Was the radio message misunderstood?
Russian fighter pilot wanted to shoot down British spy plane
A handout image provided by the British Royal Air Force shows a Russian Su-27 Flanker intercepted by the Royal Air Force near Estonia within NATO’s area of interest.
© Quelle: British Ministry of Defense/RAF/
London. According to the BBC, a Russian fighter pilot allegedly tried to shoot down a British spy plane because of a misinterpreted radio message. It was previously known that two Russian SU-27 jets encountered a British RC-135 Rivet formation in international airspace over the Black Sea in September 2022 and one of the machines fired a guided missile. Russia blamed this on technical failures, and the British government publicly confirmed the cause.
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But the BBC reported on Thursday, citing three sources familiar with the matter, that intercepted Russian radio messages presented the situation differently. Accordingly, the Russian ground station reportedly sent an ambiguous message to its pilots, “You have a target.”
“It’s a mistake, not a malfunction.”
One of the pilots took this as permission to fire and fired, but the projectile missed the target. “This is a mistake, not a malfunction,” wrote the BBC. The other Russian pilot, who interpreted the radio message differently, turned around and insulted his wingman. The loose language shows a lack of high level of professionalism, the BBC quoted its sources as saying.
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The British Ministry of Defense did not confirm the BBC report, but responded: “Our aim is to ensure the safety of our operations, avoid unnecessary escalation and inform the public and the international community. It is a “clear reminder” of the potential consequences of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “barbaric invasion” of Ukraine.
RND/dpa
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