Supersonic US bombers on deployment to a West Country airfield were confronted with a Russian fighter jet. The 'unplanned interaction' happened as the planes flew over the Baltic Sea region.
Two B-1B Lancers reported the incident with SU-27 on Tuesday (May 23), reports Gloucestershire Live. It comes as Four B-1B Lancers are now stationed at RAF Fairford in the Cotswolds as part of a long-planned mission that will see them conduct training flights and missions in the European theatre.
According to Air & Space Forces Magazine, the two bombers were in international airspace alongside NATO allies and partners as they arrived in Europe on Tuesday. It was there they had the interaction with "foreign fighter aircraft", a spokesperson forU.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) said.
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The spokesperson told the magazine: “Two of the Texas-based supersonic bombers from Dyess Air Force Base’s 7th Bomb Wing entered the theater today [Tuesday] by first integrating with allies and partners conducting NATO’s Air Policing and Air Shielding missions throughout the Baltic Sea region
“The Baltic Sea serves as a critical economic corridor, and consistent coalition surveillance of the international air and maritime space preserves safe and secure passage for all.”
The Russin Ministery of Defence said a Su-27 was sent to monitor the B-1Bs, and the magazine added that the US European Command said the planes "were interacted with safely and professionally by Russian aircraft.”
Two B-1B Lancers arrived at RAF Fairford on Tuesday with a second pair arriving on Thursday. They are here with Bomber Task Force Europe as tensions between Vladimir Putin's Russia and the West remain high after the illegal invasion of Ukraine last year.
People stopped what they were doing and looked skywards the loud rumbling from the plane soared through above them. Eurofighters flew loops over Cheltenham and Gloucester shortly after 3pm on Tuesday (May 23) before heading north.
It is understood there were two jets flying as a pair, “Nightmare21 and Nightmare 22. They were seen flying low in what is a potential touch-and-go at Gloucestershire Airport in Staverton
The USAF said of the B-1Bs mission on Tuesday: "The highly agile aircraft’s 12-hour mission from North America to Europe demonstrates the U.S. Air Force’s rapid ability to deploy anywhere, anytime, and provide lethal precision and global strike options U.S. and Allied commanders."
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