Russian fighter buzzes US F-16 jet over Alaska in shock video
A US Air Force commander has described footage showing a Russian fighter jet flying perilously close to an American F-16 near Alaska as behaviour that was “unsafe, unprofessional and endangered all”.
AIr Force General Gregory Guillot’s comments came as the clip of the September 23 mid-air altercation between the US fighter jet and a Russian Su-35 emerged overnight.
The footage appeared to be shot from the cockpit of the US fighter jet which at the time was still flying in the Alaskan Air Defence Identification Zone - that’s defined as an airspace which while still beyond US sovereign territory, remains an area which the US is still deemed to have air traffic control over.
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The clip appears to show how the Su-35 approaching the F-16 from behind before buzzing past the US jet’s left side, causing it to rock from the force.
“The conduct of one Russian Su-35 was unsafe, unprofessional and endangered all - not what you’d see in a professional air force,” said General Guillot, who is head of the North American Aerospace Defence Command.
The September 23 altercation is the latest near-miss involving Russian and US jets.
It comes just two months after eight Russian military planes and four of the Kremlin’s navy vessels, two of which were submarines, also approached Alaska during joint drills conducted by China and Russia.
Prior to that Russian and Chinese bombers flew in formation, once again in international airspace, off Alaska in July.
No aircraft breached US airspace in any of the incidents but US Senator Dan Sullivan, of the US Senate Armed Services Committee, said the latest mid-air scare was more reason for America to deploy more military resources to Alaska and the Arctic.
“The reckless and unprofessional meneuvres of Russian fighter pilots - within just a few feet of our Alaska’s ADIZ on September 23 but put the lives of our brave Airmen at risk and underscore the escalating aggression we’re witnessing from dictators like Vladimir Putin,” Sullivan told the Seattle Times.
