Russian fighter approached U.S. plane at safe distance above Black Sea - Russian Defense Ministry
MOSCOW. May 12 (Interfax) - The Russian Sukhoi Su-30 fighter, which took off for escorting a U.S. reconnaissance plane flying above the Black Sea, approached it at a safe distance, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday.
"Having approached [the plane] at a safe distance, the Russian fighter's pilot identified the aerial vehicle as a U.S. Boeing P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance plane. The Russian fighter performed a maneuver to greet the U.S. pilots, after which the U.S. reconnaissance plane changed its course and headed away from the Russian border," the ministry said.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the incident occurred at around 12:00 p.m. Moscow time on May 9. The Russian military said back then that an aerial vehicle approaching the Russian state border had been detected by aerial surveillance systems above neutral waters of the Black Sea.
"A Sukhoi Su-30 fighter of the standby air defense forces of the Southern Military District took off for intercepting the target," the Russian military said.
The Russian Su-30 fighter successfully returned to base, having fulfilled its assignment, the Defense Ministry said.
The NBC television channel said earlier on Friday, referencing the U.S. Air Force, that a Russian fighter approached a U.S. Poseidon reconnaissance plane at a distance of up to seven meters in the international airspace above the Black Sea on May 9.
In the opinion of the Poseidon pilot, the crews of both planes acted in a professional manner and did not pose a threat to one another, the channel said.