British fighter jets intercept Russian aircraft near carrier: Defence Ministry

London, July 6 (IANS) Two British F-35 fighter jets intercepted and escorted a Russian maritime patrol aircraft after it repeatedly approached a British aircraft carrier in the Norwegian Sea, the British Ministry of Defence said on Monday.

In a post on social media platform X, the ministry said the Russian Bear-F aircraft flew "unnecessarily close" to HMS Prince of Wales, dropped multiple sonobuoys -- air-dropped devices used to detect and track submarines and other underwater activity -- in the area, and failed to respond on international safety frequencies.

The incident occurred on July 2 while the British Carrier Strike Group was conducting Operation FIRECREST, British media reported, Xinhua news agency reported.

Two F-35 fighter jets operating from HMS Prince of Wales intercepted the aircraft and escorted it until it left the area, the ministry said.

“While operating in the Norwegian Sea on Operation FIRECREST, the UK's Carrier Strike Group was repeatedly approached by a Russian 'Bear-F' maritime patrol aircraft. The aircraft flew unnecessarily close to HMS Prince of Wales, dropped multiple sonobuoys nearby, and failed to respond on international safety frequencies. This activity was unsafe and unprofessional,” the Ministry wrote on X.

The British Carrier Strike Group continues to operate alongside NATO allies in the High North, focusing on security in the Arctic and North Atlantic, the ministry added.

As of press time, Russia has not publicly responded to the British statement.

Meanwhile, the Defence Ministry also announced that Britain’s Carrier Strike Group, led by HMS Prince of Wales, is helping to defend Europe and the North Atlantic, with F-35 jets conducting North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) air policing operations from the deck for the first time.

Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis MBE MP, accompanied by Icelandic Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir, visited UK forces on board the Royal Navy’s flagship HMS Prince of Wales, which is deployed off Iceland under NATO command.