The US Navy released a lot more video of the Russian fighter jet that intercepted its spy plane from 5 feet away — and it shows just how close the Russian got

pulse

January 31, 2018 8:26 PM

The US has characterized the encounter as "unsafe," while Russia says it "took place in accordance with international rules of airspace use."

released more footage on Wednesday of a Russian fighter jet coming within 5 feet of a US Navy plane on Monday.

The Navy says a Russian Su-27 intercepting a US Navy EP-3 Aries signals-reconnaissance aircraft over the Black Sea flew within 5 feet of the American plane. The intercept lasted two hours and 40 minutes.

"These videos show the Russian Su-27 intercepting the EP-3 from a very close position, at the same altitude, and with an estimated wingtip-to-wingtip horizontal separation as little as five feet at times," US Navy Capt. Bill Ellis, the commander of Task Force 67, said in the Navy statement. "For the Russian fighter aircraft to fly this close to the US Navy aircraft, especially for extended periods of time, is unsafe."

"The smallest lapse of focus or error in airmanship by the intercepting aircrew can have disastrous consequences," Ellis said. "There is no margin for error and insufficient time or space for our aircrews to take corrective action."

The US Navy released the first video on Tuesday and five more on Wednesday.

The Russian Defense Ministry denied the US Navy's allegations on Monday, saying it "took place in accordance with international rules of airspace use."

The incident on Monday was the latest of several intercepts and maneuvers involving US and Russian fighter jets that the US has characterized as unsafe.

Check out the short new videos:

The camera zooms in on the Su-27's armaments in this video.

U.S. EP-3 Intercepted in the Black Sea 2

The Su-27 hovers behind the US plane's propeller in the following video.

U.S. EP-3 Intercepted in the Black Sea 3

You can see the Su-27 poke its nose cone out from behind the US plane's propellers in this video.

U.S. EP-3 Intercepted in the Black Sea 4

And the camera zooms in on the Su-27 in this one.

U.S. EP-3 Intercepted in the Black Sea 5

The camera zooms in on the Su-27's armaments in this one too.

U.S. EP-3 Intercepted in the Black Sea 6

Here's the video that the Navy released Tuesday, showing the Su-27 zooming by.