Times: British pilots were allowed to shoot down Russian aircraft

British Tornado fighters bombing Islamic State targets in Iraq will be equipped with heat-seeking ASRAAM air-to-air missiles, which pilots will be able to use to shoot down Russian aircraft "if a threat arises."

This is reported on Sunday, October 11, newspaper Times with reference to an unnamed source in the British defense department.

The cost of such a rocket, capable of reaching speeds of 2300 miles per hour, is £200000; the Tornado fighter can carry up to four such missiles, the publication reports RBC.

The tabloid The Daily Star clarifies that the command of the Royal Air Force recommends that pilots avoid contact with Russian aircraft, but be prepared to shoot at Russian aircraft if their lives are threatened. Such a threat the British military department finds quite real.

Russian Ambassador to the UK Alexander Yakovenko appealed to the UK Foreign Ministry with a request to comment on the information of the newspaper. Times.

“The very hypothesis of a potential conflict between British and Russian aircraft in the skies over Iraq is unclear. As is known, Russian aviation is not involved in strikes against IS targets on the territory of this state. For its part, British aircraft do not participate in anti-ISIS coalition strikes in Syria. The question arises, what is the point of such provocative stuff?” – quotes Yakovenko as saying broker Russian Embassy in the UK.