Watch From Inside a Russian Bomber as Western Jets Intercept It

In recent months, Russian bomber and fighter jets have repeatedly tested the air defenses of their European neighbors. These encounters have occasionally been captured on film — but almost always from the perspective of Western jets. But now, the blog the Aviationist has surfaced footage from inside a Russian strategic bomber as it is intercepted by European fighter planes.

The fascinating footage provides not only a great view of the intercepting jets — British Typhoons and French Mirage 2000s — but also a look at the quirky contra-rotating turboprop engines of the Russian TU-95 strategic bomber, perhaps better known as the Bear.

It is unclear when the encounter took place, but incidents of this nature have become regular occurrences on Europe’s borders. Most recently, British jets scrambled to intercept two TU-95s flying off the coast of Cornwall on Wednesday. It is unlikely the video above is from that encounter.

Western defense officials say that they have not seen such a frequency of aggressive Russian air patrols since the Cold War, when Soviet jets would regularly fly similar missions near the airspace of European countries.

YouTube/tvZvezda