British officials said it was taking the two suspected violations “seriously” after being forced to scramble fighter jets to intercept Russian Blackjacks bombers which approached UK airspace twice in five days.
“We can confirm that RAF quick reaction alert Typhoon aircraft from RAF Lossiemouth scrambled to monitor two Blackjack bombers while they were in the UK area of interest. At no point did the Russian aircraft enter UK territorial airspace,” Royal Air Force spokesman said on Wednesday.
The UK Ministry of Defence said Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) Typhoon fighter aircraft from RAF Lossiemouth in Moray responded to the incident off Scotland’s northeast coast.
On Friday, Typhoons from Lossiemouth responded to Russian aircraft in a similar situation.
Also noted that Russian Tupolev Tu-160 long-range bombers were involved in both Friday and Wednesday’s incidents.
The RAF worked closely with NATO partners to monitor the Russian aircraft as they passed through a variety of international airspace before they were intercepted over the North Sea. British fighters escorted them from the UK’s area of interest and ensured that they did not enter UK sovereign airspace.
The RAF routinely identify, intercept and escort Russian aircraft that transit international airspace within proximity to the UK’s area of interest and continue to be on call every day.