US and Russian relations have been rolling downhill for a number of years. With tensions high between the two nations, one misstep could result in a very dangerous standoff between two nuclear powers.
EUCOM recently released photos of a very close intercept that occurred earlier this year over the Baltic Sea. In their accompanying statement, they said, “A U.S. RC-135U flying in international airspace over the Baltic Sea was intercepted by a Russian SU-27 Flanker June 19, 2017. Due to the high rate of closure speed and poor control of the aircraft during the intercept, this interaction was determined to be unsafe.”
This is far from the first time of a close intercept. RC-135s have had close interactions with both Russian and Chinese fighters over the past few years. Still, these photos are visual proof that tensions remain high between the United States and its rising adversaries.
[…] in June, another intercept occurred over the Baltic Sea which was deemed as “unsafe” when an armed Russian SU-27 […]