Pentagon informed that a Russian Su-30 fighter jet made an unsafe contact with a U.S. Navy reconnaissance aircraft over the weekend. The Russian jet reportedly flew about 50 feet in front of the American plane, a P-8A Poseidon. That was the reason why the U.S. plane experienced a 15-degree roll and violent turbulence, CNN reported.
“The U.S. aircraft was operating in international airspace and did nothing to provoke this Russian behavior. Unsafe actions have the potential to cause serious harm and injury to all aircrews involved,” Pentagon spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Michelle Baldanza said.
The incident happened on Saturday over the Black Sea. The intercept lasted for 25 minutes. This is not the first time that something like this happens. Several incidents like this have happened this year. In June two U.S. officials said that a Russian jet came within five feet of a U.S. reconnaissance plane near the Baltic Sea. The Russian SU-27 “rapidly” approached a U.S. RC-135 reconnaissance plane and acted “provocatively” by performing “unsafe” maneuvers.
Earlier this month, Navy F/A-18 fighter jets were dispatched to escort two Russian TU-95 bombers away from the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan. The June incident was deemed unsafe because of the “erratic” way in which the Russian plane had flown close to the U.S. spy plane, while the incident from this month was deemed to be safe and professional. The Russian planes earlier this month were flying around 80 miles away from the aircraft carrier.
Russia, the U.S., and NATO operate in close proximity to the Black Sea, particularly since Russia boosted its military presence in the region after the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Saturday’s incident came just weeks after the Russian foreign ministry called the U.S. an “occupying force” in Syria.
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