Britain scrambles Air Force jets to intercept Russian bombers

London: Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF) Typhoon jets were scrambled on Wednesday to intercept two Russian bombers heading towards UK airspace.

A UK Ministry of Defence spokesperson confirmed that the Russian Tupolev TU 160 aircraft were in the UK's "area of interest," but had not yet entered UK airspace.

The jets were dispatched from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, east of England, this afternoon following the security alert.

An RAF spokesperson said: "We have Typhoons up on a quick reaction alert."

The UK's airspace extends 12 miles from the UK coastline.

The RAF has reportedly intercepted Russian military planes six times in the past 12 months.

It is believed the aircraft are with the Long Range Aviation branch of the Russian military but they did not penetrate UK airspace.

Typhoon jets can be deployed in a range of operations, including combat.

More recently, Typhoons have been involved in the campaign against Islamic State in Syria, with jets dispatched from the British military base of RAF Akrotiri.