Russian jet flew very close to US plane over Syria, endangering crew, US says
- The incident was a significant escalation in what has been a recent string of encounters between the two superpowers’ aircraft in the region, a US official says
- Previous incidents saw Russian pilots harassing unmanned MQ-9 drones, but the latest intercept involved an MC-12 surveillance plane with 4 American crew members
A Russian fighter plane flew very close to a US surveillance aircraft over Syria, forcing it to go through the turbulent wake and putting the lives of the four American crew members in danger, US officials said Monday.
The officials said the incident, which happened just before noon on Sunday, was a significant escalation in what has been a string of encounters between US and Russian aircraft in Syria in recent weeks.
The intercept by the Russian Su-35 impeded the US crew’s ability to safely operate their MC-12 aircraft, the officials said, calling it a new level of unsafe behaviour that could result in an accident or loss of life.
In recent weeks, Russian fighter aircraft have repeatedly harassed US unmanned MQ-9 drones, but the latest incident raised alarms because it endangered American lives.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of a military operation, would not say how close the Russian jet got to the US warplane.