UK scrambles fighters after Russian plane detected
Photo: UK raised Typhoon because of a Russian plane (defence-ua-com)
The UK scrambled its fighter jets because of a Russian plane near its borders. The Russian plane did not violate British airspace, Sky News reports.
The Royal Air Force aircraft were scrambled on Thursday, November 14. Typhoon fighter jets deployed at RAF Lossiemouth tracked a Russian Tu-142 flying over the North Sea.
The statement indicates that a Russian reconnaissance aircraft had been detected within the UK's area of interest but was unable to enter UK sovereign airspace.
This was the second incident in three months when the UK navy and air force detected Russian ships and aircraft within a week of each other.
The UK Ministry of Defense also reported that warships, helicopters, and long-range maritime patrol aircraft were tracking two separate groups of Russian ships. They were heading in opposite directions: one group to the Atlantic and the other to the Baltic Sea.
This is not the first time that NATO countries have intercepted Russian aircraft approaching the airspace of allied countries. In September, the United States intercepted Russian military aircraft near Alaska.
In August, Poland raised F-16 fighter jets to track a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft over the Baltic Sea.
