Moment RAF Typhoon intercepts Russian ‘Doomsday plane’ after being scrambled close to NATO border

This is when two RAF Typhoon fighter jets intercepted a Russian ‘doomsday’ plane after scrambling close to the NATO border.

The British fighters shadowed the Russian Air Force’s Tu-214SR, a modified airliner that can act as a flying command post, as it flew over the Baltic Sea.

The RAF said its jets were coded from an Estonian air base, adding that the Tu-214SR was flying in international airspace under the control of NATO allies.

It traveled between mainland Russia and Kaliningrad Oblast and was escorted by a pair of Su-30M Flanker Hs as it entered and exited the exclave.

Vladimir Putin had the Tu-214SR built so he could issue orders in the event of a World War III nuclear bomb, flying safely above battlefields below.

The British fighters, stationed in Estonia as part of an ongoing NATO mission to secure the alliance’s borders, were pictured flying alongside the larger aircraft in footage released by the RAF on Tuesday.

From the cockpit, the British pilots also took pictures of the two Russian Su-30M Flanker Hs, which escorted the Russian doomsday plane.

The Typhoons tracked the Russian Air Force jet and its fighters as it flew in and out of the Kaliningrad region, which borders Poland and Lithuania (both NATO members) and the Baltic Sea.

RAF Typhoons in Estonia today rushed to intercept a Russian Air Force Tu-214 flying in international airspace under the control of @NATO allies as it headed south then north again with 2x Su- 30M Flanker H’s between mainland Russia and Kaliningrad Oblast,” the RAF wrote in a post on Twitter.

In order for Moscow’s planes to reach it without flying through NATO airspace, Russian pilots must fly between Estonia and Finland (which are also NATO members) and across the Baltic Sea.

The British fighters shadowed the Russian Air Force’s Tu-214SR, a modified airliner that can act as a flying nuclear command post, as it flew over the Baltic Sea

The aircraft was en route between mainland Russia and Kaliningrad Oblast and was escorted by a pair of Su-30M Flanker Hs (pictured) as it entered and exited the exclave.

From the cockpit, the British pilots took pictures of the two Russian Su-30M Flanker Hs, which escorted the larger Russian plane on Judgment Day (pictured)

NATO has reported an increase in the number of VIP flights to and from Kaliningrad in recent months.

It was not known who was aboard the Tu-214SR during Tuesday’s incident, but the aircraft is said to be used only for “important people.”

“It is possible that it had Putin or one of his top lieutenants on board,” The Sun reported, citing a source.

Little information is available on the full capabilities of the 214SR aircraft, but it is known to carry an MRC-411 multi-intelligence payload – which includes a number of sensors and radar technology.

Four onboard generators provide ample power to the on-bard systems, while external fuel tanks allow the jet to stay in the air for up to 10,000 kilometers.

This, it is understood, is to allow the Russian president to remain airborne in the event of nuclear war, while still issuing orders to his troops on the ground.

Two 214SRs entered service in 2008, but they only became widely known a few years later when one was displayed at the Moscow Air Show.

They have been seen flying over high-profile events, such as the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, and over Crimea.

Several Russian aircraft have been intercepted by British jets in recent weeks.

on June 20 RAF Typhoons were dispatched to encounter a Russian Navy Tupolev Tu-134 and two Sukhoi Su-27 flankers.

An almost identical incident occurred on 16 June in which RAF Typhoons intercepted a Russian Air Force IL-20 COOT A and two SU-27s near Estonian airspace.

On 9 June, British jets were scrambled for the second time in 24 hours when Typhoons intercepted an Antonov An-12 Cub and an Antonov An-72 Coaler flying south from mainland Russia towards Kaliningrad Oblast.

The same fighters were then re-tasked to intercept two Tupolev Tu-22M Backfire bombers and two Su-30SM Flanker H fighters flying from mainland Russia over the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea, the RAF said.

And this came after RAF Typhoons and Swedish Air Force Gripens scrambled to intercept a Russian Air Force IL-20 Coot A and a Su-27 Flanker on June 8. The Russian jets flew near Swedish airspace on this occasion.

Britain’s Royal Air Force also sent fighter jets last month to intercept a Russian naval plane flying close to NATO airspace (pictured), one of a series of similar incidents

In a sign of tensions in the skies around Ukraine, it was revealed earlier this year that a Russian fighter jet attempted to shoot down a manned RAF jet over the Black Sea in what could have amounted to an act of war.

Fortunately, the missile malfunctioned during an incident that U.S. defense officials revealed today was much more serious than first thought.

The Su-27’s blundering pilot mistakenly believed that a radar operator on the ground had given him permission to fire on and bring down the British jet on September 29.

The Russian jet latched onto the RAF RC-135 Rivet Joint surveillance aircraft and released – but the deadly missile failed to launch properly and missed. It was previously believed that the missile was launched accidentally – not an intentional act of war.