Low-flying flight on a US destroyer by two VVS fighter-bombers (Voenno-vozdušnye sily Rossijskoj Federacii) in the Baltic Sea.
The Russian fighters that flew in close proximity to the US destroyer which was in the international waters of the Baltic about 70 nautical miles from Kaliningrad, were a pair of SU-24s (NATO code name 'Fencer') and passed at least twice in low flight on the USS destroyer Donald Cook (DDG-75) would have simulated an attack profile by descending at low altitude to an estimated altitude of less than one hundred feet.
Even though the two jets were unarmed, Washington still calls the maneuver a hostile act.
The Pentagon reports that within 24 hours, Russian fighters and helicopters flew in close proximity to the USS Donald Cook which was in international waters. The cruiser class Arleigh-Burke he was forced to cancel some flight operations planned for maneuvers defined as "unsafe and unprofessional".
The first episode last Monday. When the two Su-24s took off from Kaliningrad they would have simulated a low-flying attack profile while exercises were being carried out between the US cruiser and a Polish helicopter in training.
The second episode yesterday. Two Su-24 and two Russian helicopters would again carry out maneuvers in the vicinity of the class cruiser Arleigh-Burke. In this second case, according to the Pentagon, the Russian platforms would have carried out photographic surveys of the US platform.
In both episodes, "the American ship attempted to communicate with Russian planes through international standard radio channels, receiving no response."
(photo: MoD Russian Federation / US Navy)
