MBABANE:The United Kingdom(UK) has said two Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft joined a 12-hour NATO patrol earlier this week near Russia’s border, following a series of Russian drone and aircraft incursions into alliance airspace,Aljazeera reported on Saturday.
“This was a substantial joint mission with our US and NATO allies.Not only does this provide valuable intelligence to boost the operational awareness of our Armed Forces, but sends a powerful message of NATO unity to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and our adversaries,”Defence Minister John Healey said on Saturday, as concerns rise that Russia’s war in Ukraine will spill over into Europe.
The mission involved an RC-135 Rivet Joint surveillance jet and a P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft flying from the Arctic region past Belarus and Ukraine, supported by a US Air Force KC-135 refuelling plane.
British officials said the operation followed several incursions into the airspace of NATO members, including Poland, Romania, and Estonia.
A Polish Air Force fighter jet F16 flies after a refuelling by an Airbus A330 MRTT \"Phenix\" in the airspace of Poland as part of NATO\'s enhanced Air Policing (eAP) to secure the skies over Baltic allies [File: Benoit Tessier/Reuters]