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U.S. defense officials say two Russian SU-24 jets made "aggressive" and "unsafe flight maneuvers" as they buzzed the USS Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea. VPC
In this Tuesday, April 12, 2016 photo provided by the U.S. Navy, two Russian Sukhoi Su-24 attack aircraft fly near USS Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea.(Photo: AP)
The Russian Defense Ministry dismissed U.S. concerns Thursday about Russian war planes buzzing a U.S. Navy destroyer<span style="color: Red;">*</span>in the Baltic Sea this week, saying their pilots "fully observed all safety measures."
Russian Defense Ministry Maj.-Gen. Igor Konashenkov told Russian news agency
Tass<span style="color: Red;">*</span>that the Russian SU-24 jets were conducting planned exercises Monday when they came upon the USS Donald Cook in neutral waters less than 50 miles from a Russian Navy base.
"Spotting the ship within the visibility zone, the Russian pilots turned their aircraft away from the vessel, fully observing the safety measures," Konashenkov told Tass.
The U.S. European Command, however, said two Russian SU-24 jets made "numerous, close-range and low-altitude passes" on the Cook as<span style="color: Red;">*</span>a helicopter refueled on the deck. The ship temporarily suspended flight operation exercises<span style="color: Red;">*</span>it<span style="color: Red;">*</span>was conducting with Polish forces, it said in a statement.
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On Tuesday, a<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Russian KA-27 Helix helicopter flew seven circles at low altitude that were "deemed unsafe and unprofessional by the ship’s commanding officer," the statement said. About 40 minutes later, two Russian SU-24 jets made 11 close-range and low-altitude passes.
The statement said the jets "flew in a simulated attack profile and failed to respond to repeated<span style="color: Red;">*</span>safety advisories in both English and Russian." The flights were risky, could have resulted in a fatal accident<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and could unnecessarily add to political tensions, the statement said.
One pass<span style="color: Red;">*</span>was<span style="color: Red;">*</span>about<span style="color: Red;">*</span>30 feet from the ship at an altitude of 100 feet, a U.S.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>defense official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the incident, told USA TODAY. Two more passes farther from the ship came at 50 feet above water.
U.S. sailors who viewed the incidents said the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>jets were flying “wings clean,” meaning there were no visible bombs or armaments, a defense official told
defensenews.com, a U.S. publication that reports on military matters.
The Russian news website RT questioned how threatening the flights actually seemed to U.S. sailors aboard the Donald Cook.
"Judging by the videos released by the U.S. Navy, the sailors were nonplussed by the Russian aerobatic skills. They gathered on the top deck of the destroyer to watch the Russian pilots," RT said.
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest chastised the Russian military in a briefing Wednesday, saying<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the incidents were “entirely inconsistent with the professional norms."
Konashenkov dismissed the U.S. concerns, saying the rights of a U.S. ship sailing so close to a Russian base do not trump the rights of Russian jets to perform their own exercises.
"Frankly speaking, (the defense ministry) does not understand the reason for such a painful reaction of our American colleagues," he said.
Contributing: Jim Michaels
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