Rogue Russian pilot tried to shoot down RAF aircraft in 2022
Rogue Russian pilot tried to shoot down RAF aircraft in 2022
The pilot fired two missiles - the first missed rather than malfunctioned, as was claimed at the time.
A Russian pilot tried to shoot down an RAF surveillance plane after believing he had permission to fire, the BBC has learned.
The pilot fired two missiles, the first of which missed rather than malfunctioned as claimed at the time.
Russia had claimed the incident last September was caused by a "technical malfunction". The UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) publicly accepted the Russian explanation.
But now three senior Western defence sources with knowledge of the incident have told the BBC that Russian communications intercepted by the RAF RC-135 Rivet Joint aircraft give a very different account from the official version.
The RAF plane - with a crew of up to 30 - was flying a surveillance mission over the Black Sea in international airspace on 29 September last year when it encountered two Russian SU-27 fighter jets.
This is genuinely terrifying that we came this close to a major escalation between the two countries.
And genuinely mind boggling the incompetence of the Russian pilots here.
First of all LOL at the Russian Air Forces for hiring the worst donkeys to fly their planes, having the shittiest equipment, and even worse comsec.
Second, WTF Russian Air Force? Can you at least keep the dumbest war criminals on the ground before you accidentally start a nuclear war?
We don't need a nuclear war to defeat Russia. They are extremely weak and would fall within hours.
I don't think anyone is claiming it is. It's just that if Russia shoots down a NATO plane, and NATO retaliates even conventionally, Russia would be allowed to use nuclear force according to their own rules of engagement. So that could mean the destruction of at least a few European cities because a Russian pilot was a bit trigger happy.
idiot jumps the gun but gun doesn’t work
Great
Must have been a bit of a code brown moment for the crew of the Rivet Joint listening in to someone trying to kill them. Makes me wonder whether the failure to lock was caused by some EWAR the Rivet Joint was packing or whether Russian missile guidance is just that shit though.
Russian missile guidance is probably good, but it was last serviced in 1990 and since then it "lost" half of its components. Just like gunpowder in Russian active tank armour turned out to be just plain sand - someone needed a new villa. It's not that their armour is bad, it's just never got deployed to the battlefield together with tanks.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
But now three senior Western defence sources with knowledge of the incident have told the BBC that Russian communications intercepted by the RAF RC-135 Rivet Joint aircraft give a very different account from the official version.
The RAF plane - with a crew of up to 30 - was flying a surveillance mission over the Black Sea in international airspace on 29 September last year when it encountered two Russian SU-27 fighter jets.
Responding to these new revelations an MoD spokesperson said: "Our intent has always been to protect the safety of our operations, avoid unnecessary escalation and inform the public and international community."
The Russian pilot released an air-to-air missile, which successfully launched but failed to lock on to its target, the BBC has been told.
Three weeks later, the UK government confirmed the incident had taken place - after an explanation from the Russian Ministry of Defence called it a "technical malfunction."
Despite the near shoot down, the RAF has continued to conduct surveillance flights over the Black Sea - a testament to the courage of the crews who narrowly avoided a disaster.
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