The UK Defence Secretary reported that a Russian Su-27 fighter fired a missile near an RAF spy plane on patrol over the Black Sea. 

In a hearing at the House of Commons, the UK Secretary of State for Defense Ben Wallace reported that a Royal Air Force Boeing RC-135 Rivet Joint observation aircraft was on patrol in international airspace above the Black Sea when it was intercepted by two Su-27 fighters belonging to the Russian Air Force. During the encounter, one of the fighters “released a missile in the vicinity of the Rivet Joint.” 

“We do not consider this a deliberate escalation by the Russians,” Wallace told the Parliament on October 20, 2022. “Our analysts would concur it was a malfunction. However, it’s a reminder of quite how dangerous things can be when you choose to use your fighters in the manner that the Russians have done over many periods of time.” 

The Russian authorities have not yet reacted to the claim. 

The Boeing RC-135 is a reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft based on the same airframe as the KC-135 tanker.