Though a Navy Spokesman could not confirm the distance, the U.S. Navy EP-3 Orion surveillance plane was forced to prematurely end its mission due to the Russian Su-27 fighter in this latest show of Russian hostilities toward the U.S. military in the region.
A Russian military jet performed an unsafe intercept coming within five feet of the American aircraft in international airspace over the Black Sea on Monday, CNN first reported.
“This interaction was determined to be unsafe due to the SU-27 closing to within five feet and crossing directly through the EP-3’s flight path, causing the EP-3 to fly through the SU-27’s jet wash,” according to a statement from U.S. 6th Fleet. “The duration of the intercept lasted two hours and 40 minutes.”
Though a Navy Spokesman could not confirm the distance, the U.S. Navy EP-3 Orion surveillance plane was forced to prematurely end its mission due to the Russian Su-27 “Flanker” fighter in this latest show of Russian hostilities toward the U.S. military in the region.
Though developed during the Cold War, the Su-27 has continuously been improved upon becoming “one of the world’s premier export fighters,” and was in fact flown on both sides of the recent Ukraine conflict.
It could be a strategic show of force or parity with the U.S. Military, especially given its origin “[i]ntended both to defeat U.S. fighters over central Europe in a NATO-Warsaw Pact conflict and to patrol the airspace of the [then] Soviet Union against U.S. bomber incursions.” Though developed during the Cold War, the Su-27 has continuously been improved upon becoming “one of the world’s premier export fighters,” and was in fact flown on both sides of the recent Ukraine conflict.
Giving Russia the benefit of the doubt, it could be the consequence of the cramped operations between Russia, US and NATO forces following Russia’s amped up military presence in the wake of its 2014 annexation of Crimea. Though other unsafe “intercepts” by Russia have been reported in other theaters, including over Syria, in recent months raising doubts that Monday’s intercept over the Black Sea was a coincidence.
Per the statement on the intercept from U.S. 6th Fleet:
The Russian military is within its right to operate within international airspace, but they must behave within international standards set to ensure safety and prevent incidents, including the 1972 Agreement for the Prevention of Incidents on and Over the High Seas (INCSEA). Unsafe actions increase the risk of miscalculation and midair collisions.
The U.S. aircraft was operating in accordance with international law and did not provoke this Russian activity.
