The Air Force made a successful intercept , monitoring the flight path of the Russian Tu-142 Bear-F and Tu-142 Bear-J aircraft to counter any potential threat to UK territory .
The Stinger and the Starstreak surface-to-air missile systems "were developed as a solution to the same problem," military expert David Hambling told Newsweek.
The C-130J Hercules will be taken over by Atlas A400M aircraft by the end of next month, but Sky News understands two-thirds of the incoming fleet have been listed as unavailable for missions.
An F-35 jet pilot has spoken of the harrowing moment he escaped from his plane moments before it plunged into the sea after failing to launch off a Royal Navy aircraft carrier.