Two Russian fighter jets conducted multiple dangerous intercepts of an unarmed Royal Air Force (RAF) surveillance aircraft over the Black Sea in April, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) said Wednesday.
A Russian Su-35 Flanker-E flew close enough to the RAF’s RC-135W Rivet Joint, an advanced signals intelligence aircraft, to trigger its emergency systems and disable its autopilot. A Russian Su-27 conducted six passes in front of the aircraft, closing to within six metres of the Rivet Joint’s nose, the MoD stated.
A @RoyalAirForce Rivet Joint aircraft operating in international airspace over the Black Sea was dangerously intercepted by Russian military jets – flying as close as six metres and triggering onboard emergency systems.
Despite these reckless manoeuvres, RAF crew completed their… pic.twitter.com/QyUP7dE4OJ
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) May 20, 2026
“This incident is another example of dangerous and unacceptable behaviour by Russian pilots, towards an unarmed aircraft operating in international airspace. These actions create a serious risk of accidents and potential escalation,” Defence Secretary John Healey said. The MoD and Foreign Office formally complained to the Russian embassy about the incident this week. Russia has not commented.
The actions of Russian pilots towards an unarmed @RoyalAirForce aircraft are dangerous and unacceptable.
I pay tribute to the outstanding bravery of the RAF crew, who completed their mission safely.
This will not deter the UK’s commitment to defend our @NATO allies. pic.twitter.com/jJw73MeCEp
— John Healey (@JohnHealey_MP) May 20, 2026
The Rivet Joint is operated by No. 51 Squadron from RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire and uses advanced sensors to collect and analyse signals intelligence in real time. The MoD said the encounter was the most dangerous involving a UK surveillance aircraft since September 2022, when a Russian Su-27 released a missile near an RAF Rivet Joint over the same region.
The disclosure came the same week a Romanian F-16 serving the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) Baltic Air Policing mission shot down a suspected Ukrainian drone over Estonia, and Lithuania issued a nationwide shelter alert after a separate drone incursion near Vilnius.
The incidents followed Healey’s April 9 announcement that the Royal Navy had tracked three Russian submarines operating covertly near critical UK undersea cables in the North Atlantic.
“Let me be very clear,” Healey said. “This incident will not deter the UK’s commitment to defend NATO, our allies and our interests from Russian aggression.”
