A ghost from the cold war, in the form of a fighter-bomber dance just beyond the edge of the state, briefly appeared over the North Sea on Tuesday:

It was confirmed by the Ministry of Defence today that RAF jets were scrambled on Tuesday after two Russian aircraft were spotted heading towards British airspace.

“Two unidentified aircraft came towards British airspace. They turned round before there was an interception and before they entered British airspace,” an MoD spokesman said.

He confirmed that the two aircraft involved in Tuesday’s incident had been Russian, and said there was “nothing to suggest this was linked to any other issues”.[The Guardian]

According to the Telegraph:

As Moscow hesitated in its response to Britain’s expulsion of four Russian diplomats, two Tornado fighters raced to meet the Tu95 “Bear” bombers that had been dispatched from their base near the northern port city of Murmansk in the Arctic Circle. The planes turned back before they reached British airspace. [The Telegraph]

Bookmark to: