Royal Navy Shadows Russians Off British Coast

Royal Navy warships have spent the past week closely shadowing the Russian Navy as four of its vessels sailed through the Channel and the North Sea, helping to protect UK national security.
Alongside this, two RAF Typhoons scrambled from RAF Lossiemouth yesterday (11/09), supported by a Voyager from RAF Brize Norton, to intercept two Russian Bear-F aircraft operating near the UK.

The RAF jets were launched under NATO command and worked closely with our partners to monitor the aircraft as they passed through international airspace. Our Typhoon fighters escorted the aircraft out of the UK’s Flight Information Region and at no time did the Russian aircraft enter UK sovereign airspace.

Typhoons are part of the RAF’s Quick Reaction Alert, which sees aircraft in Scotland and England at high-readiness 24/7, 365 days a year ready to defend and protect UK airspace.

Defence Secretary, John Healey MP said:  
“This government is committed to making the UK secure at home and strong abroad. Efforts by the Royal Navy and RAF over the last two weeks demonstrate their selfless commitment to protecting our national security.”

To read more, visit the UK's government website.