British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales arrives at Tokyo International Cruise Terminal in Japan on August 28. On Thursday, F-35 jets from the aircraft carrier intercepted a Russian aircraft near the Norwegian Sea. File Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo
July 6 (UPI) -- British military jets intercepted a Russian maritime patrol aircraft after it repeatedly approached Britain's carrier strike group in the Norwegian Sea, defense officials said Monday.
The Defense Ministry said the Russian Bear-F plane approached "unnecessarily close" to the HMS Prince of Wales on Thursday, the BBC reported. The ministry said British forces attempted to contact the Russian aircraft but it didn't respond.
Officials believe the Russian plane dropped 10 sonobuoys -- small sonar buoys used in research or to detect submarines -- into the water.
The Defense Ministry described the approaches as "unsafe and unprofessional."
