Vladimir Putin’s decision to send an anti-submarine warfare plane to “buzz” a British aircraft carrier sailing in the Arctic Circle is part of an increasingly aggressive Moscow seeking to test and harass Nato vessels, naval and intelligence experts have warned.
Royal Navy F-35B jets were sent to intercept the Russian “Bear-F” maritime patrol aircraft after it repeatedly flew in proximity to the £3.5bn HMS Prince of Wales, while maintaining radio silence and dropping tens of the underwater listening devices known as “sonobuoys”.
The incident in the Norwegian Sea last Thursday was condemned by the UK Ministry of Defence as “unsafe and unprofessional”. One leading naval expert said the Russian actions had created a “genuine safety risk” to both UK pilots and themselves.
Shorts
Photographs provided by the MoD showed the Russian aircraft, an unwieldy military plane powered by four turboprop engines, passing within visual sight of Britain’s largest warship and its Royal Navy escort vessel as it was conducting active operations.
