Overview
- An RAF RC-135W Rivet Joint and a P-8A Poseidon conducted the Oct. 9 patrol from the High North along Russia’s border to the Black Sea, according to the Royal Air Force.
- A U.S. Air Force KC-135 tanker extended the sortie’s reach through air-to-air refuelling, which the RAF called critical to the mission’s success.
- UK Defence Secretary John Healey said the flight gathered valuable intelligence and sent a message of alliance unity, with RAF leadership highlighting seamless coordination with USAF assets.
- Flight-tracking data showed the RC-135 route over Norway and Finland, then along the Russian frontier over the Baltic states and south over Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania to the Black Sea.
- Allied patrols follow recent reports of Russian drones and aircraft entering NATO airspace, with Poland triggering Article 4 consultations and Russia rejecting Estonia’s incursion claims.