According to POLITICO, Great Britain intercepted Russian warplanes after deploying an aircraft carrier strike group in the Arctic region as part of NATO's expanded mission.
The British Ministry of Defense announced that Russian anti-submarine aircraft of the "Bear F" type repeatedly approached the British aircraft carrier group in the Norwegian Sea, performing, in London's assessment, "unprofessional and unsafe" maneuvers. According to the department, Russian planes also dropped a large number of hydroacoustic buoys, submarine detection and tracking devices, in the immediate vicinity of the HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier.
In response, F-35B fighter jets were launched from the deck of the British aircraft carrier, and on July 2, during their operations in the west of Norway, they intercepted and escorted the Russian planes, reports DW. HMS Prince of Wales, one of two British aircraft carriers, is currently the first European aircraft carrier to participate in NATO air defense operations using F-35s.
The deployment of the ship is connected with the strengthening of NATO's presence in high latitudes. Britain has also for the first time taken command of the alliance's special forces unit, which the Ministry of Defense calls the "spearhead" of NATO's rapid reaction force, capable of being deployed anywhere in the world within days.
