RAF Typhoons Scramble As Russian Aircraft Flies Near NATO Airspace

Four RAF Typhoons are currently in Romania on a NATO mission  (Picture: MoD).

Two RAF Typhoons based in Romania have been scrambled in response to two Russian aircraft flying over the Romanian Black Sea.

It follows an incident last week where RAF Typhoons responded to six Russian bombers flying close to NATO airspace.

Four RAF Typhoons are deployed at the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base in southeast Romania as part of NATO's enhanced Air Policing (eAP) mission. 

They are there to bolster the alliance's air defence along its eastern flank and to intercept any aircraft that strays into NATO airspace.

The Typhoons scrambled after two Russian aircraft, suspected to be Su-30 Flankers, were seen operating near NATO airspace over the Black Sea.

The Russian aircraft were monitored by two Typhoons from 135 Expeditionary Air Wing (EAW).

One of the Typhoon pilots from 1 Squadron, attached to 135 EAW, said in a statement: “We were monitoring the activity from the Ops room as the Scramble was called.

"Everything went as planned with both of us, launching and heading east towards the two contacts.

"We had radar contact and shadowed the two aircraft as they flew through the Romanian Flight Information Region, but we never got within visual range to see them.

"It was a successful Operational mission, we achieved exactly what the UK Typhoons from 1 Squadron are expected to do as part of 135 EAW and the NATO enhanced Air Policing mission.”