British Fighter Jets Scrambled to Intercept Russian Bombers

British figher jet intercepts Russian Tu-95 Bear bomber, Sept. 16, 2014British Typhoon fighter jets were scrambled to intercept two Russian Bear long-range bombers which had flown close to UK airspace, Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) said on Thursday.

The Russian planes were detected flying over the Channel, south of England, on Wednesday and typhoons were launched from Royal Air Force (RAF) bases at Lossiemouth in Scotland and Coningsby in eastern England, the MoD said.

“The Russian planes were escorted by the RAF until they were out of the UK area of interest. At no time did the Russian military aircraft cross into UK sovereign airspace,” the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

Image: British figher jet intercepts Russian Tu-95 Bear bomber, Sept. 16, 2014 (photo: UK Ministry of Defense)