air base to Russia.

It's too tight. I'm a big guy.

It's home to eight squadrons,

dozens of planes...

That's going to get put round the corner.

Should've done a hand brake turn in front of the camera.

...and nearly 3,000 service personnel.

Let's go to work...

...the whole 90-second drive that it is.

In charge of them all, Group Captain Jim Lee.

Morning, how you doing?

Awesome, thanks very much. Stay warm.

I'm the Station Commander.

I must ensure that RAF Lossiemouth delivers its operational outputs

as we defend the United Kingdom.

Ultimately, it's what we're here to do.

Station Commander.

Relax, please. How's everyone doing? Good, sir.

Since being posted to RAF Lossiemouth,

Jim's overseeing one of its most active periods.

What we've done is we crunched the stats

and we deduced that this really wasn't looking very good.

I really would encourage you to redesign that

to make it fit for purpose for 2023.

As I see things here from RAF Lossiemouth,

the Russian invasion of Ukraine was a moment in history

and that changed the game.

These are dangerous times.

We see a more bold Russia

and the threats to the UK are real.

ALARM WAILS

A Russian aircraft is approaching British airspace.

Priority have scrambled so they should be getting airborne shortly.

Inside Lossiemouth"s Quick Reaction Alert facility,

two fully-armed Typhoons are being scrambled.

Clear for take-off. wind, 1-3-0-1-4.

The Russian plane is 200 miles away,

on course towards UK airspace.

Orders from RAF Tactical Command, code name Hotspur,

are guiding the Typhoon jets to intercept it.

We are always ready, at a moment's notice, to get

the aircraft in the air and get them to intercept whatever

may be coming our way.

The aircraft is identified as a Bear Foxtrot,

a long-range Russian surveillance plane.

The Typhoons must now track it closely,

ensuring it can't gather intelligence that could harm the UK.

The Russian's are definitely testing our responses.

This is nothing new,

but what is evermore important these days, as we see them

become more muscular in the world,

is to absolutely double down and hold our line.

Any time Russian aircraft come close to our territorial airspace

and waters, we're up there to stay alongside,

to monitor and report back into NATO what's going on,

so we can keep tabs on what Russian aircraft are doing.

Shadowed by the Typhoons, the Bear changes course

and he heads back towards Russia.

There is only one country that continues

to test boundaries of UK sovereign air space,

and that is Russia.

And whatever should be thrown our way, we will defend

the United Kingdom.

Britain has scrambled RAF Typhoon fighters from Scotland

after a long-range Russian spy plane was detected

near British airspace.

The Russian aircraft was intercepted and escorted away.

Up here at Lossiemouth, we're here delivering

Quick Reaction Alert 24/7, 365 days a year.

It is our primary mission.

Russia periodically tests the UK's response

by flying close to its airspace.

With only a limited number of pilots available

for Quick Reaction Alert,

known as QRA, Jim's reached a decision.

At the end of the day, I'm a pilot

and I've been doing this for over 20 years,

so I like to feel part of the team.

I always feel compelled to do my bit

and my bit is to help on QRA.

Morning, everyone. How are we?

Good, thanks.

But after three years out of the cockpit,

Jim must first retrain

and meet the combat-ready requirement.

So, aim for the sortie today is

just going to be get you flying out of Lossiemouth again,

getting you familiar with the local airspace.

Are you interested in doing low level at all today, Sir?

I mean, if it's fit, I probably should do, just for a few minutes.

So, in that case, I expect to go down to low level

till your eyes bleed.

Quite a squeeze on the isobars as well,

so strong winds going to be a bit of a feature for

the day today as well.

Obviously, it's a bit windy out there, so take-off

and landing is always the most critical part -

they'll focus the attention.

It's not very dignified. They don't show you this in Top Gun.

It's a strange mix of kind of excitement

but a bit of trepidation too.

Trying to remember whether I can still do it after three years away.

