and Russian military officers communicate frequently over a deconfliction phone line during the encounters, protesting the other side's actions. On multiple occasions in the past two weeks, Russian fighter jets flew dangerously close to MQ-9 Reapers, setting off flares and forcing the drones to take evasive maneuvers. The MC-12, which is a twin-engine turboprop aircraft routinely used by special operations forces, was doing surveillance in support of operations against the Islamic State groups in Syria, the officials said. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of a military operation, would not say how close the Russian jet got to the U.S. unmanned MQ-9 drones, but the latest incident raised alarms because it endangered American lives. In recent weeks, Russian fighter jets have repeatedly harassed U.S. crew's ability to safely operate their MC-12 aircraft, the officials said, calling it a new level of unsafe behaviour that could result in an accident or loss of life. The intercept by the Russian Su-35 impeded the U.S. and Russian aircraft in Syria in recent weeks. The officials said the incident, which happened just before noon EDT on Sunday, was a significant escalation in what has been a string of encounters between U.S. surveillance aircraft over Syria, forcing it to go through the turbulent wake and putting the lives of the four American crew members in danger, U.S. A Russian fighter jet flew very close to a U.S.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |