Britain said a Russian Bear-F maritime patrol aircraft flew at low altitude and passed “unnecessarily close” to HMS Prince of Wales, the flagship of a carrier strike group operating in the Norwegian Sea.The July 2 incident, which Britain called “unsafe and unprofessional,” comes ahead of a NATO meeting in Ankara on Tuesday, where NATO members are set to pledge €70 billion ($80 billion) in military assistance to Ukraine for 2026.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.“The Bear-F...dropped a large number of sonobuoys in close proximity to the carrier,” the UK Ministry of Defence said in a statement, referring to devices which are used to detect and track submarines.Two F-35 fighter jets from the HMS Prince of Wales were sent to intercept the Russian aircraft until it left the area.Britain’s carrier strike group is currently deployed under NATO’s command in the High North, as part of efforts to boost maritime security given concern over Russian aggression in the region.“Russian aggression”The incident comes as relations between the two countries remain at a historic low over the Russia-Ukraine war and longstanding spying allegations.The Russian Su-35 and Su-27 jets intercepted the Royal Air Force (RAF) Rivet Joint aircraft last spring, with the Su-27 at one point flying as close as six meters (19 feet) to the British plane’s nose, the statement added.The surveillance aircraft was conducting a routine flight in international airspace as part of the UK’s work alongside allies to secure NATO’s eastern flank.
Russian Aircraft Approaches British Carrier, Prompting F-35 Intercept
The UK accused a Russian military aircraft of flying dangerously close to HMS Prince of Wales before it was escorted away by British fighter jets.
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