Washington – The U.S. European Command has released dramatic photos of a Russian jet coming within a few feet of a U.S. Air Force reconnaissance jet over the Baltic Sea in a maneuver that has been criticized as unsafe.
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The photographs released Friday show the Russian SU-27 coming so close to the wing of the U.S. RC-135U that the Russian pilot can be seen in the cockpit in some images.
Intercepts are common and are usually considered routine, but EUCOM said in this case on June 19 “due to the high rate of closure speed and poor control of the aircraft during the intercept, this interaction was determined to be unsafe.”
Two days later, Sweden summoned Russia’s ambassador after another SU-27 jet flew close to a Swedish Gulfstream reconnaissance plane over the Baltic.
This is war!
Get ’em, tRump!
Politicians make enormous hay out of these sort of encounters, but to the flyers, it’s all in a normal day’s work.
Back in my day, US Navy F-4 Phantoms used to shadow Russian TU-95 Bear reconnaissance planes flying close to our carrier groups…and in much the same way.
It was all “no-big-deal” routine business. Aircraft would be close enough that Flight Officer in the back seat of a Phantom could do such things as hold up a centerfold for the benefit of the Russians to see…they’d reciprocate…and all would exchange thumbs up and the like.
Sept. 4, 2016, seven Iranian Revolutionary Guard patrol boats approached the USS Firebolt (some less than 100 yards) in the Persian Gulf.
Candidate Trump at the Values Voter Summit tough talk was cheered by the crowd , which chanted “Shoot ’em!”
Hillary said that would cause a war. Trump said that Hillary was very wrong.
Respecting the Russkies: I say “Shoot ’em!”