A Russian air surveillance plane has carried out an “unsafe” mission near a large aircraft carrier in the UK as it conducts NATO defense operations in Iceland, Britain's Ministry of Defense said on Monday.
The Bear-F aircraft “came repeatedly close” to the carrier group last week, passing the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales “unnecessarily close” at low altitude and bringing down several nearby sonar devices, according to the service.
Two UK F-35 fighter jets were dispatched to the carrier to intercept and escort the surveillance plane until it took off, the statement said.
“This operation was unsafe and unnecessary,” said a spokesman for the department on Thursday's incident in the Norwegian Sea in the High North.
The allegations came as the department said Defense Secretary Dan Jarvis and Iceland's Foreign Minister Torgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir visited HMS Prince of Wales over the weekend.
The Royal Navy carrier is leading the group in a mission to protect the North Atlantic from “rising Russian threats,” according to the ministry.
The mission saw F-35 jets carry out NATO air defense duties for the first time for a European airline, and comes amid escalating tensions with Russia.
Military experts and European leaders say Russia has stepped up its “joint warfare” tactics in the strategic region.
In April, two Russian planes “repeatedly and accidentally“captured a British patrol plane in the Black Sea, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
In June, a Russian frigate shot down a yacht operated by a retired couple in the English Channel.
“We live in a very dangerous and uncertain time, and deployments like this, supported by allies and partners including Iceland, enhance our deterrence and defense as part of NATO,” Jarvis said in a statement.
In a statement, Gunnarsdottir added that the deployment is “a clear indication of NATO's enhanced presence in this very important region.”
Jarvis took over less than a month ago after his predecessor John Healey resigned, accusing the government of failing to make enough money for Britain's modern defense system.
The dramatic resignations sparked a last-minute scramble for more money for the Ten-Year Defense Plan.
Outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer launched the plan last week, announcing that the government intends to spend nearly £397 billion over the next four years.
The proposals see an extra $20 billion put into defense spending up to 2030, the year in which UK intelligence has suggested Russia could attack a NATO country.
But it fell well short of the $37 billion requested by the MoD.
