A Russian warplane dumped sinister submarine tracking devices dangerously close to UK Royal Navy fleet days before British Defence Secretary visited Prince of Wales aircraft carrier off Iceland
Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis has warned of “increasing Russian threats” during an Iceland visit as it emerged a Kremlin warplane buzzed the Royal Navy’s flagship.
Mr Jarvis went onboard aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, which is in Iceland to help a NATO move to bolster against the growing Kremlin threat in the region.
Just days ago a Russian Bear-F warplane repeatedly approached the carrier while it was patrolling the region around Iceland and dropped ‘sonobuoys,’ used to track submarines, very close to the warship.
The dangerous escalation was stopped after two F-35B fighter jets from the Prince of Wales escorted the maritime patrol aircraft away from the carrier fleet.
Sources told the Daily Mirror the Russian plane dropped off “tens” of soar buoys, used to track and record information usually relating to submarines, ahead of the Prince Of Wales.
Sources revealed the devices are commonly dropped in oceans but these were dropped “dangerously close” to the warship and could have caused damage.
The £3.5bn aircraft carrier’s F35B jets are conducting NATO air defence missions across the high north as Russia shows increasing interest in the region.
Mr Jarvis said: “We should be clear-eyed about the fact that the threat from Russia exists in every domain, under the water, on the water, on the land, in the sky, in space and in cyberspace as well.”
Discussing defence spending by Nato nations, Mr Jarvis said “some of what the Americans have said in recent times is absolutely right” and “Europe does need to step up.”
He added: “We must honour the commitments that we’ve made to our Nato allies. That’s why we will be spending 3.5% of GDP on defence by 2035.”
Mr Jarvis said likely next prime minister Andy Burnham “understands the importance of defending our nation” and will make sure “we’ve got the resources we need to keep the country safe”.
More than 1,500 British personnel on the HMS Prince of Wales carrier, Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan, and RFA Tidespring, are deployed as part of the Carrier Strike Group (CSG) to the North Atlantic.
Mr Jarvis added: “We live in an increasingly dangerous and uncertain time, and it’s deployments like this, supported by allies and partners including Iceland, that improve our deterrence and defence as part of Nato.
“We are investing £298 billion over the next four years to strengthen readiness and ensure our people have the kit and technology they need.”
The Defence Secretary was accompanied by Icelandic foreign minister Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir on the visit. Ms Gunnarsdottir said: “The visit of the UK Carrier Strike Group is a clear demonstration of Nato’s enhanced presence in this strategically important region, and one that Iceland is proud to support and contribute to.
“Nato continues to strengthen its deterrence and defence, demonstrating allied unity and resolve in the challenging environment of the North Atlantic and the Arctic.”
The MoD said the second carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, having recently completed a refit in Rosyth, Scotland, is preparing to serve as the floating headquarters for the force later this year.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed a Russian “Bear F” maritime patrol aircraft had repeatedly approached the U.K.’s carrier strike group in the Norwegian sea in an “unsafe and unprofessional” manoeuvre late last week.
It said the Russian aircraft had dropped a large number of sonobuoys — devices that can act as underwater microphones to find and track submarines — in close proximity to the HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier.
Sonobouys are about three feet long and five inches wide and they are used to detect underwater objects. They are usually used in submarine warfare and are dropped from aircraft or ships into the water to detect underwater objects.
Once deployed, they float on the surface while submerging acoustic sensors. These devices transmit gathered acoustic data via radio to operators, primarily for anti-submarine warfare.
