Furious British defence chiefs blast dangerous Kremlin warplane crews who came within yards of hitting a UK spy plane in Black Sea horror incident17:00, 20 May 2026Updated 17:00, 20 May 2026Russian jets ‘dangerously’ intercepted RAF spy plane above Black SeaBritish defence chiefs have blasted “dangerous” Kremlin warplane crews whose fighter jets came within metres of a UK spy plane guarding NATO territory against attack. The £310million British “Rivet Joint” craft was on a routine patrol over the Black Sea when it was closely and dangerously intercepted by two Russian supersonic ‘air superiority attack craft.’‌Both the Su-35 and the Su-27 screamed to within metres of the crewed UK spy plane, so close that it disabled the plane’s autopilot and triggered emergency alarms. The Russian planes are designed to ‘dogfight’ against NATO planes and to intercept western long-range bombers such as the B1 and B-52 American warplanes.‌‌READ MORE: Ukraine gains upper hand in horror frontline battles against Russia as Zelensky plots more attacksREAD MORE: Horror in Lebanon worsens as Donald Trump puts 'full-scale' Iran attack on holdIn another dangerous intercept, a Russian Su-27 aircraft conducted six passes in front of the British aircraft, flying as close as six metres of the Rivet Joint’s nose.The Rivet Joint aircraft was in international airspace over the Black Sea and was unarmed, part of the UK’s work alongside allies to secure NATO’s Eastern Flank.This latest incident took place last month. The UK Ministry of Defence and the Foreign Office have complained to the Russian Embassy to condemn the pilots’ dangerous and unacceptable behaviour.‌The Boeing RC-135V/W "Rivet Joint" spy plane carries a total crew of about 25 to 30 personnel, divided into a flight crew of three to five and a mission crew of 21 to 27 intelligence experts who operate the onboard surveillance systems.Defence Secretary John Healey MP stormed: “This incident is another example of dangerous and unacceptable behaviour by Russian pilots, towards an unarmed aircraft operating in international airspace.‌“These actions create a serious risk of accidents and potential escalation. I would like to pay tribute to the outstanding professionalism and bravery of the RAF crew who continued with their mission despite these dangerous actions."“Let me be very clear: This incident will not deter the UK’s commitment to defend NATO, our allies and our interests from Russian aggression.” This incident was the most dangerous Russian action against a UK Rivet Joint since 2022, when a Russian plane fired a missile over the Black Sea.‌One source told the Mirror: “This is all about getting one over Britain in the sense that it creates tension and aggression whilst also serving a purpose. The Russians clearly want to make it less comfortable to conduct surveillance and monitoring missions in this region and to put crews on edge."“But it also allows Russian crews to work out how UK forces react to certain situations. They will have carefully monitored the radio traffic in the area at the time to test UK reactions to what was quite a serious incident.”‌The RAF Rivet Joint is a reconnaissance aircraft that uses advanced sensors for electronic surveillance helping keep NATO territory safe.This latest incident comes amid continued Russian aggression and heightened military activity in Eastern Europe and the High North.Article continues belowWar in Ukraine has heightened tensions with Russia and increased aerial and maritime incursions by Moscow’s craft towards British airspace and coastal territory.The intercepts came just days after the Defence Secretary exposed nefarious Russian submarine activity over critical underwater infrastructure in the North Atlantic, where British personnel, ships and aircraft were deployed alongside our Allies.