Russian fighter jets flew so close to a British spy plane that they disabled its autopilot, UK says

• Last month, two Russian warplanes intercepted a Royal Air Force spy plane over the Black Sea.

• The Russian jets flew within meters of the nose of the RAF plane, Britain said on Wednesday.

• Russian aircraft have a history of performing dangerous maneuvers around NATO aircraft.

Last month, Russian warplanes stopped a Royal Air Force spy plane over the Black Sea, coming just a few meters away from the aircraft. The close encounter affected the aircraft’s internal systems, Britain’s defense ministry said on Wednesday.

The intercept was the most dangerous Russian aircraft maneuver in recent history. RAF Rivet Connection over the years.

The Rivet Link, an unarmed signals intelligence and surveillance aircraft, was flying in international airspace during a routine mission. Sukhoi Su-35 He flew close enough to the spy plane to trigger the emergency systems and disable the autopilot.

Video footage from the flight deck of the Rivet Link shows that the plane passed through the Russian aircraft’s wake, which may have disrupted its internal systems.

Separately, Britain’s defense ministry said a Russian Sukhoi Su-27 He made six passes in front of the Rivet Junction and at one point came within twenty feet of its nose. The video shows both Russian jets armed with missile equipment.

British Defense Secretary John Healey described the intervention in the Black Sea as “another example of dangerous and unacceptable behavior” by Russian pilots.

“These actions create a serious risk of accidents and potentially lead to escalation,” Healey said in a statement. “I would like to pay tribute to the extraordinary professionalism and courage of the RAF crews who continued their duties despite these dangerous actions.”

The aircraft-sized RC-135V/W Rivet Mount is an American-built surveillance aircraft. aviation giant Boeing. Introduced in the early 1960s and operated exclusively by the US and UK, the aircraft specializes in signals, communications and electronic intelligence gathering.

The UK defense ministry said the incident was “Russia’s most dangerous action against the UK Rivet Link since 2022, when a Russian aircraft launched a missile over the Black Sea”.

The UK initially planned for a 2022 event. Malfunction on Russian sidehowever, later reports indicated that it was initiated deliberately.

Russian jets involved in numerous incidents Intervention and harassment at close range Incidents on NATO aircraft in recent years, which in some cases caused damage and losses, have created disappointment among US officials.

For example, a Russian jet in March 2023 I clipped the propeller. An attack by a US military MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea forced American operators to shoot down the aircraft.

Later, in July 2023, Russian jets harassed many people. US Reaper plane over Syriaperforming maneuvers such as making close passes, dropping parachute flares, and activating afterburners near drones. During one of the incidents, a plane’s propeller was damaged.

That month, a Russian warplane also Force French warplanes maneuvering to avoid what was described at the time as “unprofessional interaction”.

The UK defense ministry said the latest Black Sea incident involving the RAF Rivet Link occurred at a time of increased Russian military activity around Eastern Europe.

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