For the third time in two months Russian fighters have intercepted a U.S. aircraft over the eastern Mediterranean in what the U.S. Navy described as “an unsafe and unprofessional manner.” The latest encounter occurred on May 26 and involved two VKS (Russian aerospace forces) Sukhoi Su-35 “Flanker-Es” flying from Hmeimim air base in Syria, which intercepted a Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft flying in international airspace. The Su-35s shadowed the P-8A for 65 minutes, during which time they took up close station on either side of the P-8, “restricting the P-8A’s ability to safely maneuver.”
This encounter follows two similarly “unsafe interactions” in April and led the Navy to state: “We expect them to operate within international standards set to ensure safety and to prevent incidents, including the 1972 Agreement for the Prevention of Incidents On and Over the High Seas (INCSEA). Actions like these increase the potential for midair collisions.”
