On 30 Jan 2018 17:40:11 -0800, Miloch
wrote:

Piffle! Let's see Ivan turn off two engines and cruise! At least -
unlike the Chinese - he knows how to miss.

https://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/a-...e-f-1822558103

A U.S. Navy EP-3 surveillance plane, flying over international waters, was
harassed by a Russian Su-27 Flanker fighter jet yesterday. The Russian fighter
jet flew within five feet of the American aircraft, in what Navy officials told
CNN was an “unsafe intercept.”

Intercepts of military aircraft in international airspace aren’t that unusual,
and they usually happen without incident. Flying this close, however, is
definitely out of the ordinary.

The U.S. Navy’s 6th Fleet released video of the incident taken from the EP-3,
with the much more maneuverable fighter jet crossing directly in front of the
path of the surveillance plane:

The incident occurred over the Black Sea, which isn’t the least restive place in
the world. Bordered by the Russian-occupied Ukrainian Crimean peninsula, Turkey,
Georgia and its own associated Russian-occupied territories, it very well could
be yet another flashpoint for war, which is why the U.S Navy conducts extensive
air and sea patrols of its international and allied waters. It’s also home to
Russia’s Black Sea fleet, which is a major strategic component of the Russian
Navy.

The American and Russian governments provided dueling statements about the
incident to CNN:

US Naval Forces Europe, which oversees US operations in the region, provided
more detail about the intercept, which it said lasted a total of two hours and
40 minutes.

“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,” US Naval Forces Europe spokesman, Capt.
Pamela Kunze told CNN.

“Unsafe actionsý increase the risk of miscalculation and midair collisions,”
Kunze said, adding, “The US aircraft was operating in accordance with
international law and did not provoke this Russian activity.”

The Russian Defense Ministry said its fighter jet flew “strictly in accordance
with international rules” when it intercepted the US surveillance plane.

In a statement, the Defense Ministry said that an “unidentified air target” was
detected approaching Russian airspace at about midday over the neutral waters of
the Black Sea.

“A Su-27 fighter was sent to intercept the target and approached the aircraft at
a safe distance and identified it as an ER-3E (Aries II) US reconnaissance
aircraft,” the statement said. “The crew of the fighter jet reported the
identification of the American reconnaissance aircraft and accompanied it,
preventing it from violating Russian airspace, observing all necessary security
measures.”

“The entire flight of the Russian Su-27 was strictly in accordance with
international rules for the use of airspace and there were no extraordinary
events,” the statement added.

more plus images at
https://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/a-...e-f-1822558103




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