Story highlights A Russian fighter jet came within 10 feet of a US aircraft

Russia has a long history of similar intercepts, which the Pentagon has protested

Washington (CNN) A Russian fighter jet made an "unsafe close-range intercept" of a US aircraft over the Black Sea Wednesday, coming within 10 feet of the American plane.

Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis said the potentially dangerous incident, involving a Russian SU-27 jet and a US Navy P-8A Poseidon plane, lasted 19 minutes.

A US official told CNN's Barbara Starr that the Russian plane came within 10 feet of the P-8 at one point. Davis added that the US plane was conducting routine operations in international airspace at the time.

"These actions have the potential to unnecessarily escalate tensions, and could result in a miscalculation or accident," Davis said in a statement.

The US has long protested Russian intercepts of its aircraft; there have been several this year.

Read More</s>The United States accused Russia of sending one of its fighter jets dangerously close to an American spy plane over the Black Sea on Wednesday, an intercept American military officials said was "unsafe and unprofessional," even as Moscow said it acted in accordance with international flight rules.

The U.S. said its Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft was on "routine operations" in international airspace when a Russian SU-27 Flanker jet flew within three meters of it in an intercept that lasted 19 minutes.

"U.S. Navy aircraft and ships routinely interact with Russian units in the area and most interactions are safe and professional," the U.S. Defense Department said. "However, we have concerns when there is an unsafe maneuver like this. These actions have the potential to unnecessarily escalate tensions, and could result in a miscalculation or accident."

The Russian defense ministry said it dispatched its fighter jet after the U.S. aircraft approached the Russian border and turned off its transponders, which are used for identification.

"After the Russian fighters approached the reconnaissance aircraft for visual inspection and identification of the aircraft registration numbers, the American planes abruptly changed course and flew in the opposite direction from the Russian border," Moscow said.

A Russian defense ministry spokesman said the Russian fighter acted in strict accordance with international rules.

The conflict in the skies comes at a time of increased tensions between the two countries, chiefly their inability to agree on how to achieve a lasting cease-fire in the Syrian civil war and end fighting in eastern Ukraine.

Russia has been supporting the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against rebels trying to overthrow his government, while the U.S. has focused its attention on attacks against Islamic State jihadists in Syria. The U.S. imposed economic sanctions against Moscow for its 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula and support for pro-Moscow fighters in eastern Ukraine doing battle with Kyiv's forces.

Wednesday's incident over the Black Sea is one of several between Russian and U.S. warplanes this year. In April, as a U.S. guided missile destroyer patrolled in the Baltic Sea, two Russian warplanes flew simulated attack passes over it.

The two countries agreed in a 1972 pact to various measures to avert dangerous interactions in international waters.</s>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon says that a Russian fighter jet flew within 10 feet of a U.S. Navy surveillance aircraft, in what officials called an unsafe intercept over the Black Sea.

Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, says the Russian SU-27 Flanker fighter made the unsafe maneuver Wednesday near a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft that was conducting routine operations in international airspace.

The Russian jet conducted four intercepts of the Poseidon, and the one that was considered unsafe lasted about 19 minutes. Russian jets have occasionally flown close to other U.S. aircraft and Navy ships in the region. In one more dramatic incident earlier this year, Russian jets buzzed over the USS Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea, coming within 30 feet of the warship.</s>A Russian fighter jet has flown within 10 feet of a U.S. Navy plane over the Black Sea.

The jet made what Pentagon officials called an 'unsafe intercept' of an American surveillance aircraft.

Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, says the Russian SU-27 Flanker fighter made the maneuver on Wednesday.

It was near a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft that was conducting routine operations in international airspace.

'U.S. Navy aircraft and ships routinely interact with Russian units in the area and most interactions are safe and professional,' Davis said, according to ABC News.

'However, we have deep concerns when there is an unsafe maneuver.

'These actions have the potential to unnecessarily escalate tensions between countries, and could result in a miscalculation or accident, which results in serious injury or death.'

The Russian jet conducted four intercepts of the Poseidon, and the one that was considered unsafe lasted about 19 minutes.

Russian jets have occasionally flown close to other U.S. aircraft and Navy ships in the region.

In another dramatic incident earlier this year, Russian jets buzzed over the USS Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea, coming within 30 feet of the warship.

The P-8A Poseidon is almost 40 meters long and 13 meters high.

