The UK Ministry of Defence disclosed that two Russian fighter jets intercepted an unarmed British Air Force reconnaissance aircraft at a dangerously close distance of only 6 meters from the British plane's nose. This "dangerous and repeated" incident occurred over international airspace above the Black Sea last month.
Reports state that a Russian Su-35 fighter jet flew dangerously close to the British Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft, triggering the British plane's emergency warning system and causing its autopilot to disengage immediately. Additionally, another Russian Su-27 fighter jet made six close passes in front of the British aircraft, maintaining a distance of just 6 meters from its nose.
UK Defence Secretary John Healey praised the "outstanding professionalism" of the British pilots and crew in handling the critical situation while strongly condemning Russia's actions.
Healey stated, "This incident is yet another example of dangerous and unacceptable behavior by Russian pilots towards an unarmed aircraft operating in international airspace. Such actions pose a serious risk of accidents and could escalate tensions."
However, the Defence Secretary emphasized that this incident will not weaken the United Kingdom's commitment to protecting NATO, its allies, and national interests from Russian aggression. At the time, the Rivet Joint aircraft was conducting a routine patrol mission to help secure NATO's eastern border region. The UK Ministry of Defence and Foreign Office have contacted the Russian embassy to demand condemnation of the incident.
The UK Ministry of Defence noted that Russian aggressive behavior in the region appears to be increasing. Recently, unusual activity was detected involving Russian submarines near critical UK underwater infrastructure in the North Sea.
This latest event bears resemblance to a tense September 2022 incident when a Russian pilot disobeyed orders and attempted to launch two missiles at the same British Rivet Joint aircraft over the Black Sea. The first missile missed its target. At that time, Russian authorities claimed the incident was due to a "technical malfunction," and the UK authorities publicly accepted this explanation. However, three senior Western security sources later told the BBC that the Russian pilot intentionally fired the missiles following ambiguous orders from Russian ground control.
The RC-135W Rivet Joint aircraft involved belongs to the UK Royal Air Force's 51 Squadron, normally based at a station in Lincolnshire. This aircraft is equipped with advanced sensors capable of intercepting and analyzing electromagnetic signals, allowing it to provide real-time strategic and tactical intelligence to the military.
/sourceBBC