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Russian Jet Flies Close to U.S. Aircraft in ‘Unsafe’ Manner

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epa05257625 A handout image made available on 13 April 2016 by the US Navy shows A Russian Sukhoi Su-24 attack aircraft makes a low altitude pass by USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) in the Baltic Sea, 12 April 2016. Donald Cook, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer forward deployed to Rota, Spain, is conducting a routine patrol in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe. EPA/US NAVY / HANDOUT BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY
A handout image made available on 13 April 2016 by the US Navy shows A Russian Sukhoi Su-24 attack aircraft makes a low altitude pass by USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) in the Baltic Sea on 12 April 2016.US NAVY/EPA
By Melissa Chan

A Russian jet flew aggressively close to a U.S. reconnaissance plane on Thursday in the latest unwelcome encounter with Russian forces in international waters over the Baltic Sea, the Pentagon said Saturday.

The Russian aircraft approached the RC-135 reconnaissance plane in an “unsafe and unprofessional” manner, the U.S. military said, according to USA Today. The incident comes days after a Russian aircraft dangerously flew around the USS Donald Cook. In that instance, a Russian aircraft performed “multiple, aggressive flight maneuvers,” including seven barrel rolls, around the U.S. Navy destroyer, authorities said.

“There have been repeated incidents over the last year where Russian military aircraft have come close enough to other air and sea traffic to raise serious safety concerns, and we are very concerned with any such behavior,” the Pentagon said in a statement. “The unsafe and unprofessional actions of a single pilot have the potential to unnecessarily escalate tensions between countries.”

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