U.K. scrambles jets after Russian bombers spotted near British airspace
LONDON -- Britain's Ministry of Defense said Typhoon fighter jets were launched after two Russian military planes were spotted flying close to British airspace.
"Royal Air Force Quick Reaction Alert Typhoon fighter aircraft were launched today, from RAF Lossiemouth after Russian aircraft were identified flying close to UK airspace," the ministry said in a statement given to CBS News. "The Russian planes were escorted by the RAF until they were out of the UK area of interest. At no time did the Russian military aircraft cross into UK sovereign airspace."
Royal Air Force jets were scrambled several times this year to escort Russian military plans out of what officials call "U.K. areas of interest."
Also Tuesday, the ministry said it was monitoring the activities of a Russian destroyer and two other ships in the English Channel.
The ministry said the destroyer Severomorsk, a tanker and a support ship were passing through the waters while returning from the Mediterranean.
Officials said no exercises were seen - some reports had suggested the ships were to carry out military drills - but that the Royal Navy's HMS Argyll was watching.
The developments follow similar incidents in recent months. In November the Royal Navy monitored a squadron of Russian warships as they moved through the Strait of Dover after carrying out exercises in the North Sea.
The news comes after the U.S. protested an intercept of a U.S. reconnaissance plane by a Russian fighter jet last week, calling it "unsafe and unprofessional" amid what it views as increasingly aggressive air operations by Moscow.
Pentagon spokesman Mark Wright on Sunday said the U.S. was filing a complaint to Russia after the April 7 incident over the Baltic Sea.
It's the latest incident in a recent string of international disputes involving Russian military planes.
Last month, the Swedish Air Force and NATO jets tracked four Russian combat aircraft flying with their transponders turned off over the Baltic Sea, officials said. The Russian planes - two long-range, nuclear-capable Tu-22M3 bombers and two Sukhoi Su-27 fighters - were flying in international airspace, according to Sweden's Armed Forces and alliance sources.
Also in March, the Russian military launched sweeping military maneuvers in the Arctic and other areas, a show of force ordered by President Vladimir Putin amid spiraling tensions with the West over Ukraine.
In November, Russia's military announced that its long-range bombers would conduct regular patrol missions from the Arctic Ocean to the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico.
Last year, a NORAD spokesperson said two F-22 fighter jets were scrambled after a pair of Russian bombers were spotted 50 miles off the coast of California.