RAF scrambles Typhoons to intercept Russian Bears

[flyinkiwi]

www.stuff.co.nz/world/europe/65579168/Britain-scrambles-fighter-jet-to-intercept-Russian-bombers

Britain has issued a "please explain" to Russia after two Russian "Bear" long-range bombers flew over the English Channel forcing authorities to divert civil aircraft as it scrambled fighter jets to intercept.

The Russian planes were detected flying over the Channel, south of England, on Wednesday and typhoons were launched from Royal Air Force (RAF) bases at Lossiemouth in Scotland and Coningsby in eastern England, the MoD said.

Not good that the Bears were flying in the middle of some of Europe's busiest civil air routes with no active transponders.

[machpants]

Yeah Putin just keeps pushing the boundaries. At least means that Q isn't such an awful drag, like my time there!

[gustav10]

Sooooooo, let me get this straight.....A couple of Bears get to the Channel before being spotted?
Not trying out new masking or stealth technology are they??
Either way some questions need to be asked somewhere...not a good look if you are protecting the realm.

[machpants]

It is a perfectly fine look to protect the realm, without 24/7 all round the island AWACS coverage it is very easy to do! The point being they were intercepted but that was it. They were in international airspace and just flew through it. It was a 12 hour mission by the Typhoons, who basically stuck with them, squawking away, so the controller could see where the hell it was! It wasn't like it popped up in the channel no one seeing it.

"They travelled from the north, past the west coast of Ireland and to the English Channel before turning and going back the way they had come, he said.

He said the bombers did not file a flight plan, did not have their transponders switched on and "weren't talking to air traffic control"."

[Dave Homewood]

Maybe the Bears were re-enacting Flight MH370 to see how far they might get?