Russian SU-24 Fighter Bombers Buzz HMS Queen Elizabeth in Fly-By

A group of Russian SU-24 fighter bombers was captured by zooming past the HMS Queen Elizabeth in a fly-by. The £3.2 billion warship British carrier is the newest warship of the UK that was put into service last year, the same one that lost an F-35 to the sea.

HMS Queen Elizabeth Gets Buzzed by Russian Air Force

These fighter bombers were recorded flying in the direction of the Roya Navy ship steaming for the Suez Canal, as reported by Daily Express.

Based on the sources, the images were taken in June 2021 on the HMS QE's first mission. This incident was disclosed after the BBC documentary as it traveled to the east, cited Mail Online.

The documentary shows officers readying the F-35 in response to the incident. An officer remarked on the trio of Russian jets as far as six miles.

The following warning was that the jets were getting close to a coalition vessel, and their action was menacing. Changes in courses or actions will be implemented.

Furthermore, the HMS QE officer added that the warnings had been issued, but there was no response, and the trio was still inbound. The three jets were directed from Russia to Syria.

Reportedly, Admiral Makarov is also involved in this incident. An additional officer verified the inbound combat jets. Russians blocked the crew from launching the jets on board using the Makarov.

The show's title is The Warship: Tour of Duty, aired last Sunday, January 22, broadcasted on BBC 2, and several episodes are expected to follow.

A source told an outlet that these incidents with Russian and British forces were not, and nothing should alarm. Another said that this happened periodically but not all the time.

Russian SU-24 Fighter Bombers Flies Over the British Aircraft Carrier

One source mentioned that there was respect for safety between the British-Russian close encounters, but those on the Royal Navy ship added that they would not allow such overflies and defend the British carrier.

A spokesman of the Royal Navy stated that the HMS QE, with a multinational task force, had close encounters with naval and airborne forces during the deployment of the battle group in 2021. Ways to protect the carrier battle group are in place, including an astute class sub if needed in a timely manner; there will also be routine challenges.

British-Russian Close Encounters

Quite recently, Kremlin claimed in an incident that the Russian navy had fired a broadside at the HMS Defender before the HMS QE occurred. The Russians warned they would fire if the ship did not change its direction.

In 2018, another incident was recorded as a near-skirmish that would have had serious consequences. It involved HMS Duncan when 17 Russian fighters came into close contact in the annexed Crimean Peninsula, per UK Defence Journal.

The former Defense Secretary, Gavin Williamson, was incensed and called Moscow very hostile in its actions. A spate of multiple incidents with SU-24 fighter bombers that buzz the HMS Queen Elizabeth in a fly-by is of concern for the Royal Navy.