A Russian SU-27 fighter jet came within 10 feet of a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft over international waters of the Black Sea, near the Russian Federation coastline, U.S. defense officials told Reuters.
One official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the incident lasted about 19 minutes and the Russian Sukhoi Su-27 fighter came within 10 feet of the U.S. Navy P-8 surveillance plane, calling it ‘unsafe and unprofessional.’
“They’re up there for 12 hours and there are lots of interactions. But only one of the incidents was what the pilot determined was unsafe,” said another official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, reported Reuters.
The incident comes on the heels of a much publicized incident of Russian jets buzzing U.S. warships in the same area. Video of this encounter led Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to say, “At some point, you have to shoot them down.”
