NATO jet issues alert as map shows aircraft circling near Scotland

A NATO squawk alert has been issued due to aircraft flying without permission and fighter jets can be seen circling near Scotland with flight trackers revealing their movements.

An RAF jet was scrambled from Brize Norton and its flight path has been recorded as it headed to the north of Scotland. The plane, Airbus KC2 Voyager, with a call sign Tartan31, left its base at 5.57am this morning before making many loops around the coastline of northern , according to Flightradar24.

And a second plane, a Eurofighter Typhoon, with a call sign Phanto11 left RAF Lossiemouth, in Scotland, and has carried out a similar flight trajectory. The planes are continuing to hover around the area with their mission currently unclear.

READ MORE:

READ MORE:

A Scramble is triggered when an aircraft is flying an invalid or incorrect flight plan; fails to or loses communication with the relevant air traffic control authority; or fails to communicate with the air traffic control authorities using the transponder, an electronic device that emits a four-digit signal called a "squawk code".

Last November RAF fighter jets were launched to intercept a Russian military aircraft over the North Sea. The confirmed that two Typhoon jets from RAF Lossiemouth were deployed to monitor a Russian Bear-F reconnaissance aircraft.

The aircraft was detected in the UK’s “area of interest” but did not enter sovereign airspace, according to an MoD spokesperson. The operation was part of the RAF’s Quick Reaction Alert, which maintains high readiness around the clock to safeguard UK skies.

This latest incident comes amid heightened vigilance as Russian military activity near NATO member states continues to test defence readiness. ’s forces are believed to be probing Western responses as the war in persists.

NATO scrambled fighter jets early on Sunday as Putin deployed his nuclear-capable Tu-95MS bombers to unleash a fresh barrage of missile attacks on Ukraine – including direct strikes on Kyiv.

Please check back regularly for updates on this developing story . Get email updates on the day’s biggest stories straight to your inbox by .

Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you by following The every time you see our name.

• Follow The Mirror on Google News - and click the star
• Follow The Mirror on Apple News - available on Apple devices
• Follow The Mirror on Flipboard - and click follow