Two U.S. F-22s fire flares at Russian jets over Syria
Incident occurs in coalition airspace
The Washington Post
A pair of U.S. jets intercepted two Russian fighter aircraft over Syria on Tuesday, the Pentagon said, the kind of highly dangerous yet common encounter that’s occurring with more regularity despite agreements between the countries to avoid potentially deadly mistakes.
Two F-22A Raptors were diverted from supporting ground operations against Islamic State militants and intercepted the Russian Su-25s aircraft after they crossed into U.S. coalition airspace east of the Euphrates River near Abu Kamal, a key city on the border of Iraq and the region where militants have congregated following their defeat in Raqqa. The Russian warplanes were so close to coalition jets that the jets shot flares and even chaff — clouds of metal meant to confuse radar systems but possibly used in this case as an additional visual warning.
One of the U.S. pilots also performed an aggressive maneuver to avoid a midair collision, said Eric Pahon, a Pentagon spokesman. Multiple calls to the emergency channel established to avoid such issues were made during the 40minute encounter, Mr. Pahon said, culminating in a tense moment when one of the F-22s shadowed its Russian counterpart.
The Syrian skies have become another contested battlespace between old adversaries, as Assad regime forces backed by Russian airpower and advisers on the ground have defeated rebel groups. Defense officials worry continued fights over airspace could quickly heighten tensions between the nations as pilots make split-second decisions at the helm of armed jets flying hundreds of miles an hour, raising the chance of a miscalculation that results in either a collision or a shoot-down if they feel coalition troops are at risk.
Russians agreed in November to maintain flights west of the Euphrates while coalition aircraft would maintain corridors in the east, with the understanding that they would use established deconfliction channels between senior commanders first established in 2015 to avoid catastrophes.