Live-armed Typhoons were deployed from Leuchars Station in Fife, Scotland, on Wednesday to intercept the pair Russian Tu-160 Blackjack bombers as they approached the UK. The two Blackjacks were detected by Nato air defence radars, and a decision was made to scramble quick reaction alert fighters from the Royal Norwegian Air Force. Luftforsvaret F-16s from Bodø Airbase intercepted and visually identified the Russian aircraft, shadowing them as they continued south. As the Russian Blackjacks approached UK waters, a Voyager multi-role tanker transport was launched from RAF Brize Norton. This was followed by the RAF’s quick reaction alert Typhoons from their temporary home at Leuchars Station to intercept the two Blackjacks. It’s understood the Russian warplanes were heading in the direction of HMS Queen Elizabeth and her carrier strike task group, although did not actually get near the £3.2bn warship – which returned home to Portsmouth yesterday. ‘We worked closely with units from around the Royal Air Force to deliver another successful intercept, maintaining the safety and integrity of UK and Nato airspace throughout,’ one of the Typhoon pilots said in a statement by the RAF. ‘The control and reporting centre at RAF Scampton routed us directly to the Tu-160 Blackjacks so that we could take over the mission from our Norwegian allies. ‘Air to air refuelling from an RAF Voyager ensured we were able to stay on task until the two Blackjacks departed from the UK’s area of interest.’ The Blackjack bombers returned north where they were handed back over to Luftforsvaret Q F-16s, with the live-armed Typhoons returning to their permanent home of RAF Lossiemouth. HMS Queen Elizabeth was carrying out her final phase of carrier strike training in waters off Scotland at the time. The ship had been packed full of F-35 stealth jets, the most advanced warplanes in the world. SEE ALSO: Navy commander retires after an epic 58 years of service Looking for the latest Royal Navy updates from Portsmouth? Join our new Royal Navy news Facebook group to keep up to date. A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron Thank you for reading this story. The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on our advertisers and thus our revenues. The News is more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism. You can subscribe here for unlimited access to Portsmouth news and information online. Every subscription helps us continue providing trusted, local journalism and campaign on your behalf for our city.
