The United Kingdom has accused a Russian military aircraft of carrying out an “unsafe and unprofessional” approach toward its aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, while it was operating in the Norwegian Sea as part of a NATO deployment. The incident occurred on July 2 and is being viewed as the latest sign of heightened military tensions between Russia and the alliance.
According to the UK Ministry of Defence, a Russian Bear F maritime patrol aircraft repeatedly flew at low altitude and unnecessarily close to the carrier before dropping a number of sonobuoys, underwater devices used to detect and track submarines, near the strike group. In response, two F 35 fighter jets launched from HMS Prince of Wales intercepted and escorted the Russian aircraft away from the area.
Britain’s Carrier Strike Group is currently operating under NATO command in the High North to strengthen security in the North Atlantic amid growing concerns over Russian military activity in the Arctic region. The encounter comes just ahead of a NATO meeting in Ankara, where member states are expected to discuss continued military support for Ukraine and regional security.
The UK has condemned the Russian aircraft’s actions as reckless, while Moscow has not publicly commented on the incident. Encounters between NATO and Russian military aircraft in international airspace have become increasingly frequent since Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
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