The move “was unsafe, unprofessional, and endangered all.”
Starscream
Dramatic video footage shows the moment when a Russian fighter jet screams by an American F-16 in the skies above Alaska last month, attracting stern condemnation from US officials.
“The conduct of one Russian Su-35 was unsafe, unprofessional, and endangered all – not what you’d see in a professional air force,” tweeted US Northern Command official General Gregory Guillot.
Guillot confirmed in the post that the hair-raising moment occurred on September 23 when an F-16 was doing “a safe and disciplined” intercept of another Russian aircraft, a Tu-95 bomber, according to Task and Purpose.
The video shows the cockpit view of the F-16 with the large bomber flying some distance away with its multiple propellers whirring.
Suddenly, from the left side of the cockpit, another fighter jet — a Russian Su-35 — swoops into view from the back and flies extremely close to the F-16, which suddenly swerves out of the way.
Business Insider says the move is called “headbutting,” which doesn’t involve the planes touching each other but entails flying really close — a very rude, and aggressive maneuver designed to provoke.
Top Gun
American officials didn’t say why the Russian fighter jet was so aggressive towards an American plane, which happened in a region of international air space called the Alaskan air defense identification zone, where all aircraft are required to identify themselves.
This isn’t the first time this year that Americans have intercepted Russian craft in this locale. In July, American and Canadian fighter jets under the command of NORAD intercepted three bombers: two Russian TU-95s and interestingly a Chinese aircraft.
This intercept wasn’t considered a danger at the time, unlike this more recent incident which clearly rattled NORAD.
Other, more hostile interactions between Russians and American fighter jets have taken place in the airspace in recent years, especially in Syria, according to Task and Purpose.
More on fighter planes: China Wants to Mount Laser Cannons on Its Fighter Jets
