Nov. 5 (UPI) -- A Russian fighter jet came close to a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft over the Black Sea Monday, causing turbulence and vibrations for the crew.
The Russian Su-27 passed directly in front of the U.S. EP-3 aircraft at a high rate of speed, officials said. Then, about 25 minutes later, the fighter jet passed by again, this time turning on its afterburners before speeding away.
"This interaction was determined to be unsafe due to the Su-27 conducting a high speed pass directly in front of the mission aircraft, which put our pilots and crew at risk," the U.S. Navy said in a statement. "The intercepting SU-27 made an additional pass, closing with the EP-3 and applying its afterburner while conducting a banking turn away."
It's unclear how close the aircraft came to hitting each other or whether the Russian fighter was armed.
This latest provocation comes as NATO conducts training exercises as part of Trident Juncture. The Norway-based operation has 50,000 personnel, 65 warships and 10,000 vehicles taking part.
There have been a number of similar incidents over the last year.
In January, a Russian fighter flew dangerously close to a U.S. reconnaissance flight over the Black Sea. U.S. officials estimate the fighter was five feet from the wingtip. Russian officials at the time said it was a legal maneuver to escort the Navy plane.
