Russia said the near miss last year was due to a 'malfunction'
told the BBCSources said Russian communications intercepted by the RAF RC-135 Rivet Joint aircraft give a very different account from the official version.
The RAF plane was flying a surveillance mission over the Black Sea in international airspace on September 29 last year when it encountered two Russian SU-27 fighter jets. Intercepted communications show that one of the Russian pilots thought he had been given permission to target the British aircraft, following an ambiguous command from a Russian ground station.
However, the second Russian pilot did not. He remonstrated and swore at his wingman when he fired the first missile. The Rivet Joint is loaded with sensors to intercept communications. The RAF crew would have been able to listen in to the incident which could have resulted in their own deaths.Responding to these new revelations an MoD spokesperson said: ‘Our intent has always been to protect the safety of our operations, avoid unnecessary escalation and inform the public and international community.’
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