LONDON, England: Royal Air Force (RAF) jets intercepted four Russian military aircraft flying north of Scotland.
Typhoon jets from RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland, and a Voyager fuel tanker from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, England, were scrambled in the north of Scotland.
The RAF said the Russian aircraft did not enter UK airspace.
Such incidents, known as quick reaction alerts, are common and involve RAF crews shadowing Russian military aircraft near UK airspace. They have occurred repeatedly since the Cold War era.
Wednesday’s incident comes amidst rising tensions in Eastern Europe, where the
U.S. and its allies accuse Russia of planning to invade Ukraine.
Two Russian Tu-95 Bear H, which are long-range bombers, and two maritime patrol Tu-142 Bear F aircraft, were tracked by the RAF near the “UK’s area of interest.”
“Quick reaction alert Typhoon fighters based at RAF Lossiemouth, supported by a Voyager from RAF Brize Norton, were scrambled today against unidentified aircraft approaching the UK area of interest,” an RAF spokesman said.
The RAF previously stated that it responds to Russian military aircraft entering the UK Flight Information Region, the UK’s controlled zone of international airspace, because they can pose a hazard to other aircraft.
Russian planes do not often communicate with air traffic control or “squawk,” broadcasting a code ensuring they are visible to other air users and air traffic controllers on the ground, it added.
In March 2021, RAF Lossiemouth Typhoons intercepted two Russian Tu-142 Bear-F aircraft over the North Sea.
Tu-142 aircraft are typically deployed for reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare.
RAF Lossiemouth on Scotland’s northeast coast is used as a base for quick reaction alert pilots and is the home of the RAF’s new fleet of Poseidon submarine-hunter aircraft.
