A Russian Bear-F maritime patrol aircraft approached the UK's Carrier Strike Group operating under Operation FIRECREST in the Norwegian Sea on a Thursday. Two UK F-35 aircraft were launched from HMS Prince of Wales to intercept and escort the Russian plane after it made repeated close approaches and dropped sonobuoys. UK Defense Secretary Dan Jarvis and Icelandic Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir visited the carrier over the following weekend.