RAF Leuchars jets scrambled to intercept Russian bombers over Western Isles

It appears the Russians have been playing a bit of cat and mouse over the Western Isles.

The two Russian Tupolev TU-160 bombers were tracked by the RAF beforehand and they made no attempt to get in contact before or during their flight into British restricted airspace with British air traffic control.

As this was then classed as a perceived threat two F3 Tornado's from 111 fighter squadron based at RAF Leuchars were scrambled to intercept the Russian bombers.

Wing Cdr Mark Gorringe said on the BBC website:

"This is not an unusual incident and people may be surprised to know that our crews have successfully scrambled to intercept Russian aircraft on more than 20 occasions since the start of 2009."

 Although Wing Commander Gorringe is not surprised that the RAF have seen so much action i do question what is being done about these perceived threats?

Maybe the Russians are looking for more football clubs to buy, or perhaps there is far more in this than meets the eye?

Given the high level of civilian aircraft that fly to the US from the north of Scotland, having these flights by the Russians where no contact is made or communication attempted could also be seen as highly irresponsible.