RAF Leuchars Tornados scrambled to 'repel' Russian aircraft
There was drama in the skies as Tornado crews were scrambled from RAF Leuchars in a bid to track down two "unidentified" aircraft detected over the North Sea.
- By Dave Lord
- Published in the Courier : 09.02.11
- Published online : 09.02.11 @ 01.56pm
Many residents of Tayside and Fife reported hearing the jets roaring away from the threatened front-line base shortly after 5am on Tuesday. The unknown planes were soon identified as Russian military aircraft.
When contacted by The Courier, a spokeswoman at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) stressed the Russian aircraft had not encroached into UK airspace.
"Aircraft were launched to identify two unknown aircraft that were flying in international airspace over the North Sea," she said. "They were identified as Russian military aircraft."
The latest incident comes just two weeks after a pair of Russian Bear bombers were intercepted close to Newcastle by crews from Leuchars.
Heartening
It is sure to hearten campaigners, who insist the Fife base represents the best strategic location for the UK's vital Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) teams.
Crews from Leuchars are ready to depart at a just few minutes' notice right around the clock.
At the moment there are fewer than 1000 service personnel at Leuchars, a drop from a peak of around 1800.
Jets from RAF Leuchars have been scrambled more than 50 times in the last five years to intercept Russian military aircraft.
Campaigners insist the frequency of such incidents remains significant and underlines the importance of maintaining the country's air defence.
The Russians are entitled to fly in the NATO air policing area — which includes UK airspace — but are intercepted when they cannot be identified.
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