RAF jets intercept Russian warfare plane

RAF fighter jets have intercepted two Russian aircraft off Scotland’s coast.

Defence chiefs revealed yesterday that the RAF Quick Reaction Alert Typhoons, based at RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, were scrambled after Russian aircraft ‘entered the UK’s controlled zone of international airspace’.

The Russian TU-142 Bear-F maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft were shadowed by the British jets and an RAF Voyager – which went along on the mission for in-flight fuelling – as they continued their journey.

A Typhoon pilot from RAF Lossiemouth said in a statement: ‘We worked closely with units from around the Royal Air Force to deliver another successful intercept, maintaining the integrity of UK and Nato airspace throughout. We were initially kept informed by our Nato colleagues and then routed directly to the Bears by the RAF Control and Reporting Centre.

‘Air-to-air refuelling from an RAF Voyager ensured we were able to stay on task until the mission was complete, and the aircraft departed from the UK’s area of interest.’

In March, RAF Lossiemouth Typhoon fighter jet crews were scrambled to monitor two Russian Tu-142 Bear-F aircraft.

Quick Reaction Alert incidents have occurred several times a year since the Cold War. In April last year, Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Mike Wigston, described the older Russian aircraft as ‘relics of the Cold War’ and said they posed a hazard to civilian air traffic. RAF Lossiemouth is home to half of the UK’s Typhoon fleet.