Two airmen missing after RAF jets crash

LONDON – Two RAF Tornado jets crashed Tuesday on Scotland’s coast, leaving two British airmen missing after two others were plucked from the sea by helicopter.

It was not clear if the jets crashed into each other. The search for the two missing airmen and the wreckage was continuing, British officials said.

The Ministry of Defense said the GR4 Tornado jets from RAF Lossiemouth were flying in the Moray Firth area in eastern Scotland when contact with them was lost.

The Royal Air Force operates Tornado GR4’s from two bases – RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland and RAF Marham in England. The Tornados are two-seaters and described as “all-weather attack aircraft” capable of low-level supersonic flight.

It’s not the first time Tornados have run into trouble in Scotland in recent years. In January, two crew from RAF Lossiemouth were rescued after their Tornado GR4 crashed into the sea off the west coast of Scotland.

The aircraft most recently saw action with the RAF over Libya.