But tricky weather conditions, perhaps,

but fit for what I need to do.

I've been lucky enough to fly a few different fighters,

but the Typhoon blows my mind.

The power of this aircraft is quite extraordinary.

But there's no doubt about it that it'll bite you, if you...

...if you don't get things absolutely right.

I'm sure I'll be a bit rusty.

There's always a risk if you fly aircraft.

There's a reason we have ejection seats.

But the moment that I put my foot on the ladder,

I just take a deep breath and I'm now focused.

Now I'm not the Station Commander,

I'm now a pilot getting into a cockpit on my own

and I'm focused on the task ahead of me.

When you put the reheat in to do a take-off,

the kick you get in the back is just extraordinary.

As a youngster, I was definitely restless

and I don't think school really motivated me,

so I was searching for something that really captivated me...

...and then I watched Top Gun.

I think that's when I realised that actually

I just wanted to fly a jet.

Academically, I hadn't done that well.

There's no military connection in my family.

So, I think probably there was a perception of,

"Are you sure you're going to be able to achieve that?"

People didn't necessarily believe in me.

There's no doubt about it in my mind.

My goal was set to prove other people wrong.

Even though I find myself now the Station Commander,

I still want to prove that I've got what it takes.

Low-level flying is one of

the most dangerous exercises we do.

Any mistake and you're hitting the ground in a matter of seconds.

But at the same time, barrelling down a valley,

the mountains flashing by...

...it is thrilling.

There is no other word for it.

Having navigated the low-level exercise,

Jim must now land at Lossiemouth

for the first time in years,

with crosswinds gusting up to 35 knots.

In Typhoon, you're typically going to touch down at 200mph

on a pinhead on a very narrow runway.

I need to be accurate. There's no margin for error.

How was that? Windy, but good.

Good. It was a bit of a Lossie special, I think we'd say there,

so not really easing me back in,

but you've got to be ready for days like this

cos that's when you earn your money.

I think I earned my flying pay today.

Following his successful flight,

Jim's training will progress onto sharpening his dog fighting skills.

Flying the Typhoon again after such

a break is just incredible.

I feel like I'm a baby pilot all over again.

To help ensure Lossiemouth remains fully operational at all times,

some personnel live on site in shared accommodation blocks...

Let's go have a look at a bathroom.

...which are subject to regular inspections.

Do you want to check that first?

I'll just clean this.

I'm scrubbing the toilet cos some knob-head left skid marks in here.

Yeah, that toilet's fucked. Can't really do much more.

Not going anywhere. Some people are just scruffs.

My name's Billy. I'm 17. I'm a chef in the RAF.

My parents were quite happy to send me off to the military,

not in, like, a bad way,

but they knew they tried their hardest growing up

to make me a good boy but never really works.

Just over a year ago,

chef Billy left home in Middlesbrough

to join the RAF, aged 16.

Nothing I'm going to find in here that I don't want to find, is there?

No, ma'am, I've got nothing to hide.

This is your first posting, isn't it?

What were you expecting when you had a room here?

Well, I'm about saving money, ma'am,

so obviously I've got all the other chefs and stuff in here,

so I'd happily stay in here.

I can't really complain for, like, £30 a month.

Better than you get in the civilian world anyway.

Shame about some of the decor.

Seem to be different shades of magnolia,

so they don't all seem to match, but, yeah.

LAUGHTER

Great, thank you.

I'd usually have done this Sunday hanging out my arse, but...

Some of the boys have beer pong tables and that.

In their rooms?

Yeah, you can get all sorts in here.

Did you do much ironing when you lived at home?

Nah. Never. Always had Mam to do that.

Going through secondary school, my parents used to worry a lot

that I was getting onto bad stuff, which I was.

Took me till Year 11 to get excluded for something pretty daft,

just for setting the fire alarm off.

And when I first came here, people didn't take me seriously

because obviously I was 16,

but since a young age, I have been working.

