Two RAF jets warned ‘you will be destroyed’ by Putin’s forces in tense encounter

A tense brushwood betwixt British and Russian combatant pitchy pilots has been revealed successful cockpit footage taken disconnected the seashore of Ukraine. 

Two Typhoon jets escorting the RAF’s ‘Rivet Joint’ spy level were warned that they would beryllium ‘destroyed’ by Vladimir Putin’s forces if they continued flying towards the Crimean peninsular.  

In a abstracted disclosure, figures showing however British jets person been repeatedly scrambled to intercept Russian bombers person been released by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).  

Seven launches successful effect to the Kremlin’s long-range ‘Bears’ and different rogue craft successful oregon adjacent UK airspace took spot past year, the accusation obtained by Metro shows.  

The precocious stakes crippled is captured successful the footage taken implicit the Black Sea wherever a Russian connection transmitted to each 3 RAF craft says: ‘Ivory Eagle, Ivory Eagle, Ivory Eagle, Delta Echo Zemlya.  

‘You are approaching the authorities borderline of the Russian Federation combat zone. If you don’t leave, you volition beryllium destroyed.’  

Typhoon pilots Josh and Joe, of 11 Squadron based astatine RAF Coningsby, had made 500mph flights from the highly engaged RAF Akrotiri successful Cyprus to conscionable up with the spy level implicit Romania.  

They flew alongside the ‘electronic hoover’ — arsenic Flt Lt Josh describes the eavesdropping craft — as it headed implicit the Black Sea to stitchery subject quality astir Vladimir Putin’s forces. 

Ahead of the sortie, helium said: ‘We cognize 100% that there’s going to beryllium Russian surface-to-air rocket systems that volition beryllium looking astatine us, Russian combatant jets. We don’t cognize what’s going to happen.’ 

Talking viewers done the encounter, which took spot during 1 of the astir unsafe missions undertaken by the RAF, Flt Lt Josh reflects: ‘This could beryllium crippled implicit for us.’  

The blase Rivet Joint, which is bristling with intelligence-gathering technology, and the combatant pitchy pilots past person a determination to make.  

The stakes astatine play were underscored successful September 2022 erstwhile 1 of 2 Russian SU-27 jets released a rocket successful the vicinity of a Rivet Joint connected regular patrol implicit the Black Sea 

After a crippled of feline and rodent with the interceptor jet, the RAF enactment turns astir conscionable abbreviated of the Crimean seashore successful the footage captured for Channel 4’s Top Guns: Inside the RAF, which airs tonight.  

The Metro can contiguous uncover the menace person to home, with figures showing the fig of times the RAF has launched speedy absorption alerts (QRAs) against Russian and different aircraft.

In 2024, crews connected changeless standby were scrambled connected 4 occasions to intercept the Kremlin’s long-range military craft and 3 successful effect to planes from different nations. 

The twelvemonth before, the QRA was launched 3 times successful effect to Russian planes and six successful effect to different imaginable threats.  

The launches person remained reasonably accordant implicit the past 4 years contempt tensions escalating betwixt Moscow and the West aft Putin’s all-out onslaught connected Ukraine.  

One of the incidents led to an RAF aviator talking astir the adrenaline footwear helium felt erstwhile the aboriginal greeting alert was issued.

In August 2023, Typhoon fighters were launched to intercept 2 Russian long-range maritime patrol bombers arsenic they transited northbound of the Shetland Islands successful Scotland wrong NATO’s bluish aerial policing areas.  

Crews astatine RAF Lossiemouth, 1 of the RAF’s 2 QRA stations wherever pilots are acceptable to respond wrong minutes, monitored the Tu-142 Bear-F and Tu-142 Bear-J aircraft, utilized for reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare, as they passed northbound of the UK. 

The pb RAF Typhoon pilot, who was not named, said astatine the time: ‘It’s truly satisfying to cognize we’ve been capable to marque a palmy intercept, maintaining the integrity of UK and NATO airspace.  

‘When the alarm for a scramble happened successful the aboriginal hours of the morning, the adrenaline kicked in. 

‘Working successful tandem with crushed power operators, and with air-to-air refuelling from an RAF Voyager, we were capable to enactment connected task until the ngo was complete.

‘The people craft departed the UK’s country of interest.’ 

The MoD has said that RAF craft are ‘held astatine continuous precocious readiness 24/7’ successful bid to support UK and NATO airspace.  

*Top Guns: Inside the RAF, airs contiguous connected Channel 4 astatine 9pm 

Do you person a communicative you would similar to share? Contact josh.layton@metro.co.uk

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