Several British and French military aircraft were scrambled today.
Two RAF planes were sent to the coast off Newcastle after the Russian Blackjacks long-range bomber jets passed through “a variety of international airspace”, which had been monitored by NATO partners.
A Typhoon fighter jet and a supporting Airbus Voyager tanker plane were sent out from RAF Lossiemouth in northeast Scotland just before 3pm, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed.
A French fighter jet and its supporting tanker plane had been sent out from an eastern French military airbase as they passed over the country earlier in the day.
UPDATE 15:10 UTC
- UK QRA tanker is returning to base
UPDATE 14:56 UTC
- French tanker and AWACS are returning to base
- 1 UK QRA fighter is returning to base
- UK QRA tanker is still up