[ad_1]
British and French fighters rushed to intercept two non-reactive Russian nuclear bombers on Thursday as they crossed NATO airspace into the British Isles.
NATO was monitoring the Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers as they transitioned from the airspace of several countries, reported Sky News. Interceptors were sent after Russian crews did not respond to warnings from British air traffic controllers.
The British sent Typhoon fighters and an Airbus Voyager tanker to meet the Russians, while the French also scrambled the Rafale fighters and a tanker.
The UK Department of Defense (MOD) has stated that the inability of bombers to respond to communications is "a danger to any other aviation". Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson said that the incident was posing us today.
The minister warned that the UK "would not hesitate to continually defend our skies against acts of aggression" and paid tribute to the Royal Air Force, which it says shows "the vitality of our armed forces to protect Great Britain".
The Defense Ministry said it was communicating with NATO partners as Blackjacks headed for the British Isles. Commanders sent the fighter to intercept long-range bombers as they crossed the North Sea about 40 to 100 nautical miles from the coast.
The planes then escorted the Russians "out of the UK's area of interest," the ministry said. The Russian plane has never entered British airspace.
Continue with this story and more by registering now
French Air Force spokesman Colonel Cyrille Duvivier said the country's planes had been sent to flee the Russians, even though their actions were "not hostile".
These Russian survey flights are common and are used to collect information on the response times of NATO air forces. Bombers also routinely bypass US airspace around Alaska to observe US interception practices.
Earlier this month, F-22 Raptor stealth aircraft were sent to meet two long-range "Bear" Tu-95 bombers detected in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone. Such flights can also be used to carry out attacks against US air defenses and surveillance stations using cruise missiles.
NATO aircraft are also deployed on Russian airspace, looking for weaknesses and monitoring the response of local defense forces to the threat. Earlier this year, the Kremlin appealed to Washington to adjust its flight plans to avoid any accidental collision or confrontation with Russian jets.
[ad_2]Source link
