London, United Kingdom. Britain said a Russian patrol aircraft repeatedly approached HMS Prince of Wales in the Norwegian Sea before being escorted away by UK fighter jets, in what it described as an unsafe and unprofessional incident.
Incident in the Norwegian Sea
Britain said the Russian Bear-F maritime patrol aircraft passed at low altitude and unnecessarily close to HMS Prince of Wales on July 2. The aircraft carrier is at the centre of a naval formation known as a carrier strike group.
The Ministry of Defence said the Bear-F dropped a large number of sonobuoys in close proximity to the carrier. Sonobuoys are devices used to detect and track submarines.
Two F-35 fighter jets from HMS Prince of Wales were sent to intercept the Russian aircraft until it left the area.
NATO deployment
The incident comes ahead of a NATO meeting in Ankara on Tuesday, where members are set to pledge 70 billion euros in military assistance to Ukraine for 2026.
Britain’s carrier strike group is currently deployed under NATO command in the High North as part of efforts to strengthen North Atlantic security amid concern over Russian activity in the region.
Broader security concerns
Earlier this year, Britain deployed military vessels to prevent attacks on cables and pipelines by Russian submarines that spent more than a month in and around UK waters.
In a separate statement on Monday, Britain said defence minister Dan Jarvis had recently visited UK forces onboard the aircraft carrier in waters near Iceland.