A Russian Sukhoi Su-24 attack aircraft makes a very low altitude pass by USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) April 12, 2016. U.S. Navy Photo
A United States Navy destroyer operating in international waters in the Baltic Sea experienced several close passes by a pair of Russian fighter jets earlier this week.
The fly-by’s occurred on April 11 and 12 aboard the USS Donald Cook during deck landing drills with an allied military helicopter, the Navy said in a statement.
Some photos and video released by the U.S. Navy show just how close the fighter jets came to the destroyer.
The U.S. Navy called the passes “aggressive”, “unsafe” and “unprofessional”.
“April 11-12, USS Donald Cook was operating in a professional manner in international waters conducting operations and exercises with our allies in the Baltic Sea,” said Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, Adm. Mark Ferguson. “In my judgement these maneuvers in close proximity to Donald Cook are unprofessional and unsafe.”
“We have deep concerns about the unsafe and unprofessional Russian flight maneuvers. These actions have the potential to unnecessarily escalate tensions between countries, and could result in a miscalculation or accident that could cause serious injury or death,” the U.S. Navy said in a statement.
gCaptain’s previous story on this incident is HERE.
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