Persistent intruders flying into restricted G7 Kananaskis airspace could be shot down: RCMP

Calgary Herald

2 days ago

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Pilots persistently breaching restricted airspace over the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis could be shot down my military aircraft, an RCMP security official said Thursday.
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Aerial intruders who refuse to obey orders to turn back from restricted airspace radiating 30-nautical miles from the summit venue at Kananaskis Village could be brought down with force as a last resort, said Sgt. Mark Basanta, lead aerospace planner for the G7 which runs from June 15 to 17.
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'Shooting is an extreme measure but yes, we have the capability of taking them down,' Basanta told a press conference at the Springbank Airport just west of the city.
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'They'll be met, they'll be intercepted, we do have (CF-)18s flying combat air patrol, we'll have Griffons (military helicopters) support. Hopefully that'll be a deterrent for them to turn around.'
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He noted those aircraft will be making practice runs in the area in the lead-up to the gathering of leaders from Canada, the U.S., Germany, the U.K., France, Italy and Japan that's considered the largest security operation in the world.
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Another flight exclusion zone banning unauthorized manned aircraft and drones radiating 20 nautical miles from the Calgary International Airport will be imposed, with both being in effect from 6 a.m. on June 14 to 11:59 p.m. on June 17.
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The restricted zone over Calgary won't disrupt regularly scheduled commercial airline flights, which are expected to be deviated around the Kananaskis zone to the west, said RCMP.
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'The hardline zone is in (Kananaskis) . . . there will be a combination of military and police assets in the air,' said Basanta, adding Blackhawk military helicopters are being integrated into the security mission.