RAF scrambles fighter jets to intercept Russian 'Bear' bombers as they pass close to Scotland
14 August 2023, 15:51
Russian bombers have been intercepted by the RAF after they flew to the north of Scotland.
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Typhoon fighter jets scrambled from their Lossiemouth base to meet the long range maritime patrol "Bear" bombers on Monday morning as they flew in international airspace.
They were flying close to Nato's northern air policing zone and were shadowed by the jets until they left Britain's "area of interest".
Armed forces minister James Heappey said: "RAF crews at Lossiemouth maintain a constant watch over UK airspace and are always ready to take action at a moment's notice to keep our country safe.
"Pilots launched in their Typhoon jets to intercept two Russian long-range bombers this morning, monitoring them as they passed north of the Shetland Islands, ready to counter any potential threat to UK territory."
Dutch and Danish F-16 fighters also joined in tracking the bombers. The Dutch said aircraft will be intercepted if they do not provide a flight plan or communicate.
The intercepts are not uncommon and do not automatically represent an escalation between Russia and the West.
They were frequent even before Vladimir Putin's ill-fated and failing invasion of Ukraine.
But such incidents do nothing to cool tensions between Nato and Moscow.
One of the Typhoon pilots, who was not named, said: "It's really satisfying to know we’ve been able to make a successful intercept, maintaining the integrity of UK and Nato airspace.
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"When the alarm for a scramble happened in the early hours of the morning, the adrenaline kicked in.
"Working in tandem with ground control operators, and with air-to-air refuelling from an RAF Voyager, we were able to stay on task until the mission was complete, and the target aircraft departed the UK's area of interest."
The Ministry of Defence said the aircraft were used for reconnaissance and attacking submarines.
