US, Russian jets in near-collison over Black Sea

[Byker]

"At the time, the U.S. official called it 'one of the most dangerous close
passes in decades.'" One day they're gonna connect...
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Russian fighter came within 15 feet of U.S. Air Force jet

By Barbara Starr and Brad Lendon, CNN
Updated 11:30 AM ET, Fri January 29, 2016

(CNN)A Russian fighter jet came within 15 feet of a U.S. Air Force
reconnaissance plane over the Black Sea this week in what the Pentagon is
calling an "unsafe" incident, U.S. officials say.

"On January 25, 2016, a U.S. RC-135U flying a routine route in international
airspace over the Black Sea was intercepted by a Russian Su-27 in an unsafe
and unprofessional manner. We are looking into this particular incident,"
said a statement from Army Lt. Col. Michelle L. Baldanza, a Defense
Department spokesperson.

Another U.S. military official told CNN that the Russian jet flew along the
right side the U.S. plane then turned away in a maneuver that had an adverse
impact on the "controllability of the U.S. aircraft." The official did not
know if the Russian aircraft was armed at the time. The official said the
incident occurred more than 40 miles from the Russian coast.

The U.S. official said Russian intercepts happen routinely and the majority
are conducted safely.

But Monday's encounter is similar to one between the same two types of U.S.
and Russian aircraft in 2014.

In that incident, a Russian Su-27 flew within 100 feet of the nose of the
U.S. Air Force RC-135U over the Sea of Okhotsk between Russia and Japan, a
Defense Department official said.

At the time, the U.S. official called it "one of the most dangerous close
passes in decades" and said the Russian jet "put the lives of the U.S. crew
in jeopardy."

The Russian aircraft turned and "showed its belly" to the U.S. crew so they
could see it was armed with missiles.

The RC-135U is a four-engine jet used in "locating and identifying foreign
military land, naval and airborne radar signals," according to the Air
Force.

The jet "collects and minutely examines each system, providing strategic
analysis for warfighters. Collected data is also stored for further analysis
by the joint warfighting and intelligence communities," the Air Force says.

The RC-135U carries a crew of 21, including 10 electronic warfare officers,
an Air Force fact sheet says.

There are only two RC-135U aircraft in the Air Force inventory.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/29/politics/us-russia-planes-intercept/index.html