Russian aircraft intercepted by RAF jets after ‘repeatedly approaching’ Royal Navy ships in the Arctic

British F-35 jets intercepted two Russian warplanes over the Norwegian Sea after they made an ‘unsafe and unprofessional’ low-level flypast of HMS Prince of Wales.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said two Bear-F maritime patrol aircraft approached the Royal Navy carrier on July 2 before dropping ‘tens of sonobuoys’. 

The Russian aircraft were then intercepted and escorted away by two F-35 jets launched from HMS Prince of Wales.

A sonobuoy is a small, expendable floating device dropped into the sea from an aircraft or ship to detect and track submarines.

It’s understood the Russian aircraft did not respond when operators attempted to contact them to establish their intentions.

The incident comes as Britain takes command of NATO‘s frontline rapid-response force, known as the alliance’s ‘spearhead’, which can deploy troops to global hotspots within days.

HMS Prince of Wales has served as the flagship of Operation Firecrest since sailing from Portsmouth in April, with the carrier strike group’s headquarters based onboard.

The strike group is currently deployed under NATO’s command in the High North in an effort to boost security in the North Atlantic.

The Russian planes were intercepted and escorted away from the carrier vessel by two UK F-35 jets from HMS Prince of Wales (pictured)

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said two Bear F maritime patrol aircraft (left) dropped numerous sonobuoys not far from the UK’s Carrier Strike Group on July 2

The tense moment (pictured) comes just weeks after Royal Marines seized the Russian-linked tanker Smyrtos in the English Channel

A MoD spokesperson 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 Bear-F passed at low altitude and unnecessarily close to HMS Prince of Wales and dropped a large number of sonobuoys in close proximity to the carrier.

‘This activity was unsafe and unprofessional. The Russian aircraft was intercepted and escorted by two UK F-35 jets from HMS Prince of Wales until it left the area.’

The latest encounter comes less than a month after Royal Marines seized the Russian-linked tanker Smyrtos in the English Channel. 

Commandos boarded the sanctioned oil tanker from a helicopter during a six-hour operation targeting Moscow’s ‘shadow fleet’. 

The tanker was part of Russia’s fleet of 700 ships currently acting as its ‘lifeline’ by transporting 75 per cent of its oil and helping fund the war against Ukraine.

Moscow’s shadow fleet is reported to comprise more than 1,000 ageing tankers that illicitly ship oil and other goods out of Russia by flying the flags of other countries, with the aim of evading sanctions imposed by the West.

Closing off British waters to the shadow fleet is aimed at forcing the Russian vessels into taking longer, more costly sea routes, or risk being intercepted by the UK. 

Helicopters intercepted the Smyrtos in the first operation of its kind (pictured)

The MoD said the CMR Smyrtos (pictured) has been sailing under a false Cameroonian flag

British forces have already been involved in tracking shadow fleet vessels for several years, and have supported operations by other countries to seize the ships.

In May, Russian jets brazenly imperilled an Royal Air Force spy plane as Vladimir Putin’s pilots flew reckless passes at more than 500mph over the Black Sea.

One of the fighters flew within 20ft of the nose of the RAF Rivet Joint, ignoring every internationally recognised guideline designed to prevent tragedy in the skies.

The slightest error would have cost the lives of everyone involved on both sides.

The Russian fighter pilots, in what is known as a ‘Crazy Ivan’ manoeuvre that is designed to unsettle the enemy, conducted six harrowingly close passes, causing the RAF’s autopilot system to disengage and trigger emergency procedures.

The term ‘Crazy Ivan’ originated in the Cold War and initially referred to submarines whose captains turned unexpectedly to see if they were being followed.

Its usage has expanded over the years to cover any reckless behaviour at sea or in the air by the Russian military.

Former Defence Secretary John Healey condemned Russia’s actions, which continued a Kremlin campaign of intimidating British jets and warships as Mr Putin tests this country’s resolve.