The Pentagon has since bemoaned the allegedly “unsafe” and “unprofessional” actions of the Russian pilot
The US military on Monday complained about a run-in with a Russian aircraft above neutral waters off Alaska, accusing an Su-35S of “unprofessional” conduct.
The incident occurred on September 23, the head of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), General Gregory Guillot, revealed in a statement, when the US aircraft was scrambled to intercept Russian military planes off Alaska.
“NORAD aircraft flew a safe and disciplined intercept of Russian Military Aircraft in the Alaska [air defense identification zone]. The conduct of one Russian Su-35 was unsafe, unprofessional, and endangered all – not what you’d see in a professional air force,” the commander said.
The command released a video of the run-in, taken from the cockpit of a US aircraft involved, apparently an F-16 fighter jet. Footage shows the plane approaching a nuclear-capable Tu-95MS strategic bomber only to get buzzed by the Russian Su-35S.
The warning was apparently effective, with the US plane abruptly changing its course and starting to fly away from the bomber.
The Russian military has not responded to the accusations from NORAD. Last Tuesday, however, the Defense Ministry in Moscow released a short statement on the mission marred by the run-in, without mentioning any incidents with the American aircraft.
“Two Tu-95MS strategic missile carriers of the Russian Aerospace Forces carried out a routine flight over the neutral waters of the Bering Sea near the western coast of Alaska. The flight lasted more than 11 hours. Fighter escort was provided by the crews of Su-35S and Su-30SM aircraft,” the military said at the time, stressing that all such flights are conducted in strict adherence to international rules.
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