An RAF spokesman said:
“RAF Quick Reaction Alert Typhoon aircraft monitor aircraft as they approach the UK area of interest.”
The UK’s Quick Reaction Alert team, which are ready to take off within minutes at any time, have also been sent up in recent months to intercept Russian bombers probing British airspace.
A twitter feed that monitors military radar posted: “Typhoons scrambled from Coningsby to intercept an aircraft with loss of communication with ATC.”
However, some outlets are reporting that the Ministry of Defence has since confirmed the jets were part of an exercise organised with the French and were not sent out in response to any emergency.
An MoD spokesman was quoted as saying:
“The RAF can confirm that Typhoon fighters from RAF Coningsby participated in an air defence exercise today alongside French Air Force assets; this was a long-standing, pre-planned exercise.
We do such exercises on a regular basis in order to ensure our procedures are as efficient and effective as possible.”
We have reached out to the MoD for confirmation.
UK QRA: 1250z Typhoons 4JP26 (ZJ929) & 4JP27 (ZK310) scrambled from Coningsby to intercept an aircraft with loss of communication with ATC
— Mil Radar (@MIL_Radar) October 11, 2017
If they had to have Fighter Beauty contest Typhoon would win hands down. One very sexy aircraft!!
Typhoon is the pretty, elegant wife but the F-22 is the dirty mistress 🙂