June 13, 2015, 05:57 pm
Russian military plane buzzes NATO warships
By Mark Hensch
A Russian military surveillance aircraft skimmed above four North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) warships in the Baltic Sea earlier this week, CNN is reporting.
An official from the Department of Defense said Saturday that the incident occurred on Thursday and has not yet received public acknowledgment, according to CNN.
“We are not calling this safe and professional,” the official told the news organization.
“We are calling it routine, but we are on the edge of being very uncomfortable.”
CNN said the official identified the Russian plane as a Russian Maritime Patrol aircraft.
It reportedly performed a flyover above a four-ship group including the USS Jason Dunham.
The Dunham captured video of the encounter, the official said, adding that Britain, France and Germany each had a vessel in the NATO warship group.
The Russian aircraft brushed a mere 500 feet above the deck of one of the NATO ships, the official said.
He added that the flight was “lower and closer” than the U.S. usually sees from Russian forces in the region.
Despite this, he told CNN the NATO group did not feel endangered by the Russian pilot’s incursion.
CNN reported that the U.S. European Command has recently begun adding video equipment to its vehicles in the region.
That decision follows repeated surveillance flights from Russian planes that it wants to monitor.
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/244934-russian-military-plane-buzzes-nato-warships
