RUSSIA
Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many airborne sorties have been carried out by the Royal Air Force to intercept Russian military aircraft approaching or entering British airspace in each month since April 2005.
Mr Mark Francois, Minister of State for the Armed Forces: Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) aircraft launched to intercept aircraft on 20 days in 2014. The number of days on which QRA aircraft have launched specifically against Russian military aircraft for each year since 2005 is contained in the table below. Not every launch resulted in an interception as some incidents were resolved prior to interception.
| Year | No. Days Launched Against Russian Military Aircraft |
| 2005 | 4 |
| 2006 | 1 |
| 2007 | 19 |
| 2008 | 11 |
| 2009 | 11 |
| 2010 | 7 |
| 2011 | 10 |
| 2012 | 9 |
| 2013 | 8 |
| 2014 | 8 |
I am withholding further details as deterrence is a principal function of QRA and QRA is in turn an integral part of the air defence of the UK. The disclosure of information that might compromise the QRA deterrent capability would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
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