RAF Jets Scrambled...

[Anark]

... "RAF fighter jets have been scrambled six times in the past year to intercept passenger planes in UK airspace."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6107690.stm

[C]

Not anything over interesting. It can be a very small problem to lead to a "scramble", and at least one of the two escorting incidents involved an aircraft with electrical failure that needed escorting to a safe landing.

[Saitek]

It might not be much, but as far as those pilots are concerned they may need to do the unthinkable - shoot a plan full of innocent men, women and children out of the sky.

[C]

It might not be much, but as far as those pilots are concerned they may need to do the unthinkable - shoot a plan full of innocent men, women and children out of the sky.

Tough, but then again, you know it could happen as that question, and that of collateral damage is a big one in the RAF selection interviews, so one hopes it is something that would have been considered before committing to an RAF career.

[Chris_F]

I'd assume they often "scramble" simply as a quasi-training exercise.  Nothing builds speed like familiarity with the process.

"Attention, Virgin Airlines flight 156 reports a kitty cat on the loose in the cabin."

"CODE RED!  SCRAMBLE THE JETS!  THIS ONE'S FOR REAL PEOPLE!"

[Craig.]

It might not be much, but as far as those pilots are concerned they may need to do the unthinkable - shoot a plan full of innocent men, women and children out of the sky.

And the second the thought of far more people dying crosses the mind by doing nothing it would make the job a lot less unthinkable. But then as people who know me well know, I can be rather isolated like that and not give it a second thought.
Its part of the job and as charlie said you better think hard before comitting to the job. It's not all about fun flying.

[C]

I'd assume they often "scramble" simply as a quasi-training exercise.  Nothing builds speed like familiarity with the process.

Very often.