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Typhoons intercept Bear
One again, these are old news, but the images are amusing and maybe a bit worrisome. On August 17, 2007, RAF Typhoons from 11 Squadron based at RAF Coningsby intercepted Russian long-range Tu-95 Bear-H bombers flying near British airspace.
 (Photo MoD)
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These intercepts have become more and more common in the last twelve months, as Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian Air Force to resume long-range strategic patrols. These continuous patrols had been halted in 1992, mostly due to lack of funds.
Patrols have increased at an increasing rate since Putin's order and are once again becoming a common thing in the North Atlantic. Earlier this week, NATO fighters intercepted yet another patrol, this time escorted by Su-27 Flanker fighters and a Il-76 tanker.
It can be expected that reports of the intercepts will become more common, as Russian crews improve their training and go back to old Cold War habits of probing Western defences.
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