A Russian fighter jet zoomed past a US spy plane over the Black Sea coming within a bare 3.5 meters, US defence officials say.
The US has called Wednesday’s incident “unsafe and unprofessional”. It is likely to cause more tension between the United States and Russia, who are at odds over the Syrian civil war and Ukraine.
It lasted about 19 minutes and involved a Russian Sukhoi Su-27 fighter and a US Navy P-8 surveillance plane flying a regular patrol, said one official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"They're up there for 12 hours and there are lots of interactions. But only one of the incidents was what the pilot determined was unsafe," said another official, who was not authorised to speak publicly.
Officials were talking with the pilot and reviewing the incident to determine whether it would be included in an annual meeting of US and Russian officials about more serious intercepts, the official added.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that after the Russian jets approached the US spy planes close enough to visually identify them. The ministry added that it was just the latest attempt by US aircraft to approach the Russian border close to the region where the massive Caucasus-2016 drills are being held. It said the Su-27s were sent as the American planes had turned off their transponder which are needed for identification.
"We have concerns when there is an unsafe maneuver like this. These actions have the potential to unnecessarily escalate tensions, and could result in a miscalculation or accident," Navy Captain Jeff A. Davis told reporters. Russian defense officials reportedly claimed they did not violate any international rules.
There have been a number of similar incidents involving Russia and the United States this year. In April, two Russian warplanes flew simulated attack passes near a US guided missile destroyer in the Baltic Sea.
The events are reminiscent of the Cold War, when a series of close calls led to a bilateral agreement aimed at avoiding dangerous interactions at sea that was signed in 1972.
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