British fighter jets have been scrambled twice this week to intercept Russian aircraft in NATO airspace - Telegraph
This week, British Typhoon fighter jets were scrambled twice after Russian aircraft flew too close to NATO airspace.
This was reported by The Telegraph, according to Censor.NET.
It is reported that on Tuesday, April 15, two Typhoon fighter jets based at the air base in Malbork (Poland) were raised to intercept a Russian reconnaissance aircraft over the Baltic Sea.
48 hours later, another pair of jets was dispatched to intercept an unidentified aircraft departing from the Kaliningrad region between Poland and Lithuania.
It is noted that these intercepts will be used by the British government as additional evidence of the growing Russian threat in order to convince the United States not to reduce its military presence in Europe.
The newspaper writes that this is the first time that British Air Force fighters have been involved in Operation Chessman, a new NATO mission aimed at strengthening European air defense.
Deputy Secretary of State for the UK Armed Forces Luke Pollard said that the UK is unwavering in its commitment to NATO.
"With Russian aggression on the rise and new security challenges, we are stepping up our presence to support allies, deter adversaries and protect our national security," Pollard said.
The Telegraph writes that the planes, which are part of a six-unit fleet, were deployed to Poland only three weeks ago as part of a joint defense operation with the Swedish Air Force. They are normally based at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland and are accompanied by about 200 British troops on the mission.
