On Thursday, a US MQ-9 Reaper drone was conducting a mission in opposition to ISIS targets in northwest Syria when Russian fighter jets approached, Air Force Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich stated in an announcement in regards to the incident. One of the Russian jets then started dropping flares in entrance of the US drone in an obvious try and hit the drone, forcing it to take evasive manoeuvres.
Col. Michael Andrews, a spokesman for Air Force Central Command, stated the 2 Russian fighters – an SU-45 and SU-35 – engaged for nearly an hour in a “sustained” and “unprofessional” interplay.
Video of the encounter launched by Air Force Central Command exhibits two Russian fighters flying close to the US drone. One of the fighters then releases a collection of flares because it passes over the drone.
“These events represent another example of unprofessional and unsafe actions by Russian air forces operating in Syria, which threaten the safety of both Coalition and Russian forces,” Grynkewich stated in an announcement. “We urge Russian forces in Syria to cease this reckless behaviour and adhere to the standards of behaviour expected of a professional air force so we can resume our focus on the enduring defeat of ISIS.”
The incident comes at some point after three Russian fighter jets harassed three US drones over Syria. In the Wednesday encounter, the Russian jets dropped parachute flares in entrance of the US drones, forcing the drones to take evasive manoeuvres. One Russian jet additionally lit its afterburner in entrance of a US drone, limiting the drone operator’s skill to securely function the plane.
But the US wasn’t the one goal of harassment from the Russian army. A Russian SU-35 fighter jet performed a “non-professional interaction” with two French Rafale fighter jets that had been flying a mission close to the Iraq-Syria border on Thursday, in keeping with the official Twitter account of the French Armed Forces. The French fighters manoeuvred with a view to keep away from the chance of accident, the French army stated.
Both the US and Russia are working in Syria; the US as a part of the anti-ISIS coalition, and Russia in help of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Over the final a number of years, the US and Russia have used a deconfliction line between the 2 militaries in Syria to keep away from unintentional errors or encounters that may inadvertently result in escalation. But Russian army actions in Syria have more and more violated the deconfliction protocols, together with flying too near US army bases in Syria and failing to achieve out on the deconfliction line.
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“We have been in Syria for many years now fighting ISIS as part of an international coalition,” stated Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder at a briefing Thursday. “That is no surprise to anyone.”
In April, a US official stated the extra aggressive actions from Russian pilots look like a part of a “new way of operating,” together with one incident through which a Russian fighter jet tried to dogfight a US fighter jet.
The aggressive behaviour has occurred outdoors of Syria as properly. In March, a Russian SU-27 fighter jet collided with a US MQ-9 Reaper drone in worldwide airspace over the Black Sea. The collision broken the drone’s propeller, forcing it to crash within the water.
Source: www.9news.com.au
