Were Russian Bombers In UK Airspace? 2 Royal Air Force Jets Scrambled To Intercept Tu-160 Blackjacks

Two Royal Air Force Typhoon aircraft were scrambled Wednesday to intercept two Russian bombers that were flying toward British airspace, the BBC reported. Britain’s Ministry of Defense confirmed to the news outlet that the aircraft had been scrambled.

The Russian planes were Russian Tu-160 Blackjack bombers, according to the Telegraph. The RAF was believed to have sent Quick Reaction Alert fighters from the station RAF Coningsby to intercept the bombers, according to the paper.

A spokeswoman told the BBC the “incident is currently ongoing.” It was unclear if the aircraft had entered British airspace, with the bombers entering “an area of interest,” according to the Independent.

There have been numerous similar incidents recently in Britain and across Europe. In September two RAF fighters intercepted two Russian aircraft over the North Sea. In May two Russian planes were intercepted flying north of Scotland and heading toward Britain. In both instances the Ministry of Defense described the airspace as an “area of interest” to Britain.

An RAF spokesman told the BBC that Wednesday’s incident was not uncommon. “We have Typhoons up on a quick reaction alert,” he said.