An US Navy picture shows what appears to be a Russian Sukhoi SU-24 attack aircraft flying over the US guided missile destroyer USS Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea in this picture taken April 12, 2016 and released April 13, 2016. (Reuters)
Highlights
- The American plane had turned off its transponder, alleges Russia
- The Pentagon says the plane had been flying a routine route
- Russian jet reportedly came within 30 meters of it, performed barrel roll
The Russian Defence Ministry said today it had sent a fighter plane on Friday to intercept a US aircraft approaching its border over the Baltic Sea because the American plane had turned off its transponder, which is needed for identification.
The Pentagon said the US Air Force RC-135 plane had been flying a routine route in international airspace and that the Russian SU-27 fighter had intercepted it in an "unsafe and unprofessional" way. CNN reported that the Russian jet had come within about 100 feet (30 meters) of the US plane and had performed a barrel roll.
"All flights of Russian planes are conducted in accordance with international regulations on the use of airspace," the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement.
"The US Air Force has two solutions: either not to fly near our borders or to turn the transponder on for identification."
© Thomson Reuters 2016