With summer heating up, it appears as though the US Air Force finds Russia’s Black Sea particularly inviting. The Russian military has intercepted American jets on a long haul trip for the fourth time in just over one week.
The US Air Force seemingly could not decide who should be next to enjoy the scenic splendor of the Black Sea shoreline - around 8,000km from home - where temperatures have hit the 90s degrees Fahrenheit this week, choosing to send two of its surveillance planes at the same time on Thursday to watch over the area.
Could it be that American 'top guns' are so determined to showcase the delights of the region that they are now insisting on bringing buddies along?
However the sightseeing plans were scuppered when the jets were promptly intercepted by a Russian Su-27 fighter jet, which was scrambled to escort the “aerial targets” approaching the nation’s border.
The planes were identified as an RC-135 strategic reconnaissance aircraft and a Р-8А Poseidon maritime surveillance plane. “There were no violations of the border of the Russian Federation by American reconnaissance aircraft,” Russia's Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
A video taken from the cockpit of the Russian jet shows the two American planes flying at a relatively close distance. When the prying aircraft turned away from the Russian frontier, the Su-27 returned to its home airfield, the statement said.
US surveillance aircraft have been showing a particular interest in Russia’s Black Sea of late, despite the fact that this is an area located some 8,000 kilometers away from US territory. Indeed, it's is the fourth time in just nine days that Russian jets were scrambled to intercept US planes near its borders in the region.
All the encounters forced the US spy aircraft to change course and move away from Russia’s airspace. US surveillance and long-range bomber planes, as well as other NATO aircraft, have frequently been spotted near Russia's borders in recent years.
It remains unclear, however, what exactly is luring the US spy planes to the Black Sea.
Andrey Krasov, the first deputy head of the Russian State Duma’s Defense Committee believes that, while some of them might indeed be reconnaissance sorties, others are just “provocative.”
Also on rt.com American pilots can't get enough of the Black Sea! Russian jet intercepts US spy plane for 3rd time in less than a week (VIDEO)Like this story? Share it with a friend!