A U.S. Navy warship operating in the Black Sea was buzzed by a Russian fighter jet Sunday, according to officials.
Donald Cook had been steaming in the Black Sea for just more than a week on Sunday when a Russian Su-24 jet performed a low pass near the ship, getting as close as 100 yards away from the port beam, according to Cmdr. Kyle Raines, a spokesman for U.S. 6th Fleet.
The Navy posted footage of the close call to Twitter.
The entire interaction lasted about 10 minutes, Raines said in a statement.
“The unnecessary proximity of the Russian Su-24′s actions were inconsistent with good airmanship and international norms and standards,” he said. “The U.S. 6th Fleet is committed to maintaining freedom of movement within international waters for all nations in the Black Sea.”
Russia’s state-run news agency Tass quoted a Russian defense organization as saying it had been tracking Donald Cook since it entered the Black Sea on Jan. 23.
Donald Cook is operating concurrently with fellow guided-missile destroyer Porter and the oiler Laramie in the Black Sea.
Geoff is the managing editor of Military Times, but he still loves writing stories. He covered Iraq and Afghanistan extensively and was a reporter at the Chicago Tribune. He welcomes any and all kinds of tips at geoffz@militarytimes.com.
