RAF scrambles fighters to intercept Russian military aircraft

Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF) scrambled Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets on Saturday as multiple Russian aircraft approached the UK airspace, according to multiple reports.

On November 28, the RAF announced that Typhoon fighter jets were scrambled to intercept Russian military aircraft operating in international airspace near UK airspace.

“The Typhoons launched from RAF Lossiemouth on Saturday morning and were joined by an RAF Voyager from RAF Brize Norton, which provided air-to-air refuelling for the Typhoons,” the Air Force said in a release on Saturday.

Also noted that two Russian Tu-142 Bear F maritime patrol aircraft were intercepted. These aircraft are used in the roles of Anti-Submarine Warfare and Maritime Patrol. It is essential that their movements are carefully monitored when operating close to UK airspace.

“Russian military aircraft operating within the UK Flight Information Region can act as a hazard to other air users, especially in this case as this was busy airspace over the North Sea,” the news release says. “Often these aircraft do not squawk, which involves transmitting a code to identify the aircraft’s intentions, position, and altitude, or talk to UK air traffic controllers, causing other civilian airliners in the area to be re-routed to prevent aircraft from flying too close.”

Russian state news agency TASS also reported that the Russian embassy to the UK has repeatedly pointed out that in recent years, British politicians and defense officials had often cited the alleged Russian threat to justify larger defense spending and the expansion of the British military presence into other regions. Russian diplomats emphasized that numerous missions of RAF jets scrambled to intercept Russian aircraft were an unjustified waste of material and human resources and created additional risks for civil aviation.