Just hours before the UK Government announced its defence spending cuts, the very real threat posed to British airspace was underlined when RAF Leuchars scrambled Tornado fighter jets to intercept Russian military aircraft.
A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Defence confirmed the incident took place, but would not give further details.
However, The Courier understands that two fast jets were given the order to take off from the base.
It is believed that on Monday fighter aircraft were also scrambled to intercept military aircraft.
RAF Leuchars plays a crucial role in protecting the UK and is primarily responsible for maintaining Quick Reaction Alert (North) to police airspace.
As part of this crews and aircraft remain on 24-hour alert all year round.
This intense state of readiness is justified, however, with Russian aircraft being intercepted more than 20 times from the start of 2009 to March this year.
The latest action once again highlights the strategic importance of the Fife air base at a time when deep cuts to parts of the armed forces dominate the media.
Despite this, the future operations at Leuchars could still be in doubt on the back of the review which did not shed clear light on RAF base closures.
But it is widely felt that RAF Leuchars will escape any drastic cuts.