A Russian pilot who fired a missile at a British reconnaissance plane over the Black Sea on September 29, 2022 did so not because of a technical glitch, as was claimed at the time, but because he mistakenly thought he had permission to do so, this report reports. BBC Thursday.
The British public broadcaster, which cites Western defense sources, affirms that the Russian communications intercepted by British Royal Air Force RC-135 Rivet Joint aircraft (RAF) reflect a different version of the official one, which was then shared by the Ministry of Defense in London.
The RAF plane, with a crew of around 30, was carrying out a surveillance mission over the Black Sea in international airspace when he met two Russian SU-27 fighter jets.
The intercepted communications show that one of the pilots of those ships thought that he had been given permission to fire on the British plane, upon receiving a vague order from the ground command, which said: “You have the objective.”
This soldier fired two missiles, which did not hit the RAF aircraft, says the BBC.