RAF Sends Typhoons Into the Sky as Russian Air Threat Approaches UK Airspace

RAF Typhoon fighter jets were scrambled from RAF Lossiemouth on May 25 after an unidentified aircraft was detected heading down the Norwegian coast toward UK airspace, the UK Defence Journal reported on May 26.

The aircraft was reportedly not communicating with air traffic control. RAF Typhoons were launched under the UK’s Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) system and later patrolled northeast of Shetland.

According to the UK Defence Journal, the tasking was understood to be linked to potential Russian air activity near NATO and national airspace.

The UK Ministry of Defence confirmed the launch in a statement from an RAF spokesperson.

“RAF Quick Reaction Alert Typhoon fighter aircraft were launched on 25 May from RAF Lossiemouth this afternoon. The Typhoons were supported by a Voyager from RAF Brize Norton,” the spokesperson said.

Open-source flight tracking also identified a KC.2 Voyager tanker operating under the callsign TARTAN 11, registration ZZ336, routing from RAF Brize Norton toward Lossiemouth ahead of the mission.

A Typhoon FGR.4 using the callsign PHANTOM 12 was also identified as likely airborne in connection with the scramble.

Quick Reaction Alert is a core part of the RAF’s air defense mission. Fighter jets are launched when unidentified aircraft cannot be identified by other means, including aircraft that do not communicate with civilian or military air traffic control, have not filed a flight plan, or are not transmitting a recognizable secondary surveillance radar code.

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RAF QRA aircraft are kept at immediate readiness and can take off within minutes.

The RAF’s primary role is to control the air over the United Kingdom and, when necessary, protect UK interests overseas. Typhoon squadrons conduct QRA duties from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, and the Falkland Islands.

Under the direction of Air Battlespace Controllers at RAF Boulmer in Northumberland, RAF fighters can be scrambled to intercept, identify, and, if necessary, intervene against aircraft approaching UK airspace.

Earlier, a Russian fighter jet came within just six meters of the nose of a British military surveillance aircraft during a dangerous intercept over the Black Sea.

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