March 15, 2023 8:21am EDT
UK, Germany scramble fighters to block Russian jets hours after US drone crash
Russian fighter jets downed a US drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday
By Anders Hagstrom | Fox News
The U.K. and Germany scrambled fighter jets to intercept two Russian aircraft flying near Estonia late Tuesday.
The Russian aircraft, a Russian Il-78 Midas refueling plane and an Antonov 148 military transport, approached NATO airspace without contacting Estonian authorities. The incident was the first time the U.K. and Germany have conducted a joint air intercept as part of the NATO treaty.
"NATO continues to form the bedrock of our collective security," U.K. Armed Forces minister James Heappey said in a statement. "This joint UK and German deployment in the Baltics clearly demonstrates our collective resolve to challenge any potential threat to NATO’s borders, whilst demonstrating our combined strength."
The incident came just hours after two Russian jets downed a $32 million U.S. drone over the Black Sea. The two jets had harassed the unmanned aircraft for several minutes before clipping the drone's propeller.
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https://www.foxnews.com/world/uk-germany-scramble-fighters-block-russian-jets-hours-us-drone-crash
