Navy Ship Encounters Aggressive Russian Aircraft in
Baltic Sea A Russian
Sukhoi Su-24 attack aircraft makes a very-low-altitude pass by the
USS Donald Cook in international waters in the Baltic Sea, April 12, 2016. The USS Donald Cook, a guided-missile destroyer forward-deployed to
Rota, Spain, is conducting a routine patrol in the
U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of
U.S. national security interests in
Europe.
A U.S. Navy destroyer operating in international waters in the Baltic Sea experienced several close interactions by Russian aircraft April 11 and yesterday, U.S.
European Command officials reported today. On April 11,
Donald Cook was conducting deck landing drills with an allied military helicopter when two Russian
Su-24 jets made numerous close-range and low-altitude passes at about 3 p.m. local time. One of the passes, which occurred while the allied helicopter was refueling on the destroyer’s deck, was deemed unsafe by the ship’s commanding officer, Eucom officials said, adding that as a safety precaution, flight operations were suspended until the SU-24s left the area.
Yesterday, while Donald Cook was operating in international waters in the Baltic Sea, a Russian KA-27
Helix helicopter flew seven circles at low altitude around the ship at about 5 p.m. local time and were deemed unsafe and unprofessional by the ship’s commanding officer, officials said. About 40 minutes following the interaction with the Russian helicopter, two Russian
SU-24 jets made 11 close-range and low-altitude passes, they added.
U.S. Navy video of an April 12, 2016, incident in the Baltic Sea involving the USS Donald Cook and Russian aircraft.
The Russian aircraft flew in a simulated attack profile and failed to respond to repeated safety advisories in both
English and Russian, officials said.
“We have deep concerns about the unsafe and unprofessional Russian flight maneuvers,” Eucom officials said in a statement. “These actions have the potential to unnecessarily escalate tensions between countries, and could result in a miscalculation or accident that could cause serious injury or death.”
U.S. officials are using diplomatic channels to address the interactions, and the incidents also are being reviewed through Navy channels, officials said. ‘
Dangerously Close’: 2 Russian
Fighter Jets
Buzz US Navy Warship in Baltic Sea Unarmed Russian fighter jets made two extremely close overflights this week of the USS Donald Cook, sailing in the Baltic Sea.
The Cook “encountered multiple, aggressive flight maneuvers by Russian aircraft that were performed within close proximity of the ship,” according to a statement by European Command.
“We have deep concerns about the unsafe and unprofessional Russian flight maneuvers,” the statement said.
One of the Russian jets flew within 75 feet of the
Cook’s ship superstructure.
The initial reports indicated the two concerning encounters occurred Tuesday night in international waters. A third overflight, at a more acceptable distance, happened Sunday, according to a U.S. official. The aerobatics skills of
Russian pilots over the US destroyer Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea left the
Pentagon and other US official running for cover in
Washington over “aggressive close interactions” with Russian fighter jets.
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Russia-NATO relations
Releasing the footage of Russian jet flybys in the vicinity of the destroyer, the US Navy said that its vessel has encountered multiple “aggressive flight maneuvers
...within close proximity of the ship,” some as close as 30 feet (
10 meters) on Monday and Tuesday.
The set of incidents took place as the US ship, which had sailed from the
Polish port of
Gdynia, was conducting exercises with its
NATO ally
Poland in the Baltic Sea. The Navy announced that the SU-24 first flew over Donald Cook on Monday as US sailors were rehearsing “deck landing drills with an allied [
Polish] military helicopter”. The numerous close-range, low altitude encounters were witnessed at 3:00pm local time, forcing the commander of the ship to suspend helicopter refueling on the deck until the Russian jets departed the area.
The Donald Cook happened to be around 70km away from a Russian naval base when the Su-24 planes passed by, according to the
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman
Major General Igor Konashenkov.
“On April 13, the pilots of the
Russian Air Force Su-24 planes took part in a training exercise over international waters in the Baltic Sea. Their route took them to an area where the USS Donald Cook was present, around 70km from a Russian naval base,” he said, as cited by
TASS.
Konashenkov added that all flights undertaken by the Russian Air Force strictly follow all international rules when traveling over neutral waters.What it looks like when Russian attack jets fly ‘dangerously close’ to a Navy ship
- published: 14 Apr 2016
- views: 4618