“An
American RC-135U reconnaissance aircraft was buzzed by a Russian
Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet over the Baltic Sea near Russia’s
Kaliningrad Region, according to the Pentagon, which accused the
Russian pilot of coming dangerously close to the US aircraft.”
“The
Sukhoi Su-27 dispatched to intercept the target identified it as a US
Air Force reconnaissance aircraft RC-135U and reported the aircraft’s
type and tail number to headquarters. After the Su-27 made several
fly-bys around the spy plane, the RC-135U altered course and moved
away from Russian border.”
“The
RC-135 is a military version of a Boeing-707 and the intercepted
RC-135U version is code-named Combat Sent, specializing in gathering
intelligence on 'enemy electronic signals and radar emitters.' No
details have been released on the mission of the RC-135, but the
aircraft was reportedly in a position to monitor Russian military
activities in western Russia and Kaliningrad. It is in the
Kaliningrad exclave where Moscow recently decided to deploy
Iskander-M nuclear capable tactical quasi-ballistic missile systems.”
“On
Tuesday, the same day that the incident with the RC-135U took place,
the commander of the US Northern Command, Adm. William Gortney,
expressed concern at the increase in Russian military flights. NATO
has recently been engaged in a massive military buildup along
Russia’s western borders as part of its Operation Atlantic Resolve.
Russia has slammed the spike in NATO military activity in the Baltic
States as 'unprecedented and dangerous.'”
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