A Russian Su-27 fighter jet intercepted a U.S. Navy spy plane over the Baltic Sea on Tuesday, two U.S. defense officials told Fox News.
While the maneuver was deemed “safe,” the jet came within 20 feet of the U.S. aircraft and it was “unprofessional.”
Breaking News: Russian fighter jet buzzes US military spy plane over Baltic Sea, officials say https://t.co/wzGeBUN1tI
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 1, 2018
The U.S. Navy P-8 surveillance plane was flying in international airspace when the intercept took place, and it was “safe” but “unprofessional,” officials said.
The American pilots said they never felt “threatened or unsafe,” Fox reported.
Last June, a Russian Su-27 fighter jet intercepted a U.S. B-52 bomber over the Baltic Sea. The Russian Defense Ministry had claimed the B-52 bomber was over international waters near the Russian border.
In January, the U.S. Air Force released footage of “safe and standard” intercepts of Russian aircraft during NATO’s Baltic air policing mission.
The video footage of two intercepts from Nov. 23 and on Dec. 13, 2017, was taken from cameras inside the cockpits of F-15s from the 493rd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, belonging to the 48th Fighter Wing of RAF Lakenheath, in the United Kingdom.
The video shows two Russian Navy Su-30 Flankers flying in the Baltics before they’re intercepted by American F-15s because they did not broadcast the proper codes required by air traffic control and had no flight plan on file, U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa had said.
The video shows two Russian Navy Su-30 Flankers flying in the Baltics before they’re intercepted by American F-15s because they did not broadcast the proper codes required by air traffic control and had no flight plan on file, U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa said.
