A Russian patrol aircraft, known as a “Bear-F” maritime patrol aircraft, passed at low altitude and “unnecessarily close” to the HMS Prince of Wales, a UK aircraft carrier, on July 2.
The incident, which Britain called “unsafe and unprofessional”, occurred in the Norwegian Sea, where the UK’s carrier strike group is currently deployed under NATO’s command.
The Russian aircraft dropped a large number of sonobuoys in close proximity to the carrier, which are devices used to detect and track submarines. Two F-35 fighter jets from the HMS Prince of Wales were sent to intercept the Russian aircraft until it left the area.
This incident comes ahead of a NATO meeting in Ankara, where members are set to pledge €70 billion in military assistance to Ukraine for 2026.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
