RAF surveillance flights over the Black Sea appear to have been suspended following last month's dangerous encounters with Russian warplanes. Publicly available flight-tracking data reveals that no RAF Rivet Joint surveillance aircraft have flown over the region since April 21.
UK Defence Secretary's Vow
This suspension comes despite Defence Secretary John Healey vowing that the UK would not be deterred by what he described as 'dangerous and unacceptable behaviour by Russian pilots towards an unarmed aircraft operating in international airspace'.
Details of the Incidents
The Ministry of Defence disclosed last week that a Russian SU-35 fighter flew so close to an unarmed RAF Rivet Joint surveillance plane over the Black Sea that it triggered the plane's emergency systems and disabled its autopilot. Additionally, a SU-27 jet carried out six passes of the RAF plane, coming as close as 19 feet from its nose.
Open-source flight tracking data now shows that no Rivet Joint spy aircraft, which typically carries a crew of up to 30, has returned to the Black Sea for the last five weeks.
Military Sources' Insights
Military sources told the Mail on Sunday that RAF spy planes do not routinely switch off their transponders when in international airspace, allowing public tracking. The sources added that normally, Rivet Joints make two visits a week to the region.
Tim Ripley, an analyst for the Defence Eye website, said the apparent suspension shows the RAF is taking the latest Russian threat seriously, especially given that in September 2022, a 'rogue' Russian pilot attempted to shoot down a Rivet Joint. Ripley stated: 'I would suggest that Moscow's action shows they have made a presumption that these flights are helping the Ukrainians and are clearly concerned. But the RAF must take them seriously as in 2022 we saw a Russian fighter jet fire two missiles at a Rivet Joint, which both missed. It was later claimed that this was a malfunction, but that is very unlikely.'
MoD's Response
The Ministry of Defence insisted on Saturday night that 'we work with NATO allies on surveillance flights, but we will not help our adversaries by providing a detailed commentary' on surveillance flights. However, a spokesperson repeated Mr Healey's defiant response to last month's interceptions, saying: 'This recent incident has not deterred the UK's commitment to defend NATO, our allies and our interests from Russian aggression.'
