Hunt for Russian Submarine near Scotland
The British, French and Canadians are searching the seas off Scotland for a Russian submarine detected off the northern coast 10 days ago, reports the Australian.
French patrol planes are scouring the seas off Scotland for a Russian submarine after Britain was forced to call on allies for help because it has scrapped its own sub-hunting aircraft.
BBC says that an RAF plane is "conducting activity" off the Scottish coast, the Ministry of Defence says, amid reports of a Russian submarine being spotted in the area. A Royal Navy Frigate and submarine are also thought to be involved in the search, along with Canadian and French maritime patrol aircraft.
The Telegraph reports the French plane has searched for the submarine for at least 10 days. The RAF currently has no maritime patrol aircraft of its own.
“We can confirm that allied maritime patrol aircraft based at RAF Lossiemouth for a limited period are conducting activity with the Royal Navy,” the MoD said in a statement.
“We do not discuss the detail of maritime operations.”
The operation is the third time in only a year that Britain has called on its allies to search for a Russian submarine in the area, as Moscow has dramatically stepped up its undersea patrols.
A senior NATO commander said last month that the number of Russian submarine patrols had risen to levels not seen for a decade as UK defence officials warned Russia was exploring plans to cut underseas communications cables which carry nearly all the world’s internet traffic.
