With the world particularly sensitive to any news involving stray and/or missing Boeing 777 airplanes, especially if said massive stray airplane is heading toward the Nuclear security summit taking place at the Hague, it is no surprise that the news which appeared about an hour ago that two Dutch F-16s were scrambled to intercept a unresponsive Boeing 777 in Dutch airspace, received such a prompt response.
Dutch RTL News reports [6]:
From the Brabant Volkel airbase, two F-16s took off to intercept a freighter. It would be a cargo plane, a Boeing 777F LAN Cargo, which was en route to the airport. The unit flew from Miami in Dutch airspace and they could not connect to the device.
A spokesman for the Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security unit had previously requested permission for the flight. That is because of the nuclear security summit in The Hague is mandatory.
The jets have the cargo plane accompanied this had left. Dutch airspace The unit is now independently to the airport in Frankfurt, Germany.
And on Twitter:
#F16 [7]’s #vliegbasis [8] #Volkel [9] zijn zojuist opgestegen voor een onderschepping #QRA [10] #NSS2014 [11] #luchtruimbeveiliging [12]
— Vliegbasis Volkel (@VlbVolkel) March 24, 2014 [13]
F16's hebben vliegtuig onderschept en escorteren hem naar Duitsland #QRA [10] #nss2014 [14] pic.twitter.com/hmfqWE6veT [15]
— Paul Bøøgaard (@PaulBoogaard) March 24, 2014 [16]
There is no evidence of foul play, but if one wants to quickly reduce their life expectancy, the best way to achieve that is to fly a 777 with transponders switched off near a city where the world's leaders are currently located.