- Plane spotters saw two fighters and tanker aircraft heading to English Channel
- It was feared French plane may have lost communication with air traffic control
- The RAF have since confirmed the fighters were taking part in training exercise
Two RAF jets sparked concern today after they were scrambled from a UK airbase to intercept a French plane over the Channel.
Locals near RAF Coningsby saw the supersonic jets take to the skies over Lincolnshire along with an air force tanker plane to refuel them.
The Ministry of Defence has since confirmed the jets were dispatched as part of an exercise organised with the French air force and were not sent out in response to any emergency.
Two RAF typhoon jets were scrambled to intercept a French aircraft over the Channel today
The exercise came just days after two fighters from the same airbase created a sonic boom over the region as they intercepted a Ryanair flight from Lithuania which had reported a bomb threat.
In that case, the planes accompanied the airliner into Stansted airport and the incident was found to be a hoax.
The UK’s Quick Reaction Alert team, which are ready to take off within minutes at any time, have also been sent up in recent months to intercept Russian bombers probing British airspace.
An MoD spokesman said today’s alert: ‘The RAF can confirm that Typhoon fighters from RAF Coningsby participated in an air defence exercise today alongside French Air Force assets; this was a long-standing, pre-planned exercise.
‘We do such exercises on a regular basis in order to ensure our procedures are as efficient and effective as possible.’