{"id":1071614,"date":"2026-05-22T10:38:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T08:38:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/russian-su-35-six-metres-raf-rc-135-rivet-joint-black-sea-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T15:47:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T13:47:03","slug":"russian-su-35-six-metres-raf-rc-135-rivet-joint-black-sea-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/russian-su-35-six-metres-raf-rc-135-rivet-joint-black-sea-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Six Metres From the Nose: Russian Su-35 Buzzes RAF Spy Plane Over Black Sea"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\n\n<p>The Su-35 came so close that the autopilot gave up. Six metres from the nose of a Royal Air Force Rivet Joint cruising over the Black Sea in international airspace, the British jet\u2019s emergency alerts started screaming and the autopilot cut itself out. The crew of 51 Squadron took the controls manually and finished the mission.<\/p>\n\n<p>On 20 May 2026, the UK Ministry of Defence finally went public with what its surveillance crews had endured in April. Multiple intercepts. Su-27 Flankers. Su-35 Flanker-Es. One pass after another, well inside the &#8220;professional&#8221; envelope NATO expects of nuclear-armed neighbours. UK Defence Secretary John Healey called it &#8220;dangerous and unacceptable&#8221; \u2014 and confirmed it was the closest Russian intercept of a British aircraft since 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f0f0f0;padding:18px 22px;margin:24px 0;border-radius:8px;font-size:14px;line-height:1.6\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Quick Facts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Aircraft intercepted:<\/strong> RAF RC-135W Rivet Joint, 51 Squadron, RAF Waddington<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Russian aircraft:<\/strong> Su-35 Flanker-E (RF-81718) and Su-27 Flanker<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Closest pass:<\/strong> Six metres from the RC-135 nose<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Effect:<\/strong> Triggered emergency alerts, disabled autopilot<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Number of passes:<\/strong> Su-27 made six passes between 6 and 15 metres<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>When:<\/strong> April 2026, made public 20 May 2026<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Su-35 payload:<\/strong> Air-to-air missiles plus a single Kh-31 (AS-17 Krypton) anti-ship missile<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Last comparable incident:<\/strong> September 2022 \u2014 Russian Su-27 fired two air-to-air missiles at RAF Rivet Joint (both missed)<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">A six-metre gap and a triggered autopilot<\/h2>\n\n<p>The numbers are what give it away. A modern fighter intercept is an established choreography: the interceptor closes to perhaps 30-50 metres, flies parallel for a moment, then peels off. It is the visual equivalent of a polite warning. Six metres is something else entirely. At cruise speed \u2014 roughly 800 km\/h \u2014 six metres is the difference between a controlled intercept and a mid-air collision that would kill 32 RAF personnel and turn a SIGINT sortie into the first NATO-Russia loss-of-life incident in three decades.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px\"><img data-opt-id=1327848732  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/05\/fix-1071614-0-boeing-rc-135-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"RAF RC-135W Rivet Joint in flight\" style=\"max-width:100%;height:auto;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">An RAF RC-135W Rivet Joint \u2014 the type intercepted over the Black Sea. The aircraft entered RAF service in 2014 as a replacement for the Nimrod R1. (Wikimedia Commons)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>The Su-35 in question is one British and American crews have met before. Tail number RF-81718 was part of the formation that escorted two Tu-95 Bear bombers into the Alaskan Air Defence Identification Zone in February 2025, where Eielson-based USAF F-35As intercepted it. Same airframe, same pilot pool, same theatrics \u2014 now transplanted to the Black Sea with a Kh-31 anti-ship missile slung underneath as an unsubtle reminder of what the jet can do.<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"max-width:550px;margin:0 auto 28px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?id=2057142757009858868&#038;theme=light\" style=\"width:100%;height:400px;border:none;border-radius:12px;overflow:hidden\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The 2022 incident that almost started a war<\/h2>\n\n<p>To understand why six metres matters, you have to remember September 2022. Over almost exactly the same patch of sea, a Russian Su-27 pilot fired two air-to-air missiles at a Royal Air Force Rivet Joint. Neither hit. The first missile, the UK government initially claimed, was a &#8220;technical malfunction.&#8221; Then leaked Russian radio chatter revealed the real story: a confused Russian pilot believed he had been cleared to engage. His wingman screamed at him. He fired anyway. The second missile he ditched into the sea.<\/p>\n\n<p>That incident very nearly became NATO\u2019s first combat loss to Russia in the post-Soviet era. The British government chose not to escalate publicly at the time \u2014 and Russian pilots seem to have read that restraint as licence. Since 2022, RAF Rivet Joints over the Black Sea have flown with Typhoon escort, sometimes joined by French Rafales. The intercepts have continued anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #d32f2f;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/05\/fix-1071614-1-john-healey.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"flex-shrink:0\"><img data-opt-id=1953551516  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/05\/fix-1071614-1-john-healey.jpg\" alt=\"John Healey\" style=\"width:96px;height:96px;border-radius:50%;object-fit:cover;object-position:center;display:block;border:2px solid #ddd\"><\/a><div><em>&ldquo;This incident is another example of dangerous and unacceptable behaviour by Russian pilots, towards an unarmed aircraft operating in international airspace. These actions create a serious risk of accidents and potential escalation. This incident will not deter the UK\u2019s commitment to defend NATO, our allies and our interests from Russian aggression.