Two Russian fighter jets ‘irresponsibly’ intercept US aircraft, Navy says

Manoeuvre ‘jeopardised the safety of flight of both aircraft’, statement claims

The US Navy has claimed that two Russian fighter jets flew in an “unsafe and unprofessional manner” while intercepting a US Aircraft over international waters in the Mediterranean on Tuesday.

According to a statement by the US Navy, the incident marks the third time in two months that Russian planes have buzzed US aircraft “unsafely”.

A US Navy P-8A aircraft was flying in the Eastern Mediterranean and was intercepted by two Russian Su-35 aircraft for 65 minutes, the statement said.

“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,” according to the Navy.

The release claimed that the Russian Su-15 came so close to each side of the US Navy P-8A that it restricted the plane’s ability to safely manoeuvre and “jeopardised the safety of flight of both aircraft”.

The Navy branded the actions “unnecessary” and “irresponsible”, insisting that such interceptions “increase the potential for midair collisions”.

Two Russian Su-35 aircraft unsafely intercept a P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft assigned to U.S. 6th Fleet over the Mediterranean Sea May 26, 2020 (US 6th Fleet)

“We expect them to operate within international standards set to ensure safety and to prevent incidents,” they said.

The agency also released a video of the incident where it appears the interception is taking place.

According to the release, this was the third such unwarranted interception of US aircraft over the same waters in the last two months, with the Navy having reported two other incidents in April.