Six fighter jets, two from RAF Lossiemouth, were scrambled at the weekend after Russian aircraft were seen heading towards British airspace.
Six Typhoons from the Quick Reaction Alert programme took to the skies after the unidentified planes were spotted on Saturday.
Two pairs of Typhoons approached the aircraft, while a third pair forced them to “change course.”
One of the aircraft was later confirmed as a Tupolev Tu-95 Bear, which is used both as a strategic bomber and long-range maritime patrol plane.
Last night, an RAF spokesman said: “This was a routine response to Russian aircraft approaching UK air space and was coordinated with several other Nato allies.”
Two of the Typhoons were deployed from RAF Lossiemouth in Moray.
Cockpit footage from one of our #QRA Typhoons, showing one of the Russian aircraft #TeamLossie intercepted yesterday.
It truly was a team effort, both within the @RoyalAirForce and as part of @NATO.
Find out more ▶️ https://t.co/HDou9Ziq1F pic.twitter.com/FPe20PJo1F
— RAF Lossiemouth (@RAFLossiemouth) March 8, 2020
And RAF Lossiemouth tweeted: “At no point did these aircraft enter UK sovereign airspace. The Russian aircraft were shadowed by our Typhoons, along with aircraft from our Nato partners in Norway and France.
“We are ready to respond to any unidentified aircraft and potential airborne threats, 24/7/365.”
Two weeks ago a Russian aircraft was seen heading towards Shetland. On that occasion, two Typhoon jets were sent from RAF Lossiemouth to the island.
A Voyager air-to-air refuelling aircraft and two Typhoon fighter jets were sent to intercept a jet,thought to be a Russian Tu-95 bomber to the west of the island.
A spokesman for the RAF base said the unidentified aircraft, suspected to be Russian, did not require to be intercepted and departed.