Two Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter planes intercepted a US Navy P-8A Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft of the Sixth Fleet for a period of a little over an hour. The two Russian aircraft simultaneously took close station on each wing of the American plane, restricting its ability to safely maneuver.
"The unnecessary actions of the Russian Su-35 pilots were inconsistent with good airmanship and international flight rules, and jeopardized the safety of flight of both aircraft," said the Sixth Fleet in a press release, calling the interaction "irresponsible" and warning that such actions increase the risk of midair collisions.
In April, a US Navy P-8A in the Sixth Fleet was twice also intercepted by a Russian SU-35 within two hours.
The first intercept was considered safe and professional, according to the Navy statement, but the second one was determined to be unsafe and unprofessional due to a high-speed, high-powered maneuver by the Russian aircraft that brought the two aircraft within 25 feet of each other, with the SU-35 directly in front of the US Naval aircraft. The maneuver exposed the US aircraft to wake turbulence and jet exhaust, according to the US Navy.
Four days earlier, a Russian SU-35 flew inverted within 25 feet of a US P8-A over the same waters. In both cases, the US aircraft was operating consistent with international law and didn't provoke the activity, according to the Navy.
All three incidents in the past two months have taken place in international airspace over the eastern Mediterranean.
The Russian Defense Ministry responded to the incident in April, claiming that the US aircraft was heading toward the Khmeimim Air Base in Latakia, Syria, where Russian troops, aircraft and S-400 air defense systems are stationed, according to the Russian Sputnik News.
"After approaching the aircraft, the pilot of the Russian fighter identified the plane's tail number and its status as an aircraft of the US Navy, and took it under escort," said the Defense Ministry, adding that the American aircraft then changed course, allowing the Russian aircraft to return to the airfield.
Several aircraft tracking sites said the incidents on Tuesday and in April between the Russian and American aircraft took place near the Syrian coast, according to Sputnik.
Testy encounters between American and Russian forces are not a rare occurrence, both in the air and on land.
In December, Russian and American troops brawled in Tell Tamer in northeast Syria. Russian forces were present in the area at the same time as US troops. When the two parties met it devolved into a fist fight, "due to their presence in the same area," according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Russia has fought alongside the Assad regime and Iran in the Syrian Civil War since 2015, along with more recent clashes with Turkey, a NATO member state.