A misunderstanding between the control tower and a Russian pilot may have been the trigger for the attack on a British aircraft in the Black Sea.
In September last year an incident between a Russian fighter and a British aircraft in the Black Sea quickened the hearts of NATO states, which saw how the incident could have triggered a further escalation of the war. According to reports at the time, the fighter jet launched by “a technical failure.” a missile that missed the UK aircraft. However, this Thursday one of the leaked Pentagon documents has revealed that the situation may have been different and that a communication error between the control tower and the pilot caused the device to be launched.
The U.S. newspaper The New York Times has been able to discuss this leak with several U.S. Defense officials, who have acknowledged that the incident was much more serious than was said at the time and that this fact “could have constituted an act of war.”.
Last September 29, a British Air Force RC-135 River Joint reconnaissance aircraft was flying unarmed on a routine reconnaissance mission over the Black Sea. It was then that two Russian Su-27 fighter-bombers came out to meet it and escorted it for about 90 minutes. During that period, one of the two Russian fighters fired a missile in the vicinity of the aircraft. RAF aircraft without hitting it.
After investigating what happened and the U.K.’s public complaint, the Russian defense minister blamed the incident on a “technical failure” of the fighter and admitted that the incident occurred in international airspace. Six months later Pentagon leaks point to a misunderstanding between the control tower and the Russian pilot.
According to defense officials quoted by the U.S. media, the Russian pilot had misunderstood what the radar operator on the ground was telling him and thought he had permission to fire. The pilot, who had locked on to the British aircraft, fired, but the missile failed to launch properly because of an ammunition malfunction.
The aforementioned media outlet contacted a British defense official who said that “a significant proportion of the content of these reports is either false, doctored or both. We strongly advise that no one should take at face value. the veracity of these claims And to take the time to question the source and purpose of such leaks.”
After the September incident, British Defense Minister Ben Wallace said that surveillance flights had been suspended, but shortly afterward they were restarted but with the escort of at least one fighter Typhoon alongside.