Money is a massive motivator for me.

When I was 12, I had a paper round.

When I was 15, I got an apprenticeship position

in a kitchen.

But joining the RAF was a massive pay increase.

I earn roughly £1,600 a month.

People say money can't buy happiness,

but they've obviously never bought a Lamborghini.

I went through about four pairs of these trousers.

I used to burn them all on my iron.

Billy's uniform is required to be at its very best.

He's part of the culinary team for one of

the largest celebrations in the RAF's calendar -

the Battle of Britain dinner.

When the pool tables are out the way, all the anteroom furniture is

going to be in this area as well.

Arguably, the Battle of Britain is our greatest battle

because of that sacrifice that was made by so many.

So, we mark that day in celebration and remembrance every year.

In charge of the event is Warrant Officer Dave Barr.

Just pull them off to the bar for a minute, so we can get set up

and then we can see if we can space some of them around.

This will be his final task for the RAF, before he retires.

Three. Oh, he's put two there. Right. OK. But drawn one.

I've been in the Air Force for nearly 34 years now.

It's been absolutely the best job in the world.

The Battle of Britain dinner, this is perfect for me

because it means that I can say goodbye to

the Royal Air Force, and that's me done.

I am in room 116.

So, excuse the disarray, obviously.

Dave signed up as an engineer and is a veteran of the Gulf wars.

The one on the left there is Air Ops Iraq.

And then we're into three Jubilee medals

cos that's how long I've been...

...I've been in the Royal Air Force.

Then the next medal along is my long service

and good conduct medal.

And all that means is that I've been in for a really long time

and I've been a good boy while I've been about it.

Everybody likes shiny.

WHISPERS: But it's not... It's not always about the medals.

I joined the Royal Air Force 10th January, 1989.

I mean, if you put that into perspective,

that's about a third of its existence.

There is a bond and a camaraderie

and family-ness that doesn't go away.

You can check out, but you can never leave.

I am leaving. But ultimately,

I think you are always part of the family.

Right, Billy, shall we get these steaks on, buddy?

Get this wacked up.

You know, it's a big function tonight. We just need to make sure

it's right.

Obviously, you'll be on the starter and you'll come in

and I'll let you have a go at the beef, which is

the centre piece. Give you the experience of doing it, mate.

We'll sear it off in there

and then, if you lift that up...

Here? ..that'll be on fire and that'll be the hay

and then we'll smoke it in there for a little bit,

just so it takes on the flavour of the hay.

You look a bit nervous, Billy.

Nah, I'm all right, to be fair.

I'm nervous for you, mate.

It's not fucking hard.

I'm just twisting round beef in a pan.

Shouldn't be any problems, any dramas.

The BBC is interrupting its normal programmes

to bring you an important announcement.

Buckingham Palace has announced that Queen Elizabeth Il has died

at the age of 96.

News of her passing is reaching the rest of the world.

Yeah. All right. I'll speak to you shortly. Bye-bye.

Hello, sir. How are you feeling?

Yeah. It's a sad day for us all, isn't it?

Sad moment. I think probably personally we all feel...

...we all feel that...that sadness.

But we've got to do the right thing for Her Majesty

and make sure that the next few days,

for her and the family, are as they would wish it to be,

so, that's our role. Yeah, we will do.

Good. All right, thank you. Cheers.

She's my Commander-in-chief, fundamentally,

so everything on my uniform encapsulates her.

That's all I've ever known as well,

so she is everything about the Royal Air Force to me.

Stand by for broadcast.

Attention, all station personnel.

with deep sorrow, the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

has been announced today by the royal communications office

at Buckingham Palace.

The Queen died at Balmoral Castle,

just 65 miles from Lossiemouth.

As head of the closest RAF base,

Jim's received orders

for a special mission, codenamed Operation Unicorn.

He must gather the senior team at daybreak.

BROADCASTER: Our nation mourns following the death

of Queen Elizabeth II.

