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A Russian fighter jet reportedly fired a missile near a British Air Force plane by mistake. According to the British Defense Minister, the incident was caused by a “technical error”.
The case occurred on September 29 when a Royal Air Force (RAF) RC-135 Rivet joint patrol aircraft crossed paths with two Russian SU-27 fighter jets on a routine operation over the Black Sea. During this conversation which lasted about 90 minutes, One of the planes fired a missile at a British plane.
Quoted Guardian During his speech in the House of Commons, Ben Wallace said the patrols were immediately halted and he tried to contact Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu for an explanation of what had happened.
“In my letter, I have made it clear that the RAF aircraft was not armed and was traveling in international airspace on a previously declared flight path,” the British official said.
Russia would have justified the incident by justifying it as a “technical error”. An investigation by the British services was “consistent” with this explanation, and confirmed that it was not a deliberate act. “We do not consider this to be a deliberate escalation on the part of the Russians.”Wallace promised.
However, the head of Britain’s defense ministry warned that “this case illustrates the proportions these incidents can take when using warplanes in the way Russia has used them in recent times”. After that the patrol work started again. However, British aircraft will be escorted by fighter jets to prevent future incidents.
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