Two Russian attack jets that crossed into U.S. coalition airspace in Syria were intercepted by two U.S. Air Force stealth fighter jets. According to Fox News, the American F-22 jets fired flares after cutting across the front of the Russian jets.
That tactic is known as head-butting and it is meant to send a strong warning to an opposing warplane. The incident happened on Wednesday, east of the Euphrates River and it lasted for 40 minutes. It was confirmed by Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon. He explained that at one point a Russian attack jet flew close enough to an F-22 that it had to aggressively maneuver to avoid a midair collision.
Air Forces Central Command spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Damien Pickart told CNN that the Russian jets were promptly intercepted by two F-22A Raptors providing air cover for partner ground forces conducting operations to defeat ISIS.
“The F-22s conducted multiple maneuvers to persuade the Su-25s to depart our de-conflicted airspace, including the release of chaff and flares in close proximity to the Russian aircraft and placing multiple calls on the emergency channel to convey to the Russian pilots that they needed to depart the area,” he explained.
Officials from the American military raised concerns about the incident through a hot-line established in the past two years between U.S. and Russian air forces.
In the last few months, Russian jets have often flown in restricted areas in eastern Syria, thus violating the agreements with the U.S. led coalition. Pahon says that it is now tough to determine whether the actions of the Russian pilots are deliberate or honest mistakes.
“The Coalition’s greatest concern is that we could shoot down a Russian aircraft because its actions are seen as a threat to our air or ground forces,” Pahon says.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense denies its planes flew east of the Euphrates River and claimed the American media employed “wishful thinking” about the incident, Newsweek reported.
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