Russian fighter jet flies dangerously close to US Navy surveillance aircraft over the Black Sea
The US Naval Forces Command announced that on Monday, November 5, a Russian Su-27 fighter plane carried out dangerous maneuvers in close proximity to an American EP-3 Aries II surveillance aircraft over the Black Sea.
"A U.S. EP-3 Aries aircraft flying in international airspace over the Black Sea was intercepted by a Russian SU-27. This interaction was determined to be unsafe due to the SU-27 conducting a high speed pass directly in front of the mission aircraft, putting at risk the pilots and crew. The intercepting SU-27 made an additional pass, closing with the EP-3 and applying its afterburner while conducting a banking turn away. The crew of the EP-3 reported turbulence following the first interaction, and vibrations from the second. The duration of the intercept was approximately 25 minutes,” the US military stated.
The Russian Defense Ministry stated that the interception was safe, that the Su-27 approached the American plane at a safe distance, identified it and accompanied it to keep it from violating Russian airspace.