UK Poseidon Reconnaissance Plane Patrols Near Murmansk
A British Boeing Poseidon MRA1 is flying a reconnaissance mission over neutral waters in the Barents Sea near Murmansk on July 22, tracking data shows.
A British Boeing Poseidon MRA1 maritime patrol aircraft is conducting a reconnaissance flight over neutral waters in the Barents Sea near Murmansk, according to air traffic tracking data reviewed by RIA Novosti.
The aircraft took off from the Lossiemouth military base in Scotland at about 11:00 a.m. Moscow time on July 22 and headed northeast. After flying along the Norwegian border, it reached the Barents Sea and began circling in the Murmansk area.
The plane is currently operating between the Norwegian town of Kirkenes and Murmansk.
British military aircraft regularly carry out reconnaissance missions near Russia’s borders. Such flights have also been recorded over the Black Sea near Crimea and from the direction of Norway, Finland and the Baltic states.
Moscow has repeatedly pointed to a sharp increase in NATO activity along Russia’s western borders in recent years. The alliance has justified its expanding military presence as necessary to contain what it describes as Russian aggression. Russian authorities have repeatedly raised concerns over NATO’s growing military deployment in Europe.