Russian Su-27 fighter jets escorted French Rafale and Mirage jets over the Black Sea on Wednesday, the National Center for Defense Management, a part of the Russian Defense Ministry, told reporters.
“To identify air targets and prevent them from entering the airspace of the Russian Federation, Su-27 fighters from the air defense forces of the Southern Military District took to the air.
The crew of Russian fighters identified aerial targets as two tactical fighters Mirage-2000 and Rafale, as well as a C-135 tanker aircraft of the French Aerospace Forces, and escorted them over the Black Sea,” the center said.
Video released by the Russian Defense Ministry on Wednesday showed that Su-27 fighter jets approached the French aircraft at a distance of only several dozen feet. The video shows the pilots in their cockpits and France’s national flag marked on the fighter jets.
According to the Defense Ministry, French fighter jets were armed with guided air-to-air missiles AIM-9 and were equipped with outboard fuel tanks, to increase the flight range.
Earlier in the month, Russian fighters Su-27 and Su-30 were scrambled to escort US reconnaissance aircraft over the Black Sea, no border breach was allowed, the Russian Defense Ministry’s National Defense Control Center (NDCC) had stated.
It is noted that on December 3, Russian airspace control detected targets approaching the state border of Russia over the neutral waters of the Black Sea.
“To identify aerial targets and prevent violation of the Russian state border, Su-27 and Su-30 fighters were scrambled. The crews of Russian fighters identified aerial targets as the US Air Force RC-135 strategic reconnaissance aircraft and the CL-600 reconnaissance and target designation aircraft ‘Artemis’ of the US Ground Forces and escorted them over the Black Sea,” the statement said.
After the foreign military aircraft turned away from the state border, the Russian fighters safely returned to the home airfield. The flights of Russian fighters were carried out in accordance with international rules for the use of airspace, the state border remained safe.
In September, Russian Su-27 fighter escorted the US Air Force RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft over the Black Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry’s National Defense Control Center (NDCC) told reporters.
Russian radars had detected an air target over the neutral waters of the Black Sea approaching the Russian state border, it said.
“To identify the air target and prevent it from breaching the Russian state border, a Su-27 fighter from the air defense forces of the Southern Military District was scrambled. The crew of the Russian fighter identified the air target as the RC-135 strategic reconnaissance aircraft of the US Air Force and escorted it over the Black Sea,” the center had said.
“After the foreign military aircraft turned away from the state border of the Russian Federation, the Russian fighter returned safely to its home base,” it added.
The flight of the Russian aircraft was carried out in strict accordance with international rules for the use of airspace.
In July, Russian the Su-27 was scrambled to intercept the FGR.4 Typhoon fighter of the German Air Force and to escort over the Baltic Sea, preventing it from reaching the Russian border, the Russian Defense Ministry’s National Defense Control Center (NDCC) has stated.
On July 22, an air target approaching the Russian state border was detected over the Baltic Sea, it said. “To identify the air target and prevent it from reaching the Russian state border, a Su-27 fighter from the air defense duty of the Baltic Fleet was scrambled.
The crew of the Russian fighter identified the air target as the FGR.4 Typhoon multirole fighter of the German Air Force and escorted it over the Baltic Sea,” the statement read.
After the turn of the foreign military aircraft from the Russian state border, the Russian fighter safely returned to the home airfield, the NDCC said.
“The flight of the Russian fighter was carried out in strict accordance with international rules for the use of airspace. No violations of the Russian state border were allowed,” it added.
The Su-27 is a twin-engine supermaneuverable warplane designed by Sukhoi. It was designed as a direct competitor against F-14 Tomcat and F-15 Eagle. The Su-27 was conceived for air superiority missions.
- Via Sputnik News Agency.
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