The micstaguesuk-online has heard that a Russian pilot attempted to shoot down an RAF surveillance jet after thinking he had authorization to fire.
The first missile that the pilot launched missed its target rather than malfunctioning as was initially alleged.
The incident from last September, according to Russia, was the result of a “technical malfunction”.
The Russian account was openly accepted by the UK Ministry of Defense (MoD).
Russian communications intercepted by the RAF RC-135 Rivet Joint aircraft, according to three senior Western defense officials with knowledge of the incident and the BBC, provide a substantially different story from the one provided by the official sources.
On September 29, 2017, the RAF plane, which had a crew of up to 30, was conducting a surveillance mission over the Black Sea in international airspace when it came into contact with two Russian SU-27 fighter fighters.
Following an unclear order from a Russian ground station, one of the Russian pilots believed he had been given authorization to target the British aircraft, according to the intercepted communications.
The second Russian pilot, nevertheless, did not. When he launched the first missile, he argued with and cursed at his wingman.
There are many sensors on the Rivet Joint that can eavesdrop on conversations. The incident that might have led to their own deaths would have been audible to the RAF crew.
The MoD won’t make those exchanges’ specifics public.
An official from the Ministry of Defense responded to these recent findings by saying, “Our intent has always been to protect the safety of our operations, avoid unnecessary escalation, and inform the public and international community.”
What actually transpired
The two Russian SU-27s got a message from their ground station controller as they neared the RAF spy jet.
One western source reportedly informed the BBC that they were told “you have the target” when they received the message.
One of the Russian pilots regarded this unclear terminology as a green light to fire.
The informal language used by those engaged seemed to demonstrate a high level of unprofessionalism, according to sources. NATO pilots, on the other hand, ask for and receive permission to fire using highly precise terminology.
According to reports to the BBC, the Russian pilot fired an air-to-air missile, which launched successfully but was unable to lock on to its intended target. Not a malfunction, but a miss.
The media has been told by defense sources that the two Russian pilots then got into a fight.
The second SU-27’s pilot questioned if they had been given the go-ahead to fire.
He is alleged to have yelled at his companion, effectively questioning his motives.
Nevertheless, the initial pilot fired another missile.
We had been informed that the second missile had merely dropped from the wing, indicating that either the weapon had malfunctioned or the launch had been canceled.
What the UK MoD said took place
The incident was acknowledged by the UK government three weeks after it occurred, following an explanation from the Russian Ministry of Defense that it was a “technical malfunction.”
Then-Defense Secretary Ben Wallace described it as a “potentially dangerous engagement” in a statement to MPs on October 20.
In spite of this, he agreed with the Russian version, declaring: “We do not consider this incident to constitute a deliberate escalation on the part of the Russians, and our analysis concurs that it was due to a malfunction.”
Then-Defense Secretary Ben Wallace described it as a “potentially dangerous engagement” in a statement to MPs on October 20.
In spite of this, he agreed with the Russian version, declaring: “We do not consider this incident to constitute a deliberate escalation on the part of the Russians, and our analysis concurs that it was due to a malfunction.”
What the US claimed occurred
A covert information leak, however, showed that the US military described what occurred in more ominous terms.
The identical incident was called “a near shoot-down” in a slew of documents that US airman Jack Teixera posted online.
“The incident was far more serious than originally portrayed and could have amounted to an act of war,” the New York Times said.
The publication quoted two US defense officials as saying that the Russian pilot had erroneously misread a ground instruction.
“Who had locked on the British aircraft, the Russian pilot fired, but the missile did not launch properly.”
The encounter was described as “really, really scary” by a US defense official who was not identified in the newspaper.
The UK MoD released another statement in response to the leaked account of a “near shoot-down” that provided more confusion than clarification.
An “important portion of the content of these reports [from the documents] is untrue, manipulated, or both,” according to the MoD.
