A Russian Air Force MiG-31 jet intercepted a US spy plane near
Kamchatka in Russia’s Far East last week, flying within 15 meters of the
aircraft. Washington downplayed the incident, saying it was carried out
in a “safe and professional” manner.
The MiG-31 (NATO code
name Foxhound) is a Soviet-design supersonic interceptor, the world’s
fastest aircraft in service today. It got to within 15 meters of a US
surveillance plane, which was flying in international airspace near the
city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
“On April 21, a US Navy P-8
Maritime Patrol reconnaissance aircraft flying a routine mission in
international airspace was intercepted by a MiG-31 Russian jet in the
vicinity of the Kamchatka Peninsula,” Cmdr. Dave Benham, a spokesman for the Pacific Command, told the
Washington Free Beacon.
However, rather than kicking up a fuss, Benham added that the maneuver was carried out in a
“safe and professional” manner.
“Intercepts between the United States and other militaries occur often and the vast majority are professional,” he said, speaking to the publication.
“For intercepts that are deemed unprofessional, the US takes appropriate measures through military and diplomatic channels.”
The
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Maj. Gen. Joseph Dunford, said
he has contacted his Russian counterpart Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the
chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia three times to
warn against possible provocations.
Dunford and Gerasimov had
both agreed not to go into details regarding the incident, but Dunford
added that the interceptions pose
"a risk of miscalculation arguably greater than it was in the Cold War,” the online publication
Military stated.
Read more
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is a sensitive area for Russia as it
hosts one of the country’s most important naval bases, which is home to a
large portion of Russia’s Pacific Fleet.
The base also contains the majority of Russia’s missile carrying nuclear submarines, sited on the Pacific coast.
On
April 14, a Russian jet intercepted a US reconnaissance plane in the
Baltic Sea. Danny Hernandez, a spokesman for European Command said a
Russian Su-27
"performed erratic and aggressive maneuvers," only 50 feet (15 meters) away from the US aircraft.
