Two Royal Air Force Typhoon jets were scrambled from RAF Lossiemouth on Tuesday afternoon as part of a Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) mission over the North Sea.
The aircraft were supported by an RAF Voyager tanker from Brize Norton, which was tracked heading north and operating in a refuelling pattern west of the Shetland Islands.
Flight tracking showed the Voyager, using the callsign TARTAN21, moving north from Brize Norton before orbiting in designated air-to-air refuelling areas. During the mission, the tanker climbed to over 34,000 feet and later descended as it repositioned northwards.
The movements were consistent with sustained air-to-air refuelling support for the Typhoons on task.
A Royal Air Force spokesperson confirmed:
“Quick Reaction Alert Typhoon Fighters launched from RAF Lossiemouth today due to unidentified aircraft approaching the UK’s area of interest. However, the unidentified aircraft did not enter the UK Flight Information Region and no interceptions took place.”
The Typhoons later returned to base. The RAF constantly coordinates with NATO partners and often assumes responsibility from other nations’ QRA aircraft when unidentified aviation approaches the UK’s Flight Information Region, which the RAF polices. No interceptions were required during this launch.
Quick Reaction Alert scrambles are a routine part of the RAF’s continuous air defence mission, intended to respond at short notice to any potential threat or incident in or approaching UK airspace. These launches can be ordered for a variety of reasons, including foreign military aircraft operating near UK territory or civilian aircraft that lose communications.
The Eurofighter Typhoon itself is a highly capable, twin-engine multi-role fighter designed for both air superiority and precision strike operations. Its delta wing and canard configuration provide outstanding agility, allowing it to excel in close-range manoeuvring, while advanced radar, electronic warfare systems and secure data links give it long-range combat effectiveness and integration with allied forces.
Beyond air defence, the Typhoon can be armed with a broad range of weapons including beyond-visual-range missiles, Paveway precision bombs, Storm Shadow cruise missiles and Brimstone ground-attack systems. With a top speed of Mach 2, extended combat radius and in-flight refuelling capability, the jet provides NATO with rapid response options and the endurance to patrol vast airspaces such as those north of Scotland.
Note: Some will observe that such scrambles “happen all the time.” That people are aware of this is precisely because they are regularly reported and monitored.
