Russian jet 'puts pilots at risk' during high speed pass, US Navy says
The encounter lasted approximately 25 minutes
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The US Navy has released a video apparently showing an American reconnaissance plane being intercepted by a Russian jet while flying over the Black Sea.
According to the US Navy, the Russian SU-27 jet intercepted the US EP-3 Aries aircraft as it was flying over international airspace.
The Russian military jet sped directly in front of the EP-3, leading the US Navy to deem the incident “unsafe”.
The high speed pass was believed to put the US pilots and crew “at risk”.
The SU-27 aircraft then made an additional manoeuvre towards the US jet and applied its afterburner during turn away.
US crew reportedly felt turbulence from the initial altercation, and vibrations from the second.
The duration of the encounter is estimated to have lasted approximately 25 minutes.
The US Navy has branded the interaction “irresponsible” and have told the Russian military to “behave within international standards” in order to avoid potentially dangerous incidents.
The Russian embassy in the US tweeted about the encounter, saying the fighter jet "followed all necessary safety procedures."
"The Su-27 jet's crew reported identifying the #US EP-3 Aries spy plane and accompanied it, preventing a violation of Russian airspace and followed all necessary safety procedures," the tweet said.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments