LONDON (AP) — Britain's military lost contact with two RAF Tornado jets in Scotland on Tuesday and was searching for them, officials said.
The two GR4 Tornado jets were in the Mornay Firth area in eastern Scotland when contact with them was lost, the Ministry of Defense said.
"Two aircraft are missing and the search and rescue operation is ongoing," a spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of standing ministry rules, said no further details were available.
British media, including the BBC and Sky News, said the two aircraft crashed.
Britain's Maritime and Coastguard Agency said it sent a helicopter from the island of Stornoway, off the coast of Scotland, in response to a request for assistance from the Royal Air Force.
The Royal Air Force operates Tornado GR4's from two bases — RAF Lossiemouth, in Scotland and RAF Marham.
The Tornados are two-seaters and described as "all weather attack aircraft" capable of low-level supersonic flight.
The aircraft most recently saw action with the RAF over Libya as part of Operation Ellamy.
They are not part of the Ministry of Defense's multi-tiered defense plan for the upcoming London Olympic games, which will depend on Typhoon jets to be used in London airspace.
