Ministry of Defense
RAF typhoon splatters near Russian aircraft near NATO airspace
The two Russian aircraft flying near NATO airspace were detected by British fighters in separate incidents earlier this week, the UK Ministry of Defense said.
A pair of RAF Tichins was scrambled on April 15th to intercept a Russian Ilysin IL-20M “Koot A” intelligence aircraft in the Baltic Sea.
The two intercepts that took off from Malborg Air Base in Poland were part of the UK’s contribution to NATO’s enhanced air police.
They were the RAF’s first intercept in collaboration with Sweden since the aircraft arrived in the region and began defending the eastern flank of NATO.
The UK’s involvement in NATO’s strengthened aviation police is called Operation Chessman and looks at staff from across the RAF deployed in Malborg along with NATO’s latest member, Sweden.
The project follows Prime Minister Kiel’s commitment to increasing defense spending to 2.5% of GDP.
Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard said the UK is “unshakable” in its commitment to NATO.
“With Russia’s increasing aggressiveness and increased security threats, we are stepping up to reassure our allies, stop our enemies and protect our national security through a plan of change,” he said.
“The mission demonstrates its ability to operate alongside NATO’s latest member Sweden, and its ability to protect the Alliance’s airspace whenever necessary, keeping safe at home and being strong overseas,” Pollard added.
Scramble RAF jets are not uncommon
This is not the first time a RAF jet has been used to intercept Russian aircraft.
Two typhoons based in RAF Rosiemouth in Scotland were scrambled last year after Russian bear bombers flew through the North Sea.
At the time, the mod said that Russian reconnaissance planes were detected in “area of interest” in the UK but were unable to enter the UK sovereign airspace.
The 50 Russian aircraft were intercepted by Rosiemouth-based RAF pilots in 2023, when 21 aircraft were intercepted in 21 days.
In another incident in 2023, typhoon fighter jets and Norwegian F-35A fighter jets were launched as part of NATO’s response to Russian aircraft near British airspace.
Such incidents — known as quick response alerts — are not uncommon, and involve RAF crews covering Russian aircraft near British airspace and are operating further if necessary. They have been around since the Cold War era.
However, intercepts are not used solely to track Russian aircraft. In October 2024, RAF fighter jets were scrambled to intercept civilian passenger planes reporting bombs.
A RAF spokesman then said the alert ended successfully and the Boeing 777-300 was “released to continue to its original destination.”
