For the third time in two months, Russian pilots made an “unsafe” intercept of a U.S. surveillance aircraft flying over the Mediterranean Seat in international airspace, according to a statement released by the Navy.
The Navy said that two Russian SU-35 fighters flew near the wings of the U.S. P-8A Poseidon plane in an "unsafe and unprofessional" manner on Tuesday.
The U.S. military released video of the incident, which shows the Russian plane flying close to the wings of the American plane. The entire incident lasted 65 minutes.
"The unnecessary actions of the Russian Su-35 pilots were inconsistent with good airmanship and international flight rules, and jeopardized the safety of flight of both aircraft," the Navy statement said.
In the same region in April, Russian pilots flew jets within 25 feet of U.S. aircrafts.
The latest encounter took place on the same day that the U.S. military accused Russia of sending fighter planes to Libya to help Russian mercenaries aiding forces in their offensive on the capital, Tripoli, CBS News reports. Russia called the allegation "disinformation."
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