According to Naval Air Systems Command, it was designed to: 'meet the Navy’s needs of developing and fielding a maritime aircraft equipped with significant growth potential, including an extended global reach, greater payload capacity, higher operating altitude, and the open systems architecture.'

The Russian SU-27 fighter is a combat aircraft comparable but considered superior to the U.S. F-15 jet.</s>Russian fighter flies within '10 feet' of US spy plane: US official

A Russian fighter jet flew dangerously close to a US spy plane over the Black Sea on Wednesday, coming within just 10 feet of the American aircraft, a US defense official said.

"During the intercept, which lasted approximately 19 minutes, the SU-27 (Flanker jet) initially maintained a 30-foot separation distance, then closed to within 10 feet (3 meters) of the P-8A (Poseidon), which is considered unsafe and unprofessional," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of a Pentagon announcement.

The Russian defence ministry said in a statement it dispatched Su-27 fighter jets to check out the US P-8 Poseidon planes as they "twice tried to get close to the Russian border over the Black Sea without their transponders turned on".</s>Russian jet came within 10 feet of U.S. spy plane: U.S. officials

WASHINGTON/BERLIN, Sept 7 (Reuters) - A Russian fighter jet carried out an "unsafe and unprofessional" intercept of a U.S. spy plane flying a regular patrol over the Black Sea, coming within 10 feet (3.05 meters) of the American aircraft, two U.S. defense officials told Reuters on Wednesday.

The incident comes at a time of increased tensions between the United States and Russia, who are on opposing sides of the Syrian civil war.

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.

"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.

Officials were now talking with the pilot and reviewing the incident to determine whether it would be included in the annual meeting of U.S. and Russian officials about more serious intercepts, the official added.

There have been a number of similar incidents involving Russia and the United States this year. In April, two Russian warplanes flew simulated attack passes near a U.S. guided missile destroyer in the Baltic Sea.

The events are reminiscent of the Cold War, when a series of close calls led to a bilateral agreement aimed at avoiding dangerous interactions at sea that was signed in 1972 by then-Secretary of the Navy John Warner and Soviet Admiral Sergei Gorshkov. (Reporting by Idrees Ali in Washington and Andrea Shalal in Berlin; editing by Chizu Nomiyama, G Crosse)</s>WASHINGTON (AP) — A Russian fighter jet flew within 10 feet of a U.S. Navy surveillance aircraft, in what American officials called an unsafe intercept over the Black Sea, the Pentagon said Wednesday.

Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, says the Russian SU-27 Flanker fighter made the unsafe maneuver Wednesday near a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft that was conducting routine operations in international airspace.

Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a statement Wednesday that the Poseidon aircraft did not have its transponders turned on, and that it approached Russia's southern border twice.

He said Russian jets were deployed to intercept the incoming aircraft and "Russian pilots acted in strict compliance with international flight rules."

A senior U.S. defense official said the Navy Poseidon had its transponder turned on during the entire flight. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity.

According to the U.S., the Russian jet conducted four intercepts of the Poseidon, and the one that was considered unsafe lasted about 19 minutes.

Davis said that U.S. Navy aircraft and ships routinely interact with Russian units in the area and most interactions are safe and professional.

"However, we have concerns when there is an unsafe maneuver like this," he said. "These actions have the potential to unnecessarily escalate tensions, and could result in a miscalculation or accident. "

Russian jets have occasionally flown close to other U.S. aircraft and Navy ships in the region. In one more dramatic incident earlier this year, Russian jets buzzed over the USS Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea, coming within 30 feet of the warship.

Associated Press writer Kate dePury in Moscow contributed to this report.</s>A U.S. Navy reconnaissance plane had a close encounter with a Russian fighter that came within 10 feet of the aircraft as it flew in international airspace over the Black Sea. It is the latest encounter between the two militaries that American officials have labeled "unsafe and unprofessional".

According to defense officials, the incident occurred this morning as a U.S. Navy P-8A maritime reconnaissance aircraft flew over the Black Sea conducing "routine operations."

It was approached by a Russian SU-27 "Flanker" fighter jet that made "an unsafe close-range intercept" of the Navy plane.

During the 19-minute encounter, the Russian fighter jet initially maintained a 30-foot distance from the American aircraft.

But it then closed to within 10 feet of the P-8A aircraft, which one official said "is considered unsafe and unprofessional."

