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A pair of Russian nuclear-capable bombers buzzed the British coastline along the North
Sea on Thursday while ignoring repeated radio calls, according to the U.K.’s ministry
of defense. Royal Air Force (RAF) Typhoon fighter jets
on alert launched from a base in Scotland to intercept the bombers.
“The Russian Blackjacks... were not talking to air traffic control, making them a hazard
to all other aviation,” said a statement from the British military.
“Russian bombers probing U.K. airspace is another reminder of the very serious military
challenge that Russia poses us today,” said British Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson.
“We will not hesitate to continually defend our skies from acts of aggression. Once again
the rapid reactions of our RAF have demonstrated how vital our Armed Forces are in protecting
Britain,” he added. The Russian Tu-160 supersonic long-range bombers
never entered British airspace. The Royal Air Force launched fighter jets because the
Russian aircraft were ignoring air traffic controllers, the statement said.
The bombers approached the United Kingdom off the coast of Newcastle in international
airspace according to a radar image from airlive.net, which said one French jet and its supporting
tanker plane joined their NATO allies in the intercept.
It’s at least the third time this month NATO aircraft have scrambled to intercept
a formation of Russian long-range bombers. Two incidents took place off the United States
on September 1 and again on September 11. On the 11th, a pair of Cold War-era Tu-95
“Bear” bombers, also nuclear-capable, flew near Alaska. The Russian bombers were
escorted by Su-35 “Flanker” fighter jets, a rare move by Moscow sending bombers under
fighter escort. It was not clear if the Russian aircraft were armed.
At a Pentagon news conference this week, the head of NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense
Command) said the Russians were sending a “message” to the United States by flying
on 9/11, a sacred day in American history. “I think anytime that we see these kinds
of events there is a strategic message as part of that and that's part of the broader
geo-political situation that we find ourselves in these days,” said Gen. Terrence J. O’Shaughnessy.
Asked if the flight of Russian bombers off the United States on September 11 angered
him, O’Shaughnessy dodged the question. “We're prepared to respond and we responded
appropriately,” he replied. The Russians have flown bombers off Alaska
three times this year, according to a NORAD spokesman.