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. 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. "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. '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.' 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.
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.