Another official said that the U.S. crew attempted to contact the Russian pilot but received no response in return.

"U.S. Navy aircraft and ships routinely interact with Russian units in the area and most interactions are safe and professional," said Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman. "However, we have deep concerns when there is an unsafe maneuver. These actions have the potential to unnecessarily escalate tensions between countries, and could result in a miscalculation or accident, which results in serious injury or death."

In recent months there have been several other close calls involving Russian aircraft and American planes and warships.

In April, a pair of Russian fighters buzzed the destroyer USS Donald Cook as it was operating in the Baltic Sea. A video of the encounter released by the U.S. Navy showed the aircraft repeatedly buzzing the ship, including one pass where a Russian fighter flew as close as 30 feet to the American ship.

News of the latest "unsafe and unprofessional" encounter comes on the same day that Defense Secretary Ash Carter accused Russia of "unprofessional" behavior.

Speaking at Oxford University today, Carter included Russian interactions in international airspace among a list of examples for how Russia is eroding international norms.

"With its violations of Ukrainian and Georgian territorial integrity, its unprofessional behavior in the air, in space, and in cyber-space, as well as its nuclear saber-rattling -- all have demonstrated that Russia has clear ambition to erode the principled international order that has served the United States, our allies and partners, the international community, and Russia itself so well," said Carter.</s>A Russian fighter jet came within just 10ft (3m) of a US spy plane while performing an "unsafe and unprofessional" interception of the aircraft, defence officials said.

The incident, which occurred over the Black Sea , is likely to cause more tension between the US and Russia, who are at odds over the Syrian civil war and Ukraine.

It lasted about 19 minutes and involved a Russian Sukhoi Su-27 fighter and an American Navy P-8 surveillance plane flying a regular patrol, according to US officials.
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Speaking anonymously, one official said: "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."

Officials were talking with the pilot and reviewing the incident to determine whether it would be included in an annual meeting of US and Russian officials about more serious intercepts.

The Russian defence ministry said it had sent Su-27s to intercept a US aircraft approaching its border over the Black Sea on Wednesday because the American planes had turned off their transponders, which are needed for identification.

There have been a number of similar incidents involving Russia and the United States this year.

In April, two Russian warplanes flew simulated attack passes near a US guided missile destroyer in the Baltic Sea.

The events are reminiscent of the Cold War , when a series of close calls led to a bilateral agreement aimed at avoiding dangerous interactions at sea that was signed in 1972.

In July, NATO leaders agreed to deploy military forces to the Baltic states and eastern Poland for the first time and increase air and sea patrols to reassure allies who were once part of the Soviet bloc, following Russia's seizure of Crimea from Ukraine.

The 28-nation Western defense alliance decided to move four battalions totaling 3,000 to 4,000 troops into northeastern Europe on a rotating basis to display its readiness to defend eastern members against Russia.</s>Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis said the potentially dangerous incident, involving a Russian SU-27 jet and a US Navy P-8A Poseidon plane, lasted 19 minutes.

A US official told CNN's Barbara Starr that the Russian plane came within 10 feet of the P-8 at one point. Davis added that the US plane was conducting routine operations in international airspace at the time.

The official added that the US plane was operating in international airspace at the time.

"These actions have the potential to unnecessarily escalate tensions, and could result in a miscalculation or accident," Davis said in a statement.

The US has long protested Russian intercepts of its aircraft; there have been several this year. On two separate occasions in April , Russian SU-27 fighters performed "barrel rolls" over American KC-135 planes flying above the Baltic Sea. RELATED: Russian jets keep buzzing U.S. ships and planes. What can the U.S. do? Russian officials have defended the actions of their pilots in the past, but have yet to comment on the most recent incident. Tensions have been ratcheted up in the Black Sea recently as Russia began five days of military exercises Monday involving 12,500 personnel and its Black Sea fleet based in Crimea, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 an event that has subjected Russia to international sanctions. The Russian Defense Ministry posted a video Thursday on its Facebook page showing Russian fighter crews based in Crimea conducting an intercept drill. The latest incident also comes as US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are due to meet Thursday to discuss the ongoing conflict in Syria.
A Russian Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet makes an "unsafe close-range intercept" of a United States Navy P-8A Poseidon over the Black Sea in international airspace, coming within 10 feet (3.3 m) of the U.S. aircraft.