Britain's longest-serving monarch passed away yesterday, age 96,

at Balmoral Castle,

the Scottish retreat which Her Majesty had visited

since she was a girl.

QUIET CONVERSATION

Room, Station Commander!

Please sit down. Thank you.

OK. Good morning, everyone.

Obviously, it's with a heavy heart that we gather at

the table here today.

But now we have to turn to the work at hand.

Our most pressing operation is Op Unicorn.

Typhoons from RAF Lossiemouth will take to the skies

to protect the airspace...

...while the late Queen is taken by road from Balmoral to Edinburgh.

Our mission is simple - to help keep the country safe.

As the Queen is moved, it's feasible that there are some people who will

see that as an opportunity to bring harm to our country.

But our job in the air force is to make sure we're ready

for anybody that thinks those thoughts.

And that's exactly what we're going to do.

We can react very quickly.

Weapons can be loaded almost immediately.

Clear?

Yeah, we're good.

Entrusted to carry out Operation Unicorn is 2 Squadron

and its boss, wing Commander Kev Terrett.

There's a real terrorism threat.

Use of things like drones or, as sadly we've seen

on September 11th, hijacked airliners.

Yeah, stop there.

Spartan 2, you're in 3-2-3, house 23.

Vampire 1, 3-4-4, house 24.

Vampire 2, 25. Jet 3-1-3, check.

Sweet. Any questions for me?

Cool. Clear to walk.

I'm very lucky in that

I have complete trust in all of my pilots.

I do feel a responsibility for their well being.

I guess it's almost parental, maybe.

I just want them to be able to go and do the job

and get home safely.

The jets will now fly south towards Balmoral

and protect the skies, at all costs.

BROADCASTER: This morning, the coffin procession left

Balmoral Castle and is now on its way to Scotland's capital,

where it is due to arrive in around two hours' time.

The Queen left her beloved Balmoral for the very last time.

As the Royal convoy makes its way to Edinburgh,

the airspace above is being protected

by RAF Lossiemouth's Typhoon jets.

So, the three large tables will need to go back to

the officer's mess... Yep. ..along with all their crockery

that's come across for the function.

RAF Lossiemouth's annual Battle of Britain dinner

has been cancelled.

Take me off of there.

Departing Warrant Officer Dave Barr will no longer have

a formal send-off.

There we go.

That is it.

But he does have a visitor.

Wherever possible, I make the effort

to personally say goodbye

to people leaving the Royal Air Force.

Sir. How are you? I'm all right, sir. Thank you.

I'm aware that this is your last day

in the Royal Air Force. 34 years is remarkable.

That's an incredible amount of service, so thank you for what

you've given the Royal Air Force and this nation.

And at a time when we reflect very much on what this nation means

to us, I think you should be very proud of your service.

And we wish you all the very best for the future.

It's an open offer to come back

and be dined out from the Royal Air Force.

I will take that offer at some point.

And I will see you back here. Thank you. And I will dine in this mess

with you. Thank you. I promise. I would appreciate that.

All right. Take care of yourself and travel safe. Thank you.

All right. Thanks.

All of a sudden, I'm going and it's like,

wow, I'm putting 34 years behind me.

It's quite a huge moment.

Her Majesty dedicated her whole life

to serving this country,

and I am in awe at her dedication.

I hope that in some way mine emulates it,

just in a small fraction.

She has been our Commander-in-chief

for the Royal Air Force for 70 years and...

...it's a strange time for us.

So, erm...yeah.

Yeah, excuse me.

Sorry, mate.

HE BREATHES SHAKILY

NEWS REPORT: Thousands have lined the route to witness

a small part of this historic and moving journey.

JET ENGINES ROAR

Across the country,

formal declarations to recognise the succession of

the monarchy are taking place.

Well, it was a good fit on me and we look about the same, so...

You reckon? Thank you very much.

