Well, they keep getting closer and closer! The Russians seem to be pushing the limits further and further with these intercepts. When you come this close to another aircraft the chances of something bad happening go up dramatically.
Striking photos released Friday show just how dangerously close a Russian fighter jet came to a U.S. Air Force reconnaissance aircraft in a Monday interaction deemed “provocative” by a U.S. official.
The images show the Russian SU-27 coming within five feet of the wing of the U.S. RC-135U — so close the Russian pilot can be seen in the cockpit in some images.
After it flew alongside, the Russian jet was “provocative” in its flight maneuvers and flying “erratically,” an official told Fox News.
“This interaction was determined to be unsafe,” U.S. European Command (EUCOM) said. – Fox News
Featured image of a Russian jet flying within a few feet of a U.S. Air Force reconnaissance jet over the Baltic Sea on June 19, 2017 by AP