UK says surveillance plane dangerously intercepted by Russian jets in April
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A Russian Su-35 is seen alongside a British Rivet Joint aircraft over the Black Sea in April 2026.
PHOTO: AFP
- Russian jets dangerously intercepted a British RAF surveillance plane over the Black Sea in April, raising NATO escalation risks.
- A Russian Su-27 flew six metres from the UK Rivet Joint's nose, making six passes and triggering emergency systems.
- This incident follows previous dangerous Russian actions, including a 2022 missile release and recent submarine activity near UK waters.
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LONDON - Two Russian jets in April intercepted a British Royal Air Force surveillance plane over the Black Sea, in what Britain’s defence ministry said on May 20 was a dangerous incident that raised the risk of potential escalation between NATO and Russia.
The UK Rivet Joint aircraft was unarmed and carrying out routine surveillance in international airspace over the Black Sea, the ministry said in a statement.
It was repeatedly intercepted by a Russian Su-35 aircraft, which flew close enough to trigger emergency systems on the British plane, it said. A Russian Su-27 conducted six passes, flying six metres from the Rivet Joint’s nose.
The incident was the most dangerous Russian action against a UK surveillance plane since 2022 when a nearby Russian plane released a missile over the Black Sea, in what Moscow later called a technical malfunction.
RAF planes routinely carry out surveillance with allies to secure NATO’s eastern flank.
This week, there has been a series of security incidents in the Baltic region, with a drone violating Lithuanian airspace, and a fighter jet shooting down a suspected Ukrainian drone over Estonia.
Earlier this year, Britain deployed military vessels to prevent attacks on cables and pipelines by Russian submarines that spent more than a month in and around UK waters. REUTERS
