According to information from the Russian website TASS, a Russian fighter was engaged to intercept a US spy plane over neutral waters of the Mediterranean Sea, yesterday, April 19.
“On April 19, Russian equipment controlling airspace over the neutral waters of the Mediterranean Sea detected an air target flying towards Russia's military installations in the Syrian Arab Republic. An air defense fighter jet alerts the Hmeymim's rapid reaction force to the air base has been scrambled to identify the target", the ministry said in a statement.
The Russian fighter took off from Hmeymim air base in Syria and headed towards the US plane which the Russians said was heading towards Russian military installations. After the interception the US aircraft changed its course and the Russian fighter returned to base.]
“The aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Force performed and performed all flights in strict accordance with international rules for the use of airspace in neutral waters”, says the statement.
The US 6th Fleet said in a statement that there was an unsafe intercept against a US P-8A Poseidon aircraft in the Mediterranean Sea. According to the US statement, on this occasion there were two attacks by the Russian pilot.
The first interception was considered “safe and professional”, while the second was considered as “unsafe and unprofessional”, said the US statement.
In all, this month, there are already two engagements of Russian fighters with US aircraft. The first case was on the 15th, when a P-8 Poseidon was also intercepted by a SU-35 fighter, in which case the Americans again considered interception “unsafe and unprofessional”.
