3️⃣ Quick Reaction Alert scrambles over the space of 6️⃣ days... it's been busy for #TeamLossie 💪

But we're always ready to scramble at a moment's notice, #SecuringTheSkies of the UK 🇬🇧

Today we intercepted & shadowed 2 Russian Tu-142 Bear Fs.

Here's the lowdown 👇
1/#QRA 📡 Unidentified aircraft were detected by @NATO as they operated within the Alliance's area of interest.

🏝️ This includes sovereign airspace (over a country's land mass and 12 nautical miles off their coastline) and the international airspace around it.

2/#QRA

🚨 Quick Reaction Alert Typhoons were scrambled today from their temporary base at Leuchars Station in Fife.

✈️ This was in response to Russian military aircraft operating in international airspace, but within @NATO's Air Policing Area.

Here's what you need to know 👇

1/#QRA 🎯 Unidentified aircraft were tracked as they entered the northern @NATO Air Policing Area.

✈️ This was monitored by the Combined Air Operations Centre at Uedem, Germany.

⏳ In the UK, Control & Reporting Centres at @RAFBoulmer & @RAFScampton prepared to scramble...

2/#QRA

#TeamLossie has had a busy Saturday!

🚨 We were scrambled earlier this morning as two Russian Tu-142 Bear F aircraft approached UK airspace. It was a rather unusual scramble for the @RoyalAirForce, and we're going to tell you all about it...

1/ #QRA ❓ What happened?

📡 The Control & Reporting Centre at @RAFBoulmer was alerted to two tracks heading towards UK airspace. The team of surveillance operators were tracking the two aircraft at all times alongside their @NATO counterparts.

2/ #QRA

Yesterday #TeamLossie joined their colleagues from:

🇬🇧 @RoyalAirForce
🇺🇸 @USMC
🇳🇱 @Kon_Luchtmacht
🇺🇸 @USAirForce

for a large scale training event known as Exercise Point Blank.

Here's what you need to know in your #PhoonFriday #MegaThread!

1/ #PointBlank 📅 Exercise #PointBlank occurs several times a year, and enables the @RoyalAirForce and our @NATO allies to practise complex war-fighting scenarios involving more than 50 aircraft.

2/ #PointBlank

Have you ever wondered how we know when unidentified aircraft approach UK airspace?

This week's #PhoonFriday is looking at some of the smaller @RoyalAirForce units dotted around Scotland that directly support our Quick Reaction Alert mission.

#SupportingQRA 1/7 Did you know there are three Remote Radar Heads in Scotland?

📡 Benbecula, in the Outer Hebrides
📡 Saxa Vord, in the Shetlands
📡 Buchan, on the Aberdeenshire coast

#SupportingQRA 2/7

#OnThisDay in 1943, 617 Squadron departed @RAFScampton on Operation Chastise - an audacious bombing raid that is still talked about to this day.

Here's your Saturday #MegaThread to explain it all 👇

#OpChastise 1/10 Before we begin, Operation Chastise in numbers:

🕰️ Departed @RAFScampton @ 21:28, 16 May 1943
⚡ Primary targets: 3 dams in the Ruhr valley
✈️ 19 Avro Lancaster bombers
👨 133 airmen from 🇬🇧 Britain, 🇨🇦 Canada, 🇦🇺 Australia, 🇳🇿 New Zealand, 🇺🇸 United States

#OpChastise 2/10

Exercise POINT BLANK concluded yesterday.
Here's a megathread with what you need to know 👇

Ex PB is an interoperability exercise between the @RoyalAirForce 🇬🇧 and @USAirForce 🇺🇸, involving a range of personnel in the air & on the ground a few times a year.

#ExPointBlank 1/7 This was the 2nd Ex PB this year involving 50 different aircraft:

From the @RoyalAirForce:

✅@Eurofighter Typhoons from #TeamLossie & @RAFConingsby
✅@thef35 F-35Bs from @RAF_Marham
✅Air to Air Refuelling from @RAFBrizeNorton Voyagers

#ExPointBlank 2/7

Quick Reaction Alert Typhoons from #TeamLossie, along with QRA from our @NATO allies launched today to intercept two Russian Tu-142 'BEAR-F' aircraft that approached the UK and NATO's area of interest.

Here's what you need to know in our QRA mega-thread 👇

#QRA 1/14 🚨 Unidentified aircraft were detected as they approached @NATO's area of interest.

Norwegian QRA scrambled F-16s to intercept. They ID'd two Russian Tu-142s.

#TeamLossie QRA Typhoons scrambled soon after as the Tu-142s tracked south towards the North Sea.

#QRA 2/14

We've had a number of questions about why some of our major infrastructure projects are continuing at RAF Lossiemouth.

We hope to answer your questions, and alleviate your concerns in this thread 👇 🛡️ The construction of our Poseidon Strategic Facility, along with the resurfacing of our runways and operating surfaces, have been categorised as Critical National Infrastructure by @GOVUK.

Early this morning, #TeamLossie launched two Quick Reaction Alert Typhoons to intercept and shadow two Russian Tu-142 Bear-F aircraft as they approached the UK's area of interest.

This thread is everything you need to know 👇

1/7 #QRA The Russian aircraft entered the UK Flight Information Region and were intercepted west of the Shetland Islands. At no time did the two Bear-F aircraft enter UK sovereign airspace. Our Typhoons shadowed them as they tracked south towards Ireland.

2/7 #QRA

You've asked a lot of questions about yesterday's Quick Reaction Alert scramble, the main one being "why did you scramble?".

Read this thread for everything you need to know 👇

#SecuringTheSkies

#QRA 1/7 Two Russian Tu-142 Bears were tracked as they approached the UK's area of interest.

While they didn't enter our sovereign airspace, their activities do have a considerable impact on other airspace users - namely civilian airliners.

#QRA 2/7