RUSSIAN JET FLIES WITHIN ‘A FEW FEET’ OF US RECON PLANE OVER BALTIC SEA

A US military official said a Russian fighter jet flew within five feet of a reconnaissance plane, in what America says was an unsafe manoeuvre over the Baltic Sea. The incident occurred on Monday, when the US RC-135 was on a routine mission in international airspace. US European Command spokesman Capt Danny Hernandez said the Russian pilot was flying at a high speed and had poor control of the aircraft. He said the close encounter was unprovoked by the US aircraft. Russian planes routinely intercept US jets near the Baltics and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, but the Pentagon says most of these are deemed to be safe.