On patrol with the RAF Typhoons
BRITAIN’S formidable Typhoon fighters are playing a pivotal role in Nato’s “enhanced vigilance” mission in the skies above eastern Europe.
The Daily Express was yesterday the first national newspaper to join the intensified air patrols after Russia’s attack on Ukraine and witnessed first-hand the jets prowling across the Polish horizon.
During a six-hour mission, the fighters protected hundreds of miles around the capitalWarsaw while an RAFVoyager tanker plane circled in close support.
It is a significant show of strength from theWest following fearsVladimir Putin will not stop at Ukraine.And the British contribution to Nato efforts in the region could be about to get even stronger.
Four additional Typhoons arrived in Cyprus in February while Britain’s next-generation stealth jets, the F-35B, were due to protect a Nato naval battlegroup yesterday.
Military chiefs will now be hoping to utilise the £90million warplanes, many of which will be deployed on aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.
RAF Typhoons played a crucial role in destroying Islamic State capabilities in Iraq, providing crucial air support to Iraqi forces.
TheVoyager provides a crucial lifeline for the fighters, which burn through 4,000 litres of fuel every two hours and are dependent on refuelling in mid-air.
Missiles
A source said: “These aircraft are fully armed.They have an extra tank for fuel and they have air-to-air missiles.
“They are flying for longer. Missions are typically around an hour and a half. But we have refuelled three times today.”
Another source added: “Working alongside our partners in Nato the presence of combat aircraft is providing a robust response to Russian aggression.”
Four British jets were patrolling near Ukraine yesterday.Two departed from RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire.Two more left RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.
I was lucky to be in the cockpit of the Voyager when two of the Typhoons docked for refuelling.
And you cannot help but marvel at the skill of the pilots as they pulled up alongside the tanker at 28,000ft to refuel mid-air before they shot off over the horizon to continue their combat patrol.