US vows to protest 'unsafe and unprofessional' Russian intercept of reconnaissance plane

[Zarvan]

April 8, 2015: In this photo taken Wednesday, April 8, 2015, a U.S. military fighter jet participates in a NATO Baltic Air Policing Mission practice mission in the Tapa training area, some 43 miles southwest of Tallinn, Estonia. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

The U.S. has said it will protest what it called the "unsafe and unprofessional" intercept of an American reconnaissance plane by Russian fighter jet over the Baltic Sea last week.

Pentagon spokesman Mark Wright said Sunday said the U.S. was filing a complaint to Russia after the April 7 incident. Russian officials have denied their pilot did anything wrong, according to several news reports.

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According to the Pentagon, the U.S. RC-135U plane was flying in international airspace north of Poland. U.S. officials say a Russian SU-27 fighter intercepted the U.S. aircraft at a high rate of speed from the rear, and then proceeded to conduct two more passes using "unsafe and unprofessional maneuvers" in close proximity. The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that the Russian fighter may have come as close as 20 feet to the U.S. plane, though data from the incident is still being examined.

"Unprofessional air intercepts have the potential to cause harm to all aircrews involved. More importantly, the careless actions of a single pilot have the potential to escalate tensions between countries," Wright said.

U.S. officials told Journal that the intercept was the latest example of increasingly aggressive air operations by Russian forces against members of NATO amid its ongoing aggression in Ukraine.


"The nature of Russian air activity is expanding west into Europe and becoming more aggressive,” chief Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren said in a statement Sunday.

For its part, the Journal reported that Russian officials claimed that the U.S. plane was flying toward the Russian border with its transponder turned off. In recent months, the U.S. and NATO have made similar accusations against Russian spy planes, bombers, and other aircraft that have approached or flown into other countries' airspace.

U.S. officials did not comment on the kind of surveillance the spy plane was conducting, but insisted the flight was routine. The officials said their quarrel was not with the Russians intercepting the plane, but with the maneuvers carried out by the pilot.

It isn't the first time the U.S. has protested to Moscow what it considered to be an unsafe intercept. Last April, a Russian fighter jet intercepted a U.S. reconnaissance plane in international airspace over the Sea of Okhotsk.
US vows to protest 'unsafe and unprofessional' Russian intercept of reconnaissance plane | Fox News

 

[C130]

Russia professional

RC-135U Combat Sent[edit]

Combat Sent aircraft in flight with its unique nose cone, wingtips, and tail
The RC-135U Combat Sent is designed to collect technical intelligence on adversary radar emitter systems. Combat Sent data is collected to develop new or upgraded radar warning receivers, radar jammers, decoys, anti-radiation missiles, and training simulators.[3]

Distinctly identified by the antennae arrays on the nose, tail, and wing tips, three RC-135C aircraft were converted to RC-135U (63-9792, 64-14847, & 64-14849) in the early 1970s and 63-9792 was converted to Rivet Joint, late 1978, and all aircraft are based at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. Minimum crew requirements are 2 pilots, 2 navigators, 3 systems engineers, 10 electronic warfare officers, and 6 area specialists.[20]

that's 17 lives Russia is playing chicken with. hell to pay if one their hot shot pilots causes an accident.

 

[Umair Nawaz]

Then why u send spy planes to/towards Russia anyways.......Obviously they will defend their country in any way they like.

 

[C130]

Then why u send spy planes to/towards Russia anyways.......Obviously they will defend their country in any way they like.

that besides the point

and we'll keep on doing it

 

[大汉奸柳传志]

yea you russians，use a condom next time！

 

[Khalid Newazi]

that besides the point

and we'll keep on doing it

I think its Gladimir Putin now since, the Ruble is recovering and rebels are advancing in Ukraine.

 

[C130]

I think its Gladimir Putin now since, the Ruble is recovering and rebels are advancing in Ukraine.

Ruble recovering color me shocked?? it's always been an up and down roller coaster with the Ruble, and I really don't care about Ukraine. who ever wins Ukraine is going to have to babysit and take care of that ailing country.

the winner could be the loser depending on how you look at it.

 

[Khalid Newazi]

Ruble recovering color me shocked?? it's always been an up and down roller coaster with the Ruble, and I really don't care about Ukraine. who ever wins Ukraine is going to have to babysit and take care of that ailing country.

the winner could be the loser depending on how you look at it.

NATO wanted to neutralize Russia in the Mediterranean, thus Syria and Ukraine but if you look at it, Putin is getting his way and it seems like his Naval base at Syria is staying there.

So, the Russians are winning. Not to mention your allies are unable to beat the Russian allied Iran's proxy at Yemen. Not so good for you.

 

[gambit]

Hmm, surprising look who is crying. Wonder what happened to american spy satellites?
Some one should remind the "What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander."

Yes, who is crying ? We were in international airspace. But the larger issue here is the unprofessional flying by the Russians. You want to fly intercept ? Fine. You want to monitor ? No problem with that. But fly like professionals that you claimed to be.