RAF chief taunts Russian air force after routine encounter
A routine encounter between British Fighter jets and two long-range Russian reconnaissance aircraft has elicited an unprecedented reaction from the head of the Royal Air Force (RAF).
According to the RAF, Typhoon fighter jets were scrambled from RAF Lossiemouth (situated in north-east Scotland) to monitor two Russian Tupolev Tu-142s, which are long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft.
RAF Quick Reaction Alert Typhoon aircraft from @RAFLossiemouth were scrambled to monitor a Russian Tu-142 'BEAR F' while they were in the UK's area of interest.
— Royal Air Force (@RoyalAirForce) April 29, 2020
Read more: https://t.co/h2uIMDFtvl pic.twitter.com/OjPtMqSREp
It is noteworthy that the RAF statement only mentions that the Russian aircraft were in the UK’s “area of interest”, which essentially means the Tu-142s were well outside British airspace.
Air Chief Marshal, Mike Wigston, mocked the Russian aircraft as “relics of the Cold War” which pose a “hazard to civilian and military aircraft”.
BREAKING: @ChiefofAirStaff mocks Russian bombers that prompted @royalairforce to scramble Typhoon jets today: “These Russian bombers are relics of the Cold War, do not comply with international air traffic regulations & are a hazard to civilian and military aircraft 1/
— Deborah Haynes (@haynesdeborah) April 29, 2020
The commander of the RAF added: “Despite the global [coronavirus] pandemic, the Royal Air Force and our allies continue to ensure Russian military flights pose no threat to NATO and UK airspace”.
This is believed to be the first time the head of the RAF has launched a verbal assault on the Russian air force after a routine – indeed standard – encounter.
Most recently, a similar encounter occurred in early March when the RAF scrambled six Typhoon fighter jets from RAF Lossiemouth to intercept at least two Tupolev TU-95 long-range strategic bombers.
Wigston’s comments also come on the heels of the British military’s unraveling propaganda operation centered on the coronavirus pandemic, where expensive field hospitals (established by the army) lie empty and unused.
Meanwhile, the RAF continues to provoke Russia in its “area of interest” by deploying Typhoon fighter jets to the Baltic state of Lithuania, which is a former Soviet Republic.
Just yesterday, #TeamLossie Typhoons from 6 Squadron deployed to Lithuania to begin their @NATO Baltic Air Policing mission.
— RAF Lossiemouth (@RAFLossiemouth) April 29, 2020
Today's scramble to Russian activity is similar to what our pilots will likely be responding to in the Baltic region very soon.#WeAreNATO #QRA 14/14 pic.twitter.com/43DaNRzS7F
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