UK jets intercept Russian patrol aircraft near HMS Prince of Wales in Norwegian Sea

UK fighter jets intercepted a Russian maritime patrol aircraft after it repeatedly approached a carrier strike group in the Norwegian Sea, the Ministry of Defence said. The aircraft was said to have flown at low altitude and uncomfortably close to HMS Prince of Wales, the Royal Navy carrier at the centre of the deployment. The incident took place on Thursday, according to the ministry, and involved two F-35 jets launched from the carrier.

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The ministry said the Russian Bear-F aircraft was believed to have dropped 10 sonobuoys into the water during the encounter. Sonobuoys are floating monitoring devices used to detect submarines and other vessels by sonar. British forces tried to contact the aircraft on international frequencies, but it did not respond, the ministry said.

The two F-35s then escorted the Russian plane away from the carrier strike group. The UK carrier strike group is currently deployed off Iceland under Nato command, with about 1,500 British personnel on board. Alongside HMS Prince of Wales, the group includes the Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan, F-35 jets, Merlin and Wildcat helicopters, and the RFA Tidespring replenishment tanker.

The ministry said Moscow's activity in the Norwegian Sea was unsafe and unprofessional. Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis visited British forces on board the flagship over the weekend and said the deployment, supported by allies and partners including Iceland, improved deterrence and defence as part of Nato. The interception comes at a time of heightened concern in London and among Nato allies about Russian military activity.

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The head of the UK armed forces, Sir Richard Knighton, said in June that Russia had been probing, challenging and testing defences, and was raising the stakes and risks by crossing a line. Nato has also warned that Russia could be ready to use military force by 2030. The incident therefore fits into a wider pattern of close encounters at sea and in the air, where allied forces are seeking to deter and monitor Russian movements without escalating the situation.

The deployment is also notable because it is the first time Nato has conducted air policing operations from a European aircraft carrier. That makes the carrier strike group both a military asset and a visible signal of allied readiness in the North Atlantic and surrounding waters. The Norwegian Sea route is strategically important for monitoring maritime and submarine activity, which helps explain why the use of sonobuoys and the proximity of the Russian aircraft drew attention from the ministry.

The episode also follows recent tensions involving British forces, including the boarding of a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in the English Channel weeks earlier. What remains unclear is whether the Russian aircraft was acting deliberately to test the carrier group or whether the approach was part of a wider patrol pattern. The ministry has not said whether the sonobuoys were recovered or whether any further contact was made after the escort.

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