Russian jet intercepts US, Swedish, German reconnaissance planes

MOSCOW: A Russian Su-27 fighter jet intercepted reconnaissance planes from the US, Germany and Sweden over the Baltic Sea, the Defence Ministry in Moscow said. "On August 24, Russian airspace control systems detected three air targets approaching the Russian border over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea," the Ministry's Zvezda broadcasting service said.

A Su-27 fighter from the air defence forces of the Baltic Fleet was scrambled to intercept the targets, Xinhua news agency reported citing the statement as saying. The crew of the Russian fighter identified the air targets as a US Air Force RC-135 strategic reconnaissance plane, a Swedish Gulfstream reconnaissance plane and a German P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft, it said.

According to Zvezda, the German plane was flying toward the Russian border at an altitude of just 500 metres and at a speed of 250 km per hour, in a likely effort to avoid detection.

After the foreign planes flew away from the Russian state border, the Su-27 fighter jet safely returned to its airfield, Zvezda said. The Russian aircraft proceeded in strict compliance with international airspace rules, it added. (IANS)

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