As the Commanding Officer of the only RAF base in Scotland,

Jim's representing the Royal Air Force

at the local proclamation for King Charles 1.

This is something that there's no frame of reference

for somebody like me. You know, I'm 45 years old,

but I've only ever known the Queen.

Joining Jim at the ceremony...

Right...

...are his wife and daughter.

So, the Queen came to Elgin

when you were teeny, teeny tiny.

We heard when her train was arriving,

and you picked out the most beautiful bunch of yellow

and purple flowers. These? Yes. Those are the cuttings.

And then suddenly we saw the Queen.

And we'll never forget she saw you across the crowd,

and just her whole face just lit up.

And she came straight over to you,

and she said "Are those for me?"

And you were the one that made her burst into a smile.

And I'll never forget that moment with you.

Ladies and gentlemen,

today's ceremony marks that

the reign of King Charles II has begun.

We pledge our loyalty to His Majesty.

God save the King. ALL: God save the King.

It's clearly a monumental occasion. We were part of history today.

ONLOOKER: God bless the Queen.

NEWS REPORT: The cortege greeted in the Scottish capital

by streets heavy with sentiment.

As the Queen arrives in Edinburgh,

Operation Unicorn concludes without incident.

NEWS REPORT: The coffin brought in to the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

It will lie here tonight.

Welcoming the jets home is the final act for wing Commander Kev.

Hey. Hey, boss. All right? Welcome back, guys. Hey.

Good job. Any problems? No, sweet. Cool. Well, well done.

Thank you. Good, clean job. And we did ourselves proud.

Cool. Thanks. OK, boss.

I took an awful lot of pride from the fact that 2 Squadron

was able to react at very short notice to a very sad occasion.

It was a huge honour to be able to pay tribute

to our late Commander-in-chief in our own, bespoke way.

Our job is to be ready to deal with whatever's put in front of us.

And when the general public can go about their business

in complete safety, unaware of what we do, to me, is perfection.

Over the last few days,

as a mark of respect to the Queen,

the base suspended all nonessential flights.

But the Quick Reaction Alert facility has operated as normal.

Morning, everyone. How are we? Yeah, all right.

With only a limited number of pilots available for QRA duty...

Thank you, Chris.

...Station Commander Jim is retraining to join the effort.

It's been a difficult period,

but now we return to business as usual.

QRA is our biggest responsibility.

Today, he has one final test to qualify as combat-ready -

a dogfight against Jake Desmond, one of Lossiemouth's top pilots.

Jake is the squadron qualified weapons instructor,

so a pretty tricky opponent for my first time back.

He's as good as it gets.

Designed to be the ultimate combat aircraft...

...the Typhoons are equipped with state-of-the-art weapons systems,

including air-to-air missiles.

During dogfight training,

pilots must get them to lock on to the opponent's jet

to simulate a kill.

In the first part of the contest, Jim must evade Jake

and prevent him from locking on for at least five minutes.

The first principle of dog fighting is staying alive.

If you can't stay alive,

then you're not going to be able to kill the enemy.

I've been away from flying for three years.

It's just about reaction times.

Very quickly, you get that speed back.

But, being a little bit older, pulling 9G, it's much harder.

After four and half minutes, Jim's kept out of range.

But Jake is closing in.

ALARM BEEPS

The pilots must now reset for a final duel,

and a chance for Jim to get even.

No fighter pilot likes to lose.

You have to have that competitive edge about you.

It's time to, er, to prove what I can do.

Station Commander Jim Lee is retraining in a Typhoon,

and faces a second dogfight against one of the base's top pilots.

Jake's definitely more proficient than me.

But I love to prove people wrong.

It's Jim's turn to attack.

He must lock his missiles on to Jake for the win.

To get your qualifications back,

there is a standard, and that standard is, is fixed.

I'm Station Commander, but there's no special treatment.

I can't under perform.

ALARM BUZZES

It's a successful simulated kill.

