BRITAIN'S Royal Air Force (RAF) has revealed that it intercepted two Russian military jets observing a recent Royal Navy exercise, bringing back memories of the Cold War. An RAF spokesman declined to say exactly when the incident above international waters off Scotland took place and said there was no contact between the British and Russian jets.
Two Tornado F3 planes left the Leuchars air base in Fife, Scotland, after two Russian Bear Foxtrot planes were detected on the base's radar screens. The naval training exercise, dubbed Operation Neptune Warrior, involved 14 countries and included warships, submarines and aircraft between April 22 and May 3.
"The Russians obviously thought it might be worth coming through to have a look at what we were up to and probably take some photos,'' said squadron leader Keith Wardlaw. "It's a throwback to the Cold War when they used to fly in regularly to poke and prod at the edges of British airspace and test our reaction times.''
"It's normal to let such aircraft know we're there by pulling up alongside them and they left quietly. The whole encounter probably lasted 15, 20 minutes.'' |