UK fighter jets were forced to intercept an ‘unsafe’ Russian aircraft after it ‘repeatedly approached’ a carrier strike group in the Norwegian sea.
The Russian ‘Bear-F’ jet dropped a large number of sonic devices called sonobuoys near the Prince of Wales aircraft carrier, the Ministry of Defence said.
Two F-35s took off from the Prince of Wales to escort the Russian plane away from the area.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: ‘While operating in the Norwegian Sea on Operation Firecrest, the UK’s Carrier Strike Group was repeatedly approached by a Russian ‘Bear-F’ maritime patrol aircraft.
‘The Bear-F passed at low altitude and unnecessarily close to HMS Prince of Wales and dropped a large number of sonobuoys in close proximity to the carrier.
‘This activity was unsafe and unprofessional. The Russian aircraft was intercepted and escorted by two UK F-35 jets from HMS Prince of Wales until it left the area.’
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