Oh, God.

How's it feeling?

The G was all right. It's just your brain is about two seconds

behind the jet. But what's really annoying is,

you know what you've just done immediately when you've done it.

Yeah. As you do it as well, you're like, "Ah, you've gone and done it"

"Too late."”

While Jim's performance is analysed

to see if he met the combat-ready criteria,

in the Quick Reaction Alert facility,

he has one final test.

ALARM WAILS

Once the alarm sounds,

QRA pilots have just minutes to get to their plane.

It's been a few years since I've done a QRA scramble.

I was back in my 30s the last time I did it.

Hopefully, the legs will move as quickly as they used to.

My workout for the day.

This one was a bit of a practice, so I didn't start the engines.

And they did a good job.

They got me, they got me up and running, so it was perfect.

Good job today, sir.

Jim successfully passed as combat-ready.

So, welcome back to the Typhoon force. Awesome.

Thank you very much.

Great to fly with the squadron,

and just fantastic to be back in the game. Superb.

Thank you very much. Cheers.

Oh, it's wonderful to be qualified again I can now fly,

as well as being a station commander.

But Jim will have to wait to do a shift in QRA.

First, he's got to honour a longstanding RAF servant.

Very, very kindly, the Station Commander invited me

to come back, and the mess have pulled together

and organised another do for me.

A month after leaving the RAF, Dave is back for a formal send-off.

It's a big deal to finish your career properly.

Evening. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Thank you, thank, thank you.

Fabulous to see you all. Thank you for being here.

Billy?

Where's Billy?

The customers have been called through to the dining room.

And this is where it starts going.

I'll let you have a go at this in a minute, mate, all right?

I want to just make sure they've got that nice sear on them, yeah?

See that nice bit there?

Just be careful. It's a big bit of meat and we know you're not

used to playing with big bits of meat.

HE LAUGHS

It was a steep learning curve, joining the military.

I wanted to be taken seriously.

These little ones are ready to go in soon. Yeah.

But once I established my capability in the kitchen,

I just instantly got respect for what I'd done.

I enjoy it, yeah. It's a nice kick of adrenaline.

That'll do, mate. Do you reckon? Yeah, yeah.

Right, do you want to swap the tins, get the other one?

CROCKERY CLATTERS Oh, no! Spillage.

It's always Wing Commander Allenby.

THEY LAUGH

That's nice, Billy.

Because of the way I used to act at school,

I don't think anyone thought I'd be able to do what I can do now.

Are you happy, bud?

Now, when I go home to my family,

I like to put out a nice display of food for them.

I always regularly get them round so I can just show my skills.

I think my parents are proud of me.

That does not look bad at all, does it?

Mm. It's nice, isn't it?

Mate, they never let us down. Ever.

Hopefully, in the shortest amount of time possible, I'll be able

to progress through the ranks

so I can achieve the maximum rank and get a full pension.

I am happy about my life at 17.

Yeah, successful, yeah.

Everything ran smoothly and as to plan.

That's staff drinks.

THEY LAUGH

He's only 17, he can't drink. I can't partake in that, no.

Not at the age of 17, I can't.

Cheers, darling.

It has moved on, though, I have to say, it has moved on.

HE BANGS TABLE

Mess members, guests, Warrant Officer Dave Barr.

Dave Barr! Dave Barr!

Cheers, all.

It has been an absolute pleasure to have served for 34 years

with many of you in this room.

You are part of my history,

and today is a big day for me

to put all of those memories in a box and take them away with me.

The generation that Mr Barr's from,

service was probably a deeper part of culture than it is

perhaps for young people now.

I'm not as fit as I was at the start of my RAF career...

In my experience, sometimes people might join

initially for selfish reasons.

But, very quickly, you realise there's a much greater purpose.

And that's what oozes from someone like Mr Barr.

It's no longer about him.

So, thank you all.

It's all about the service.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media