UK Defence Secretary John Healey has condemned as “dangerous and unacceptable” two incidents in mid-April where Russian jets flew dangerously close to an unarmed RAF Rivet Joint spy plane over the Black Sea.
In one incident, a Russian Su-27 jet came within six metres of the British aircraft, which was travelling at 500mph, conducting six passes in front of its nose. In another, a Russian Su-35 jet flew so close that it triggered the RAF plane’s emergency systems, disabling the autopilot.
The Rivet Joint, a surveillance aircraft with a crew of up to 30, was on a Nato patrol mission monitoring Russian activity in international airspace. The Ministry of Defence described it as the most dangerous Russian action against a British Rivet Joint since a missile was fired near one in 2022.
Healey praised the “outstanding professionalism and bravery” of the RAF crew, stating that the incident would not deter the UK’s commitment to defend Nato and its allies from Russian aggression.
The incidents come amid heightened Russian military activity in Europe, including the escort of oil tankers through the North Sea and the loitering of Russian submarines near undersea infrastructure in the North Atlantic.
