British Fighter Jets Scrambled After Russian Planes Identified Near UK Airspace
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Andy_Oxley/iStock Editorial/Thinkstock(LONDON) — British fighter jets were scrambled on Wednesday after Russian aircraft were identified flying near United Kingdom airspace.
Long-range search radar detected two unidentified jets flying in international airspace near the U.K. on Wednesday. The Royal Air Force says it scrambled Typhoon fighter jets from bases in Lossiemouth and Coningsby to intercept the Russian aircraft.
The British aircraft were directed into position to identify and escort the Russian planes through the region. At no point did the Russian jets cross into U.K. sovereign airspace.
The Russian Embassy in London said Thursday that Russian Ambassador Alexander Yakovenko was summoned to the British Foreign and Commonwealth office to discuss the incident. The embassy says that the U.K. expressed concerns over the disruption to civil aviation caused by the incident, while the Russian side said their crafts were on “routine air patrol duty.”
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