A Russian fighter jet flew within 20 feet of an American Navy surveillance plane over the Black Sea earlier this week, Fox News reports.
"While this one was considered by the flight crew to be safe and professional, this sort of close encounter certainly has the possibility to become dangerous in a hurry," an unnamed U.S. defense official said told the network, noting that the jet stayed that close for 5 minutes.
"The Russian fighter carried out a 'welcoming' maneuver for the American pilots, after which the American recon airplane changed its flight course, in the direction away from Russia’s borders. The Su-30 fighter jet safely returned to the airfield where it is based," read a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense, according to state news provider RIA Novosti.
"For aviation interactions, distance, speed, altitude, rate of closure, visibility and other factors impact whether an event is characterized as safe or unsafe, professional or not professional," Captain Pamela Kunze, spokeswoman for the Navy in Europe, told CBS News. "Every event is unique and any single variable does not define an event."
Kunze described this particular incident was considered "safe and professional" by the crew of the Navy aircraft.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.