RAF jets chase off Russians
RAF jets chased a Russian bomber away from British airspace — in a drama that echoes the Cold War.
Hardline President Vladimir Putin has stepped up a cat-and-mouse game in the skies by ordering planes to “buzz” Britain.
And last night one analyst warned that chasing off the long-range Russian Bear-H jet could have escalated to “an unthinkable level”.
Two British £67million Typhoon jets — the new Eurofighters — flew to intercept the menacing Bear-H jet over the North Atlantic on Friday, it emerged yesterday.
The Russian jet — a version of the Tupolev-95 long-range nuclear bomber and feared to be on a spy mission — quickly fled.
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The drama brings the row over the London poisoning of former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko to new and dangerous heights.
And it threatens a new period of conflict and tension with the Kremlin, a decade after the end of the Cold War finally thawed 44 years of suspicion and brinkmanship with the Soviet Union.
After seeing pictures of the jets, Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell said: “These convey disturbing echoes of the Cold War.”
A military expert added: “Putin is playing a dangerous game. If the RAF were to shoot one of these things down it could quickly escalate to an unthinkable level.”
It is the first time the new Typhoons have been scrambled on a genuine alert since they took over defence of Britain’s airspace in June.
The jets — top speed 1,800mph — reached the bomber in less than 15 minutes after being scrambled from RAF Coningsby, Lincs.
They clung to the Bear-H’s tail before it finally fled.
An RAF spokesman said: “The plane was on a heading that gave a cause for concern. Our response was in accordance with NATO guidelines.”
Earlier on Friday, hardliner Mr Putin revealed his bombers had been put back on long-range patrol for the first time since the break-up of the Soviet Union.
In May, two Tornado F3s intercepted two Russian spy planes off Scotland.
And in July, two Tornados and Norwegian air force jets raced to meet two Tupolev-95s in the Arctic Circle.
Hardliner ... Putin
Hardliner ... Putin
It is the latest provocative act since the murder in November of former KGB spy Litvinenko, a UK citizen and fierce critic of Putin’s regime.
He expelled four British diplomats last month after our Foreign Secretary sent four of his envoys home.
With only months before his presidency ends, experts fear Mr Putin is ready to go out in a blaze of glory.
He thinks standing up to Britain and the US will boost his popularity and deflect attention from domestic problems.
A diplomatic source said: “He has nothing to lose. He clearly wants to show that he is boss and will not be pushed around by the West.”
# A fighter jet flying from Russia violated Georgian airspace for second time this month yesterday, when it flew 3 miles into Georgian territory.
