RAF personnel described escalations in the Middle East as ‘World War Three’ as the second series of the Channel 4 documentary hit screens.
Top Guns: Inside the RAF returned on Tuesday for the latest instalment of the widely popular series.
The six-part Channel 4 documentary follows personnel from RAF Lossiemouth and RAF Coningsby on the frontline as tensions escalate in the Middle East.
Tuesday’s episode followed Typhoon pilots at MK Airbase in Romania – located 80 miles from the Ukraine border – preparing to relocate to RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus.
The pair were tasked to step in and defend Israel from aggression by Iran amidst a tirade of 200 missile and drone strikes.
Around 200 personnel from RAF Lossiemouth are currently deployed to MK Air Base, which could soon be Nato’s biggest European military camp.
Typhoon pilots enter ‘World War Three’
Flying over western Iraq, the RAF typhoons joined 60 American jets to intercept the missiles.
Describing it as the start of a Third World War, one pilot – whose identity was omitted due to National Security – described the harrowing scenes he encountered from the air.
He said: “On arriving into the area, the first thing I can see is tactical ballistic missiles, one-way attack drones and cruise missiles.
“Some bright flashes and streaks go high up into the sky and they go several hundreds of thousands of feet.”
‘It is a sacrifice that you have to make’
Back at base, Squadron Leader Jenni shared an insight into the emotional toll of being away from home.
Chief of Staff to the 140 Expeditionary Air Wing, based at RAF Lossiemouth, Jenni refers to herself as ‘mum’ to the younger recruits.
However, back home, her daughter Olivia waits for her to return from her first deployment since her birth.
Stepping away to Facetime her five-year-old daughter, she admits being away from family is tough.
She said: “This is the first time I’ve deployed since I’ve had Olivia, and it does feel different.
“She got star of the week at school this week, which you know, in the grand scheme of things, with everything going on out here, is it a big deal?
“No, but to her, in her little five-year-old world right now, that’s massive. And I wasn’t there.
“You kind of put it to one side during the day. You’ve sort of got your game face on a little bit and you’re just busy, and there’s a lot going on.
“I don’t mind admitting, I sit and get a little bit emotional afterwards.
“It is a sacrifice that you have to make but then when you come away, and indirectly you are having a positive impact. It kind of validates it a little bit, as you’re like, “Well, we are doing this for a reason.”
She added: “With the invasion of Ukraine, there is a lot of tension around this part of the world.
“Sometimes it is easy to forget when there are a lot of distractions on camp of how close we are to Ukraine, but you only have to watch the news to understand there are some pretty horrific things happening not that far away from where we are. “
Conversation