Fighter jets have been scrambled and circled around Scotland to confront an unidentified aircraft following a NATO alert, confirmed the RAF.
A plane left from Brize Norton and its flight path was recorded as it headed to the north of Scotland. The aircraft, an Airbus KC2 Voyager, with a call sign Tartan31, departed its base at 5.57am this morning before making many loops around the coastline of northern Scotland, according to Flightradar24.
And a second plane, a Eurofighter Typhoon, with a call sign Phanto11 left RAF Lossiemouth, in Scotland, and has carried out a similar flight trajectory. The planes continued to hover around the area with the RAF KC2 Voyager Tartan understood to have squawked 1321 for NATO air policing.
Squawk codes from 1301 to 1327 refer to NATO air policing, with priority given to air defence. And a scramble is triggered when an aircraft is flying an invalid or incorrect flight plan; fails to or loses communication with the relevant air traffic control authority; or fails to communicate with the air traffic control authorities using the transponder, an electronic device that emits a four-digit signal called a “squawk code”.
The incident in Scotland was a QRA – Quick Reaction Alert – with these missions launched to intercept and investigate unidentified or unauthorised aircraft entering UK-controlled airspace. The fighter jets provide a rapid response capability to potential threats.
An RAF spokesman has now confirmed to The Mirror: “RAF Quick Reaction Alert Typhoon fighter aircraft were launched today from RAF Lossiemouth after unidentified aircraft were tracked flying towards UK airspace, however, the aircraft remained outside of our area of interest and no intercept took place.”
Last November RAF fighter jets were launched to intercept a Russian military aircraft over the North Sea. The Ministry of Defence confirmed that two Typhoon jets from RAF Lossiemouth were deployed to monitor a Russian Bear-F reconnaissance aircraft.
The aircraft was detected in the UK’s “area of interest” but did not enter sovereign airspace, according to an MoD spokesperson. The operation was part of the RAF’s Quick Reaction Alert, which maintains high readiness around the clock to safeguard UK skies.
This latest incident comes amid heightened vigilance as Russian military activity near NATO member states continues to test defence readiness. Vladimir Putin’s forces are believed to be probing Western responses as the war in Ukraine persists.
NATO scrambled fighter jets early on Sunday as Putin deployed his nuclear-capable Tu-95MS bombers to unleash a fresh barrage of missile attacks on Ukraine – including direct strikes on Kyiv.
Sunday’s air assault involved at least four Tu-95MS strategic bombers firing Kh-101 cruise missiles from above the Caspian Sea, according to Ukrainian officials. Additional Kalibr missiles were launched from the Black Sea, while Iskander-M ballistic missiles and Shahed kamikaze drones were also used.
NATO responded by scrambling jets to patrol airspace near Ukraine’s border. Poland confirmed that both its own fighters and those of other allied nations had been deployed, citing “intensive activity” by Russia’s long-range aviation. “The RSZ Operational Commander activated all available forces and resources at his disposal,” Poland’s armed forces said in a statement. “Fighter pairs have been scrambled, and ground-based air defence and reconnaissance systems are at the highest readiness.”
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