Pentagon officials have said lives were ‘put at risk’ when a Sukhoi Su-35S Flanker-E fighter jet from the Russian Aerospace Forces (RuAF) came perilously close to a USAF intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft over Syria.
Reports say that on July 16, the Su-35S performed a dangerous manoeuvre while in close contact with a USAF-operated, turboprop-driven Beechcraft MC-12W Liberty ISR aircraft. Commenting on the incident on condition of anonymity, a US defence official told the media that the Russian fighter passed so close to the MC-12W that it entered the turbulent wake of the jetwash generated by the Su-35’s engines, putting the lives of its four crew members at risk.
