UK fighter jets intercept Russian plane over Norwegian Sea
UK warplanes intercepted a Russian maritime patrol aircraft after it “repeatedly approached” a carrier strike group in the Norwegian Sea, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said.
The Ministry of Defense added that the Russian Bear-F aircraft passed the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales at low altitude and “unduly close” and was believed to have dropped 10 sonobuoys into the water on Thursday.
The Ministry of Defense said Moscow’s activity in the Norwegian Sea was “unsafe and unprofessional”.
This came weeks after Royal Marines boarded a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in the English Channel; The army chief warned that the risks and threats facing Britain were greater than at any time since the Cold War.
The UK’s Carrier Strike Group is currently deployed under NATO command off the coast of Iceland, with 1,500 British personnel on board.
The group consists of HMS Prince of Wales, Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan, F-35 jets, Merlin and Wildcat helicopters and is supported by RFA Tidespring, a supply tanker.
This is the first time NATO has conducted air policing operations from a European aircraft carrier.
The tracking devices, believed to have been shot down by a Bear-F aircraft, float on water and use sonar to detect submarines and other ships.
British forces attempted to contact the Russian aircraft on international frequencies, but the aircraft did not respond.
Two F-35 jets then flew from Prince of Wales to distract the Bear-F from the Carrier Strike Group.
Defense Secretary Dan Jarvis visited British forces aboard the flagship HMS Prince of Wales at the weekend.
“We live in increasingly dangerous and uncertain times, and it is deployments like these, supported by allies and partners, including Iceland, that enhance our deterrence and defense as part of NATO,” he said.
He told Channel 4 News: “We must be vigilant that the threat from Russia exists in every domain, including underwater, on water, on land, in the sky, in space and in cyberspace.”
Chief of the Defense Staff Sir Richard Knighton told the BBC in June that Russia was “probing, challenging, testing our defences” and “increasing the risk and risking crossing a line”.
NATO has warned that Russia may be ready to use military force by 2030.
The government published the UK’s long-delayed defense investment plan last week; Outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has predicted a £15bn increase in military spending, some of which will be financed by budget cuts in other government departments.
Opposition lawmakers and military figures have criticized the level of investment, saying it does not go far enough to meet the scale of the threat posed by Russia.
John Healey and Al Carns resigned from Sir Keir’s government in June over an earlier version of the plan, contributing to the prime minister’s downfall.
