RAF Typhoon jets have been launched from Romania in response to two suspected Russian aircraft operating near NATO airspace over the Black Sea.

The two Typhoons took off from a Romanian base near Constanta to shadow the two Russian Su-30 Flanker aircraft, the Royal Air Force (RAF) said in a statement.

"RAF Typhoons based in Romania have been launched in response to two suspected Russian Su-30 Flanker aircraft operating near @NATO airspace over the Black Sea. #WeAreNATO," the RAF's official Twitter account said.

Four RAF Typhoons have been deployed at the Mihail Kogalniceanu airbase in southeast Romania where hundreds of US troops are also stationed - as part of NATO's enhanced Air Policing (eAP) mission.

RAF Typhoons based in Romania have been launched in response to two suspected Russian Su-30 Flanker aircraft operating near @NATO airspace over the Black Sea. #WeAreNATO pic.twitter.com/mLr0V7MZEa — Royal Air Force (@RoyalAirForce) August 22, 2018

The move was part of NATO's beefed-up defences on its eastern flank following Moscow's annexation of Crimea in 2014.


The Sukhoi Su-30m is a twin-engine, two-seat supermanoeuverable fighter aircraft developed by Russia's Sukhoi Aviation Corporation.

The multirole fighter is designed for all-weather, air-to-air and air-to-surface deep interdiction missions.

Romanian defence minister Mihai Fifor previously said that such "provocations" by Russia had become "frequent" in recent months.