RAF and German air force intercept Russian aircraft in ‘routine’ Nato mission

Ministry of Defence stresses the ‘routine’ nature of the response, but it comes amid tensions between the West and Russia

A Russian aircraft was intercepted by RAF and German fighter jets near Estonian airspace in the first joint exercise between the two Nato allies.

Two British and German Typhoon jets were scrambled on Tuesday when a Russian air-to-air refuelling aircraft failed to communicate with Estonian air traffic control.

It comes as the UK prepares take over from Germany to lead the Nato mission in Estonia, which borders Russia.

On Tuesday Russian fighter jets forced a US drone out of the sky over international waters in the Black Sea amid heightened tensions between the two countries over the Kremlin’s illegal war in Ukraine.

The Ministry of Defence stressed the “routine” nature of the mission, but it comes amid tensions between the West and Russia over the invasion of Ukraine.

Armed forces minister James Heappey said: “Nato continues to form the bedrock of our collective security.

“This joint UK and German deployment in the Baltics clearly demonstrates our collective resolve to challenge any potential threat to Nato’s borders, whilst demonstrating our combined strength.”

A Typhoon pilot from the RAF’s IX(Bomber) Squadron, who was not named by the Ministry of Defence, said: “We were scrambled to intercept an aircraft that was approaching Estonian airspace. We identified and monitored it as it transited close to Nato airspace.

“Any aircraft that are not communicating with Air Traffic Control or on a recognised flight plan will be intercepted by us to ensure we know who they are and maintain flight safety for all airspace users.

File photo: A Typhoon taking off from RAF Coningsby in Linconshire (Joe Giddens/PA) (PA Wire)

“As a fighter pilot this was a routine business, even though I was flying alongside a German colleague.

“It is clear that all of our training and hard work paid off as we seamlessly operated together.”

Commander of the RAF’s 140 Expeditionary Air Wing, Wing Commander Scott Maccoll, said it had been “great” to see UK and German forces “operate as one team”.

Details of the mission came amid a fresh reminder of the depth of tensions between Russia and the US, after a Russian fighter jet struck the propeller of a US surveillance drone over the Black Sea.

The US called it a “brazen violation of international law” and caused the American forces to bring down the unmanned aerial vehicle.

Moscow said the US drone manoeuvred sharply and crashed into water following an encounter with Russian fighter jets scrambled to intercept it near Crimea, but insisted its warplanes did not fire their weapons or hit the drone.

The incident appeared to mark the first time since the height of the Cold War that a US aircraft was brought down after an encounter with a Russian warplane.