UK fighter jets escort Russian patrol aircraft near carrier in North Atlantic
Two UK F-35s intercepted a Russian Bear-F patrol plane that flew close to the HMS Prince of Wales carrier group in the Norwegian Sea, the defence ministry said.
The UK Ministry of Defence said a Russian Bear-F patrol aircraft conducted unsafe manoeuvres near the HMS Prince of Wales carrier group during NATO air-defence operations off Iceland last week. The aircraft repeatedly approached the carrier at low altitude and released sonar devices in the vicinity, prompting the launch of two F-35 jets from the carrier to intercept and escort the plane until it left the area.
"This activity was unsafe and unprofessional," a ministry spokesperson said about the incident in the Norwegian Sea, also referred to as the High North.
The carrier, leading a NATO mission to protect the North Atlantic from what the ministry described as increasing Russian threats, was visited by Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis and Icelandic Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir over the weekend. Jarvis said the deployment, supported by allies including Iceland, enhances deterrence and defence, while Gunnarsdottir called it a clear demonstration of NATO’s enhanced presence in the strategically important region.
The episode follows previous incidents cited by the ministry, including Russian jets intercepting a British surveillance aircraft over the Black Sea in April and a Russian frigate firing warning shots at a yacht in the English Channel in June.
