UK says aircraft carrier approached by Russian plane in Norwegian Sea

Britain said its aircraft carrier in the Norwegian Sea was repeatedly approached by a Russian patrol ​aircraft, before being escorted away by UK fighter jets, ‌in the latest incident risking a potential escalation between NATO and Russia.

The incident, which Britain called "unsafe and unprofessional", comes ahead of a NATO meeting ​in Ankara on Tuesday, where NATO members are set ​to pledge €70 billion in military assistance to Ukraine for ⁠2026.

Britain said the Russian "Bear-F" maritime patrol aircraft passed at ​low altitude and "unnecessarily close" to HMS Prince of Wales, the aircraft ​carrier at the centre of a naval formation known as a carrier strike group, on July 2.

"The Bear-F...dropped a large number of sonobuoys in ​close proximity to the carrier," the Ministry of Defence said ​in a statement, referring to devices which are used to detect and ‌track ⁠submarines.

Two F-35 fighter jets from the HMS Prince of Wales were sent to intercept the Russian aircraft until it left the area.

Britain's carrier strike group is currently deployed under NATO's command ​in the High ​North, as ⁠part of efforts to boost North Atlantic security given concern over Russian aggression in the region.

Earlier ​this year, Britain deployed military vessels to prevent ​attacks ⁠on cables and pipelines by Russian submarines that spent more than a month in and around UK waters.

Britain said in a separate ⁠statement on ​Monday that defence minister Dan Jarvis ​had recently visited UK forces onboard the aircraft carrier in waters near Iceland.

-Reuters