British fighter jets intercepted a Russian maritime patrol aircraft after it “repeatedly approached” a carrier strike group in the Norwegian Sea, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said.
A Russian Bear-F aircraft flew at low altitude and “unreasonably close” to the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales and is believed to have dropped 10 sonobuoys into the water on Thursday, the Ministry of Defense added.
The Ministry of Defense called Moscow’s actions in the Norwegian Sea “unsafe and unprofessional.”
It comes weeks after Royal Marines boarded a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in the English Channel, while the head of the armed forces warned the risks and threats facing the UK are greater now than at any time since the Cold War.
The British carrier strike group is currently stationed off the coast of Iceland under NATO command, with 1,500 British troops on board.
The force includes HMS Prince of Wales, Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan, F-35 fighter jets, Merlin and Wildcat helicopters, and is supported by the RFA Tidespring tanker tanker.
This is the first time NATO has conducted air patrol operations from a European aircraft carrier.
The surveillance devices, believed to have been dropped by the Bear-F, float on the water and use sonar to detect submarines and other vessels.
British forces attempted to contact the Russian aircraft on international frequencies, but it did not respond.
Two F-35s then took off from the Prince of Wales to escort the Bear-F away from the carrier strike group.
Defense Secretary Dan Jarvis visited British troops on board the flagship HMS Prince of Wales at the weekend.
“We live in increasingly dangerous and uncertain times, and it is deployments like these, supported by allies and partners, including Iceland, that improve our deterrence and defense within NATO,” he said.
He told Channel 4 News: “We must be clear about the fact that the threat from Russia exists in all domains: underwater, on the water, on the ground, in the sky, in space and also in cyberspace.”
Chief of the Defense Staff Sir Richard Knighton told the BBC in June that Russia was “probing, challenging, testing our defences” and was “upping the ante and risking crossing the line”.
NATO has warned that Russia could be ready to use military force by 2030.
Last week the government published the UK’s long-delayed defense investment plan, with outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announcing a £15 billion increase in military spending, some of which will be financed by cuts to other government departments’ budgets.
Opposition MPs and military figures have criticized the level of investment, saying it is not enough to match the scale of the threat posed by Russia.
John Healy and Al Carnes quit Sir Keir’s government in June over an earlier version of the plan, contributing to the prime minister’s downfall.