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3w ago

Russian Fighters Buzzed RAF Rivet Joint Over Black Sea, UK Says

London lodged a formal diplomatic protest after releasing video that shows the close passes created fresh risk of accident or escalation.

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Caption: Image of a Russian Su-35, seen here alongside an RAF Rivet Joint aircraft over the Black Sea in April 2026. Russian Su-35 and Su-27 jets flew as close as six metres of the Rivet Joint?s nose, disabling the aircraft?s autopilot. An RAF Rivet Joint aircraft was repeatedly and dangerously intercepted by two Russian jets last month over the Black Sea. One Russian Su-35 aircraft flew close enough to trigger emergency systems on the Rivet Joint, including disabling the autopilot system. In another dangerous intercept, a Russian Su-27 aircraft conducted six passes in front of the British aircraft, passing between 6 and 15 metres from the nose of the aircraft. The Rivet Joint aircraft was carrying out a routine flight in international airspace over the Black Sea and was unarmed. This is part of the UK?s work alongside allies to secure NATO?s Eastern Flank. Despite the dangerous Russian actions, the RAF crew remained calm and professional throughout and completed their planned flight. This week, representatives from the UK Ministry of Defence and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office met with the Russian Embassy to condemn the pilots? dangerous and unacceptable behaviour. Photographer: RAF Provider: UK MOD Crown copyright Source: RAF Copyright: UK MOD ? Crown copyright 2026
Image of a Russian Su-35, seen here alongside an RAF Rivet Joint aircraft over the Black Sea in April 2026. Russian Su-35 and Su-27 jets flew as close as six metres of the Rivet Joint’s nose, disabling the aircraft’s autopilot (Image credit: Crown Copyright 2026)
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Overview

  • The UK Ministry of Defence said two Russian fighters repeatedly intercepted an RAF RC-135W Rivet Joint on a routine intelligence sortie over the Black Sea in April 2026.
  • One Su-35 flew close enough to trigger the Rivet Joint’s emergency systems and disable its autopilot, according to the MoD.
  • A separate Su-27 made six passes in front of the British aircraft and came as close as six metres from the Rivet Joint’s nose.
  • The aircraft was unarmed and on an international airspace mission supporting NATO’s eastern flank, and the MoD published a short cockpit video and delivered a demarche to the Russian embassy.
  • UK officials said the episode is the most dangerous encounter with a Rivet Joint since a 2022 missile near‑miss and linked it to recent Russian submarine activity near undersea infrastructure, warning the tactics raise ISR vulnerability and escalation risks.