Britain’s Royal Navy aircraft carrier operating in the Norwegian Sea was repeatedly approached by a Russian patrol plane last week before British fighter jets stepped in to escort the aircraft out of the area, in the latest flashpoint between NATO and Russia.
The UK government labeled the encounter “unsafe and unprofessional.” The incident took place on July 2 and comes just days before a NATO gathering in Ankara on Tuesday, where alliance members are expected to commit €70 billion in military support to Ukraine for 2026.
According to British officials, a Russian “Bear-F” maritime patrol aircraft flew at low altitude and came “unnecessarily close” to HMS Prince of Wales — the aircraft carrier at the heart of a naval formation known as a carrier strike group.
Britain’s Ministry of Defence released a statement saying the Russian plane “dropped a large number of sonobuoys in close proximity to the carrier.” Sonobuoys are devices designed to detect and track submarines operating underwater.
In response, two F-35 fighter jets launched from HMS Prince of Wales to intercept the Russian aircraft and remained on scene until it departed the area.
The British carrier strike group is currently operating under NATO command in the High North, a mission aimed at strengthening security across the North Atlantic amid growing concern over Russian military activity in the region.
Earlier this year, Britain deployed naval vessels to guard against potential attacks on undersea cables and pipelines after Russian submarines spent more than a month in and around UK waters.
In a separate announcement Monday, Britain confirmed that defence minister Dan Jarvis had recently traveled to visit UK forces aboard the carrier while it was stationed in waters near Iceland.
