More Than 30 Russian Military Aircraft Intercepted By UK Carrier Strike Group
By Donald Standeford, Correspondent
Date Published: November 2nd, 2021 7:20PM UTC
Last Modified: November 2nd, 2021 7:20PM UTC
The UK strike group, HMS Queen Elizabeth has intercepted over 30 Russian military aircraft as well as warships during its deployment in the Indo-Pacific over the last two weeks.
Many of the aircraft that had been intercepted were Russian fighter jets operating near the UK carrier strike group's location.
Commodore Steve Moorhouse, the commanding officer of the HMS Queen Elizabeth said that when they launched their first F-35 sorties from the Mediterranean into the Black Sea as well as over Iraq and Syria their forces came into contact with dozens of Russian fighter jets.
Moorhouse stated, "Throughout, we were maintaining an on-deck ready alert capability to respond to Russian air incursions and overflies. Was this all needed? Was it necessary? Yes it was".
"There were over 30 live intercepts of armed Russian fighter and bomber aircraft conducted in just over two weeks" Moorhouse continued.
Moorhouse said that the strike group had to constantly keep an eye out for aerial incursions by Russian fighter jets and stated that the Queen Elizabeth strike group deployed Merlin anti submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters along with the group's frigates to track Russian submarines that had been deployed to 'welcome us'.
"It was this high-tempo operation, in the face of a challenging and competing adversary, that provided the foundation from which the strike group could prepare for the less familiar but equally contested seas of the Indo-Pacific" Moorhouse stated.
