Russian jet performed ‘aggressive’ barrel roll over US Air Force plane: Pentagon

A Russian fighter jet performed an ‘unsafe’ barrel roll within 25 feet of a U.S. Air Force aircraft over the Baltic Sea in international airspace on Friday, according to the Pentagon.

The Russian SU-27 flew alongside the U.S. Air Force RC-135 and went over the top of the aircraft in a 360-degree turn.

U.S. Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Michelle L. Baldanza told CNN the action of the Russian jet was an “aggressive manoeuvre that posed a threat to the safety of the U.S. aircrew in the RC-135.”

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In a statement, Pentagon spokesman Commander Bill Urban said the barrel roll could have the effect of intensifying tensions between the two nations.

“The unsafe and unprofessional actions of a single pilot have the potential to unnecessarily escalate tensions between countries,” Urban said.

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“There have been repeated incidents over the last year where Russian military aircraft have come close enough to other air and sea traffic to raise serious safety concerns,”Urban said. “We are very concerned with any such behaviour.”

This is the second time this month that Russian jets have been accused of performing close-range and potentially dangerous passes of U.S. military vehicles over international waters.

On April 11 and 12, Russian attack planes flew increasingly close to a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Baltic Sea multiple times, at one point coming as close as 30 feet.

Following those flybys, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said that “under the rules of engagement,” the jets “could have been a shot-down.”