Pentagon says US fighter jets intercepted Russian warplanes over Syria, in high-tension 40-minute encounter

A pair of US warplanes intercepted two Russia jets over a part of Syria they were not supposed to be operating in, the Pentagon said Thursday.

At one point during Wednesday’s incident, the American F-22 Raptor stealth fighters deployed chaff and flares to convince the Russian Su-25s to leave the area, and one US pilot had to “aggressively manoeuvre” to avoid a mid-air collision, Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon said.

The Russian fighters had flown into airspace controlled by the US-led coalition that is fighting the Islamic State group in Syria, crossing onto the east side of the Euphrates River near Albu Kamal.

They “were promptly intercepted by two F-22A Raptors providing air cover for partner ground forces conducting operations to defeat IS,” Pahon said.

“The F-22s conducted multiple manoeuvres to persuade the Su-25s to depart our deconflicted airspace, including the release of chaff and flares in close proximity to the Russian aircraft and placing multiple calls on the emergency channel to convey to the Russian pilots that they needed to depart the area,” he added.

The incident lasted approximately 40 minutes before the Russian aircraft flew to the west side of the river.