US: Russian jet intercept ‘unsafe’

WASHINGTON - A Russian Su-27 fighter jet performed an “unsafe” intercept of a U.S. Navy EP-3 surveillance aircraft while flying Jan. 29 in international airspace over the Black Sea, multiple defense officials told CNN. Navy pilots reported that the Su-27 came within five feet of the aircraft, and crossed in front of the EP-3’s flight path causing the U.S. aircraft to “fly through the SU-27's jet wash," said U.S. Naval Forces Europe spokesman Capt. Pamela Kunze. The intercept lasted two hours and 40 minutes, the Navy said. "This interaction was determined to be unsafe,” Kunze continued. The American aircraft was “operating in accordance with international law and did not provoke this Russian activity," she claimed. The Russian Defense Ministry said its jet flew "strictly in accordance with international rules." CNN military analyst and retired Navy admiral John Kirby said the Russian jet's action was "inexcusable, provocative & potentially fatal." (Source: CNN 01/29/18) Gulf Coast Note: John Kirby is a former public affairs officer with the Navy’s Blue Angels flight demonstration team headquartered at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla. In later years with the Navy, he was public affairs spokesman for the Defense Department.