RAF Coningsby Typhoons to be deployed to Eastern Europe in response to Russian aggression

Typhoon fighter jets from RAF Coningsby will be sent to Romania in 2017 after a series of Russian military manoeuvres in the region.

The Typhoons will be based at the Mihail Kogalniceanu Airbase in south east Romania for up to four months next year.

Eight hundred British personnel will also be sent to Estonia in a bid to offer reassurance to the UK’s allies in the Baltic.

The announcement comes in a time of increasing tensions between NATO and Russia.

A Russian fleet passed through the Channel near to the British mainland on Friday, October 21.

The warships were strongly believed to be on their way to take part in the fighting in war-torn Syria.

This Wednesday, Russia cancelled a request to refuel its boats in Spanish territory, as NATO members put significant pressure on Madrid.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: “Backed by a rising defence budget this deployment of air, land and sea forces shows that we will continue to play a leading role in NATO, supporting the defence and security of our allies from the north to the south of the alliance.”