London: Russians fired on military plane
British intelligence revelations about the air attack a year ago
New details have been revealed about an armed clash involving a Russian and a British military plane. The episode dates back to September 29, 2022. The event had been downgraded by Moscow, with London's approval, to an inconvenience due to a "technical malfunction". Now, according to rumors in the press, we have learned that the Soviet pilot of a Sukhoi Su-27 fighter fired two missiles at the English aircraft.
It was revealed by the state television broadcaster "BBC", which cites three high-level sources in the defense sector of Western countries aware of the details of the incident. That day the Royal Air Force (RAF) was carrying out a surveillance mission over the Black Sea, in international airspace. Among the aircraft was a British Boeing RC-135 Rivet Joint surveillance plane with a crew of 30 on board.
According to Russian communications, intercepted by British intelligence, the pilot of a Moscow fighter attempted to shoot down the aircraft after believing he had received permission to open fire. This followed an ambiguous command from a Russian ground station, while the second pilot of the fighter did not think so and had protested when the first missile was launched, missing the target. The second had fallen into the sea.
AVIONEWS - World Aeronautical Press Agency