Jet scrambled in terror alert over Queen

The Australian Air Force has revealed it came close to ordering a fully-armed fighter jet to shoot down a light plane to protect the Queen during an official visit to Australia.

The fighter was scrambled with orders to knock out the suspected terrorist aircraft during last year's Commonwealth heads of government meeting, opened by the Queen.

The light plane was heading toward a restricted "no fly" zone around the conference venue at Coolum, Queensland, in March and security heads feared a September 11 copycat suicide attack by terrorists.

"That was the first time we had put armed aircraft in Australian air space with authority to shoot things down since the 1940s," said Air Commodore John Quaife.

Air Commodore Dave Pietsche said: "Fortunately the pilot of the light plane realised at the last minute where he shouldn't be and changed his track.

"It all happened in about a 90-second period of very extreme excitement. We didn't come near shooting. But we certainly did some scrambles."

The identity of the pilot of the light plane remains unknown.