An RAF reconnaissance aircraft was intercepted by two Russian jets flying dangerously close to the British plane over the Black Sea.
Defence Secretary John Healey condemned the close call incident as “another example of dangerous and unacceptable behaviour by Russian pilots”.
The Ministry of Defence said the British craft had been conducting a routine flight as part of Nato operations on Europe’s eastern flank.
The RAF Rivet Joint flies at speeds of 500mph plus, with defence sources estimating the Russian jets would have been flying around that speed during the dangerous intercept.
Video posted by the MoD shows the Russian Su-35 fly close enough to trigger emergency systems on the Rivet Joint, including disabling the autopilot system.
