RAF's Rivet Joint gathers intel along Russian border and lets Moscow know we're watching you

Real-time intelligence on Russian forces is being gathered by an RAF jet flying the full Nato-Russia border - taking 12 hours.

This is the first time an RAF Rivet Joint – an airframe which dates back to the Vietnam War - has flown a mission of this length.

The aircraft's route took it close to the border with Finland and Russia, then over the Baltic States and down the border with Belarus before flying over the Black Sea near Crimea and returning to the UK.

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The Rivet Joint detects electronic emissions for hundreds of miles. Its altitude means that when looking down, it collects everything.

Every radio burst transmission, every radar turned on, every jammer, every mobile call.

The information paints a real-time image of Russian military activity that's constantly updating Nato intelligence networks.

One of its tasks is to spot and deter impending drone launches aimed at penetrating Nato airspace to test reaction time and resolve.

This mission was overt. The aircraft transponder was on - meaning it wanted to be seen.

Why? To send a message that Nato is watching - and also to send a message to our allies that the UK is playing its part in the defence of Europe.

As the Rivet Joint tracked Russia's borders an RAF Poseidon flew a circuit of the Baltic Sea.

With neither able to refuel from an RAF Voyager, the mission had to be supported by a US Air Force tanker.