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>John Healey<\/strong> &mdash; UK Secretary of State for Defence<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Why the RC-135 is over the Black Sea in the first place<\/h2>\n\n<p>The RC-135W Rivet Joint is not a weapon. It carries no armament. What it does carry is a fuselage stuffed with antennas, signals processing equipment, and Russian-speaking operators who can pull radar emissions, voice communications, and electronic order-of-battle data out of the air over thousands of kilometres. From cruise altitude over the Black Sea, an RC-135 can listen deep into both Russia and Ukraine simultaneously \u2014 and the intelligence it generates feeds NATO targeting cells, Ukrainian air defence batteries, and Whitehall ministerial briefings.<\/p>\n\n<p>The RAF operates three Rivet Joints, all based at 51 Squadron in RAF Waddington. They entered service in 2014 as a like-for-like replacement for the Nimrod R1, retired in 2011 after fifty years of service. The fleet is so closely integrated with the US Air Force\u2019s larger RC-135 force that the British jets receive upgrades in Greenville, Texas, on the same production line as their American counterparts.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px\"><img data-opt-id=1991621675  data-opt-src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/05\/fix-1071614-2-eurofighter-typhoon.jpg\"  decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20100%%20100%%22%20width%3D%22100%%22%20height%3D%22100%%22%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%22100%%22%20height%3D%22100%%22%20fill%3D%22transparent%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"RAF Eurofighter Typhoon\" style=\"max-width:100%;height:auto;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">RAF Typhoon FGR4 \u2014 the fighter type now routinely escorting Rivet Joint sorties over the Black Sea after the 2022 missile incident. (Wikimedia Commons)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The Kh-31 detail nobody missed<\/h2>\n\n<p>Aviation watchers latched onto one specific feature of the Su-35 photographs released by the UK MoD: under the Russian fighter\u2019s wing sat a single Kh-31 missile. The Kh-31 \u2014 NATO codename AS-17 &#8220;Krypton&#8221; \u2014 is a Mach 3.5 anti-ship missile originally designed to punch through the Aegis air defence systems of US Navy carrier groups. Carrying one on a Black Sea air-defence patrol is unusual. Carrying it during a close intercept of a NATO ISR aircraft is a message.<\/p>\n\n<p>The message reads: <em>this jet can engage surface targets, this jet is configured for offensive action, and this jet is choosing to fly six metres from your nose while loaded.<\/em> Whether that signal was authorised at Kremlin level or improvised at squadron level remains unclear. Either reading is concerning.<\/p>\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">What happens next<\/h2>\n\n<p>The UK has formally protested through the Russian embassy in London \u2014 the same diplomatic channel used after the 2022 incident, with similarly little visible effect. RAF Rivet Joint sorties will continue. So will the Typhoon escorts. France will likely keep contributing Rafales on a rotating basis. The US Air Force\u2019s MQ-9 Reaper drones \u2014 one of which was already brought down by a Russian Su-27 over the same patch of sea in March 2023 \u2014 will keep flying their parallel orbits.<\/p>\n\n<p>What is missing is any apparent Russian intent to de-escalate. The intercepts are getting closer, not further apart. The next six-metre pass may be the one that puts a Russian fighter wingtip into an RAF Rivet Joint fuselage. After that, nobody knows what comes next \u2014 and that is precisely the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"margin:24px 0\"><div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;border-radius:8px\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sj1BDdM930k\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Watch: archival footage of a Russian Su-27 \/ RAF Rivet Joint intercept over the Black Sea, showing how close these encounters routinely get.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n<p><em>Sources: UK Ministry of Defence; The Aviationist; UK Defence Journal; The War Zone; Crown Copyright imagery 2026.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/romanian-f-16-shoots-down-drone-estonia-nato-baltic-air-policing-may-2026\">NATO First: Romanian F-16 Just Shot Down a Drone Over Estonia<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/austria-scrambles-jets-as-u-s-spy-planes-cross-its-airspace\">Austria Scrambles Jets as U.S. Spy Planes Cross Its Airspace<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Russian Su-35 closed within six metres of an RAF Rivet Joint over the Black Sea \u2014 disabling the autopilot. The closest intercept since 2022.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":1071617,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"su-35 six metres nose","_yoast_wpseo_title":"Russian Su-35 Buzzes RAF Rivet Joint at Six Metres Over Black Sea","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"UK reveals Russian Su-35 and Su-27 fighters made dangerous intercepts of an RAF RC-135 Rivet Joint over the Black Sea \u2014 closest pass since 2022.","_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[664,670],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1071614","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-military-aviation","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Russian Su-35 Buzzes RAF Rivet Joint at Six 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reconnaissance aircraft moves into position behind a KC-135T\/R Stratotanker for an aerial refueling at a speed greater than 250 knots over Southwest Asia. 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