Royal Air Force scrambles Typhoons to intercept Russian warplanes in NATO airspace
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The British Royal Air Force (RAF) has scrambled Typhoons fighter jets after Russian aircraft was spotted flying near Nato airspace in a mid-air standoff.
RAF Typhoons currently based in Estonia were sent up to meet a Russian Navy Tupolev Tu-134 and two Sukhoi Su-27 flankers.
The RAF shared photos on Twitter of the Typhoons making the interception, flying along-side the larger Tu-134 with “Baltic Fleet” written on the side.
“This evening, RAF Typhoons from 140 EAW in Estonia were scrambled to intercept a Russian Navy Tu-134 and 2x Su-27 “FLANKER’ Bs flying close to NATO airspace,” the Air Force said on Twitter on Tuesday night.
The Russian aircraft “failed to comply with international norms by not liaising with regional airspace control”, the tweet read.
The RAF also posted photos of a Typhoon jet closely following the Russian Navy aircraft.
The Typhoons were assembled from the 140 Expeditionary Air Wing in Estonia.
This comes after RAF Typhoons intercepted Russian fighter jets that were flying close to Nato airspace last month.
The RAF Typhoons scrambled from Amari Air Base in Estonia to visually identify multiple Russian aircrafts flying over the Baltic Sea.
The Russian aircraft had remained in international airspace and flew in a “safe and provisional manner” according to the Royal Air Force, before returning to Amari Airbase to continue Nato’s Air Policing Mission.
In March, a RAF Typhoon scrambled to intercept a Russian warplane flying close to Estonian airspace.
It was the first time British and German air forces carried out a joint Nato air policing operation.
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The response saw the pair of British and German Typhoon jets react to a Russian Il-78 air-to-air refuelling aircraft flying between St Petersburg and Kaliningrad.
It was escorted after failing to communicate with Estonian air traffic control.
The allied fighters also intercepted an AN-148 plane from Russia.
Following the interception, two Norwegian F-35s were quickly deployed to head off two Russian military aircraft – a MiG-31 and NOR F-35 – in international airspace.
It came as British pilots conducted joint air policing missions in Estonia alongside the German air force for the first time as the UK prepared to take over the lead in Nato missions in the country, which borders Russia.
The Ministry of Defence stressed the “routine” nature of the mission, but it comes amid tensions between the West and Russia over the invasion of Ukraine. [The Sun]
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