On Sunday, April 19th, a Russian airborne fighter took off from Khmeimim airbase to identify an air target that turned out to be a U.S. Navy aircraft.
An American plane was flying over the neutral waters of the Mediterranean Sea towards Russian facilities in Syria, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
“After a rapprochement, the Russian fighter pilot identified the side number and aircraft belonging to the US Navy and took him to escort,” the department said.
They added that the fighter returned to the airfield after changing the course by US aircraft.
The Ministry of Defense emphasized that all flights of the Russian Aerospace Forces take place in strict accordance with international rules for the use of airspace over neutral waters.
Meanwhile, the sixth fleet of the U.S. Navy on Twitter said that intercepting the Russian Su-35 American P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft was allegedly unsafe.
“Russia has again made an unsafe interception of a US Navy P-8 aircraft in international airspace over the Mediterranean Sea! The Russian plane approached the P-8 at a distance of less than 8 meters and endangered both crews. We look forward to at least professional and safe interaction! ” - the message says.
Russian senator Vladimir Dzhabarov, commenting on what happened, said that the Su-35 did not commit any violations.
“Why are they spinning around our territories? What do they find out? You can probably do without this for the duration of the coronavirus, ”Dzhabarov told 360 TV channel.
- Reuters
- © US Navy
A military expert Alexei Leonkov in a conversation with RT noted that Russia was forced to respond to such maneuvers by the US Armed Forces.
“This is not the first time that airplanes seem to forget to turn on the transponder and are approaching our shores. So it was in the Crimea, in the Kaliningrad region. Naturally, in such cases, we raise the plane to identify the object. Our overseas partners do not realize that we see such objects much further than they can imagine, ”he said.
Leonkov reminded that the pilot should visually identify the aircraft, since theoretically it could be a civilian plane that was seized by terrorists and ordered the pilot to turn off the transponder.
“Of course, when they see that this is not a civilian aircraft, but a specific aircraft, that is, air reconnaissance, it is necessary that it ceases its movement towards our bases,” the expert added.
Honored Military Pilot of the Russian Federation, Major General Vladimir Popov recalled that the U.S. Navy and its aircraft are present in the Mediterranean Sea on their own initiative, while Russian troops are in Syrian territory at the request of the official authorities of the Arab Republic.
The expert added that there is a big difference as to which aircraft is approaching objects - a combat, transport-combat, transport, reconnaissance aircraft, or attack aircraft.
“If he suddenly got lost or the pilot lost consciousness, or he needs help, in this case you need to get as close as possible to make sure that the pilot is able to control the aircraft,” he added.
Recall that in early March, American fighters four hours escorted the Russian anti-submarine Tu-142 aircraft in the Alaska region. The plane of the Russian Federation remained in international airspace over the Beaufort Sea and approached the coast of Alaska at a distance of 50 nautical miles (about 100 kilometers). However, he did not enter the sovereign airspace of the United States or Canada. NORAD fighters accompanied the Tu-142 aircraft throughout its stay in the air defense recognition zone.
In February, two Tu-160 missile carriers of the Russian VKS performed a scheduled flight over the neutral waters of the Barents and Norwegian seas, as well as the Arctic Ocean. The Joint Command of the Aerospace Defense of North America reacted to the maneuvers, calling the flight an “aggressive step”. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation noted that the pilots acted in strict accordance with the International Rules for the Use of Airspace.