Russian pilots made an “unsafe and unprofessional” intercept of a U.S. surveillance aircraft over the Mediterranean Sea for the third time in two months, the Navy said Tuesday.
“A U.S. Navy P-8A aircraft was flying in the Eastern Mediterranean over international waters and was intercepted by two Russian Su-35 aircraft over a period of 65 minutes,” the Navy said in a statement.
“The intercept was determined to be unsafe and unprofessional due to the Russian pilots taking close station on each wing of the P-8A simultaneously, restricting the P-8A’s ability to safely maneuver,” the Navy continued.
The U.S. military released short videos of the incident, showing the Russian aircraft close to the wings of the surveillance plane.
“The unnecessary actions of the Russian Su-35 pilots were inconsistent with good airmanship and international flight rules, and jeopardized the safety of flight of both aircraft,” the Navy said. “Actions like these increase the potential for midair collisions.”
Two similar incidents occurred in the same region in April. Russian planes came within 25 feet of the U.S. aircraft in both encounters.
