LONDON — A Russian fighter aircraft came within 10 feet of a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon aircraft on Wednesday in the latest in a series of dangerous and unprofessional intercepts between U.S. and Russian ships and planes.
A Russian Su-27 Flanker made an “unsafe and close-range intercept” of the Poseidon at 11:20 a.m. on Wednesday during routine operations over the Black Sea, according to a statement from a defense official given to reporters traveling with Defense Secretary Ash Carter. The intercept lasted 19 minutes.
The Russian jet initially was 30 feet away from the U.S. aircraft, but then closed to “within 10 feet,” a move the Pentagon deemed “unsafe and unprofessional.”
“We have deep concerns when there is an unsafe maneuver. These actions have the potential to unnecessarily escalate tensions between countries, and could result in a miscalculation or accident which results in serious injury or death,” a defense official said.
On April 12, a Russian Su-24 flew within 30 feet of the destroyer Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea, and not long after, an Su-27 flew close to an Air Force RC-135 reconnaissance plane over the Baltic Sea.
