A Russian Su-27 fighter jet wanted to shoot down a British KC-135 Rivet Joint jet, but the first missile missed and the second one fell off the wing

Last year, a frightening situation occurred over the Black Sea. A Russian Su-27 fighter tried to shoot down a British KC-135 Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft with up to 30 people on board. We've written about this before, but now additional details have emerged.

Here's What We Know

The incident took place on September 29, 2022, but it became known a few weeks later. An Su-27 launched a single missile at an RC-135 Rivet Joint, which was on a mission over the Black Sea. Russian officials said the missile was fired due to a malfunction.

Ben Wallace, who was the British Prime Minister at the time, also commented on the situation. He said that a pair of Russian aircraft had carelessly approached the RC-135.

At the same time, the BBC tells a new version of events, which is very different from the original. The publication refers to three high-ranking Western officials who wished to remain anonymous.

As it turned out, the Russian pilot of one of the Su-27 fighters thought he had received permission to attack the British aircraft after the ambiguous command "you have a target" from the ground station. The co-pilot did not release the missiles and berated his partner.

Sources said the Su-27 fired an air-to-air missile but it missed. It was a miss, not a technical malfunction, the Russian defence ministry said. The second missile simply fell off the wing as it tried to fire, hinting at a weapon malfunction or aborted launch.

Source: BBC