Russia pilots have tried to dogfight US jets over Syria, in one of the several recent attempts of aggressive behaviours from Moscow pilots, a report has said.
The Russian pilots didn’t appear to be trying to shoot down American jets, but they may be trying to “provoke” the US and “draw us into an international incident,” a report in CNN quoted a US official.
Armed Russian warplanes have been acting in hostile ways since March 1 which has led US military officials concerned about the possibilities for miscalculation and escalation.
Dogfighting, in military aviation, is engaging in aerial combat, often at very close ranges.
However, this is not a first instance where the Russian pilots have shown aggressive behaviour while patrolling in the air.
A video from April 2 shows a Russian SU-35 fighter jet conducting an “unsafe and unprofessional” intercept of a US F-16 fighter jet. Another video from April 18 shows a Russian jet violating the coalition airspace and coming within 2,000 feet of a US aircraft.
Source: news18
