Russian Fighter Jet's Dangerously Close Interception of U.S. Spy Plane Caught on Camera
The U.S. aircraft was flying over the Black Sea in international airspace when the interception happened
A new video shared by U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet to their YouTube channel shows a Russian Su-27 flying closely past a U.S. EP-3 Aries aircraft on Monday.
The U.S. aircraft was flying over the Black Sea in international airspace when the interception happened.
According to the Naval Forces account, the "interaction was determined to be unsafe due to the Su-27 closing to within five feet and crossing directly through the EP-3's flight path, causing the EP-3 to fly through the Su-27's jet wash. The duration of the intercept lasted two hours and 40 minutes."
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The U.S. State Department protested the maneuver as "an unsafe interaction."
The encounter, first reported by Russia's RIA news agency, cited the defense ministry as saying the U.S. Navy aircraft, an -3E Aries II plane, did not violate Russian air space.
In a statement, the State Department said: "This is but the latest example of Russian military activities disregarding international norms and agreements," calling on Russia "to cease these unsafe actions."
"After the surveillance plane of the U.S. Navy had changed its course to move away from the border, the Su-27 returned to its base," RIA quoted the Russian defense ministry as saying.