Footage of British and French fighter jets escorting a Russian bomber has been released by a Moscow-backed TV station in the latest sign of a return to Cold War tactics between Moscow and the West.
The video was shot from inside the cockpit of a Tu-95 Bear long-range bomber similar to the aircraft intercepted by RAF Typhoons in the skies off the coast of Cornwall.
The footage is not from Wednesday’s incident, when RAF Typhoons were scrambled to escort two Tu-95s, but are believed to be from one of the previous occasions that Nato fighters have been sent to monitor the activities of Russian aircraft.
The video shows RAF Typhoons, including at least one aircraft from 11 Squadron, together with a French Mirage jet performing a similar role policing the skies over western Europe.
The footage from TV Zvedza, which is owned by the Russian defence ministry, shows armed jets flying in close formation with the plane and provides clear views of the bomber’s turboprop engines.
One RAF Typhoon flies so close that the pilot can clearly be seen through the cockpit glass.
The footage may have been recorded on January 28, when Typhoon fighters from RAF Lossiemouth and RAF Coningsby were scrambled after Russian aircraft were identified flying in international airspace close to UK airspace.
In response to Wednesday’s events, Prime Minister David Cameron said Moscow appeared to be trying to make “some sort of a point” and that the RAF response showed the UK was well-prepared to react to any Russian incursion.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said the Russian bombers were carrying out activities off the English coast that were being seen for “the first time since the height of the Cold War”.
In a sign of the frequency of the sabre-rattling, official figures showed that in 2014 quick reaction alert aircraft were scrambled eight times to respond to Russian planes.