We're on to you: An RAF Tornado intercepts a Russian Blackjack bomber near Stornoway, on the Isle of Lewis
The incidents have revived memories of the Cold War, when cat-and-mouse games in the sky were common
Emblazoned in red Cyrillic letters on the fuselage is the name Vasily Reshetnikov, a World War II bomber pilot who flew 307 sorties behind German lines and earned the title Hero of the Soviet Union
The Russian jets were involved in a four hour stand-off before they left UK airspace
It was taken by the crew of a Tornado jet scrambled to intercept the supersonic invader as it headed for Scotland earlier this month.
Yesterday defence chiefs revealed the RAF has been scrambled no fewer than 20 times in the last year to repel Russian warplanes.
Analysts said it was part of a growing tendency for the Kremlin to flex its military muscles in the post-Cold War era. The Russian 'Bear' has been testing Western response times to its increasingly aggressive incursions.
In this instance, on March 10, radar picked up two of the Tu160 Blackjack bombers flying at high speed towards the Outer Hebrides.
Nicknamed the White Swan by its Russian pilots, the Tu160 is capable of travelling at 1,380mph and can carry up to 88,000lbs of ordnance including either cruise or short-range nuclear missiles.
Two RAF Tornado F3 fighters from 111 Squadron were immediately scrambled from RAF Leuchars in Fife.
They intercepted the Russian warplanes in international airspace near Stornoway, on the Isle of Lewis, and took photographs of the bombers glinting in the early morning sunshine against a clear blue sky.
Emblazoned in red on the silver fuselage was the name 'Vasily Reshetnikov', who was a legendary World War II Russian bomber pilot who flew 307 sorties behind enemy lines on the Eastern Front and earned the title 'Hero of the Soviet Union'.
The Tornados closely shadowed the bombers as they flew south, before they eventually turned north just short of the Northern Ireland coast.
Eventually the Russians left the borders of UK airspace behind and, after four hours, the Tornado crews stood down and returned to Leuchars.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was suspected of being responsible for ordering the show of strength.
'He wants to test us. They come right up to the edge of international airspace and turn away at the last moment. They can get information about our response times,' said a Ministry of Defence spokesman.
Wing Commander Mark Gorringe, commander of 111 Squadron, added: 'This is not an unusual incident and people may be surprised to know that our crews have successfully scrambled to intercept Russian aircraft on more than 20 occasions since the start of 2009.
'Our pilots, navigators and indeed all the support personnel at RAF Leuchars work very hard to deliver the UK Quick Reaction Alert Force 24 hours a day, which can be scrambled in minutes, to defend the UK from unidentified aircraft entering our airspace, or aircraft in distress.
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