Russian Su-27 Targets RAF Reconnaissance Aircraft Over Black Sea
Two Russian warplanes intercepted an unarmed RAF reconnaissance aircraft over the Black Sea last month, with one Su-27 coming within six metres of its nose. The Ministry of Defence said the aircraft was on a routine international flight supporting Nato's eastern flank.
The RAF Rivet Joint's emergency systems were triggered when a Russian Su-35 fighter approached the aircraft and disabled its autopilot. The Ministry of Defence described the encounter as “repeatedly and dangerously” close and said it was “the most dangerous Russian action since 2022.”
John Healey and the RAF crew
Defence Secretary John Healey praised the RAF crew and said: “This incident is another example of dangerous and unacceptable behaviour by Russian pilots, towards an unarmed aircraft operating in international airspace.” He added: “This incident will not deter the UK's commitment to defend Nato, our allies and our interests from Russian aggression.”
The aircraft involved was an RC-135W Rivet Joint operated by No 51 Squadron and typically flies out of a base in Lincolnshire. It uses advanced sensors to intercept and analyse signals across the electromagnetic spectrum, giving real-time strategic and tactical intelligence.
Black Sea flybys and Russia
The six passes by the Su-27 made the confrontation more than a single close approach. The Ministry of Defence and the Foreign Office called on the Russian embassy to condemn the incident, making the diplomatic response as direct as the air encounter was risky.
The episode also echoes September 2022, when a Russian pilot fired two missiles at an RAF Rivet Joint plane over the Black Sea. Russia called that earlier strike a “technical malfunction,” while three senior Western defence sources later said the first missile missed rather than malfunctioned and that the pilot had fired after an ambiguous command from a Russian ground station.
That earlier dispute now sits behind the latest interception, which leaves the RAF operating the same type of unarmed aircraft over the Black Sea under the shadow of a prior missile launch. The next step from London is already set by the response: pressure on Russia through the Russian embassy, and a public insistence that Nato air activity will continue.
