30 April 2016•Update: 30 April 2016
By Kasim Ileri
WASHINGTON
A Russian fighter jet on Friday intercepted a U.S. reconnaissance plane in the Baltic Sea, a Pentagon official told Anadolu Agency.
“On April 29, 2016, a U.S. Air Force RC-135 aircraft flying a routine route in international airspace over the Baltic Sea was intercepted by a Russian SU-27 in an unsafe and unprofessional manner,” Laura Seal wrote in an email.
The Russian jet reportedly came within 25 feet of the American aircraft.
The intercept comes just weeks after Russian jets shadowed the USS Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea.
“There have been repeated incidents over the last year where Russian military aircraft have come close enough to other air and sea traffic to raise serious safety concerns, and we are very concerned with any such behavior,” Seal said.
She noted that the U.S. aircraft was operating in international airspace and at no time crossed into Russian territory.
The Pentagon has concerns that these kinds of intercepts have the potential to result in “serious harm and injury to all aircrews involved,” according to Seal.
“More importantly, the unsafe and unprofessional actions of a single pilot have the potential to unnecessarily escalate tensions between countries,” she added.
