Two Russian fighter jets have made “simulated attack” passes near a USA navy guided missile destroyer in the Baltic Sea, says a U.S. official.
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On Tuesday a Russian KA-26 submarine-hunting helicopter circled the Cook seven times, taking photographs, the official said.
The overflights are said to have occurred on Monday and Tuesday and were described by United States officials as “more aggressive than anything we’ve seen in some time”.
“These were very low simulated attack profiles, came within 30 feet of the ship, under 100 feet in altitude”, said the official, noting that “the reports were that it was creating wake in the water it was so close”.
The officials said the Cook was operating in worldwide waters 70 miles off the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.
Past year the Pentagon said that a close-flying Russian jet flew within a few thousand feet of the USS Donald Cook which was conducting a “routine mission” at the time.
The Navy collected images of what occurred and intends to declassify them and release them, one official said.
The Sukhoi SU-24 warplanes, which had no visible weaponry, reportedly made 11 passes near the USS Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea.
In both incidents, the American ship attempted to communicate with the Russian planes through standard worldwide radio channels, but they did not receive a response from the pilots, the official said.
“We are assessing the event in light of the commanding officer’s assessment that the interactions were unprofessional and unsafe”, said Adm. Mark Ferguson, the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe.
Crew members on the USS Donald Cook in the Black Sea.
The U.S. has been criticizing the Russian military buildup in Kaliningrad, and officials said the missile systems Russia is putting into the area pose a threat to regional stability.
The U.S. believes the Russian actions may have violated of a 1970s agreement meant to prevent unsafe incidents at sea. It had departed the Polish port of Gdynia on Monday.
The Russian aerial maneuvers come amid rising tensions on NATO’s eastern flank.
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The US warship had been followed by a Russian intelligence-gathering vessel before the incident with the attack aircraft.
