A near miss between Russian and US warplanes over Syria in October was the closest the two Air Forces have come to a midair mishap in the war-torn country, the Pentagon said on Monday.
The incident occurred in eastern Syria on October 17, when a Russian jet that was escorting a larger spy plane maneuvered near an American warplane, coming to within 0.8 kilometres of the US jet, officials said. “This was the closest in terms of proximity that we have come to date, and that is why it was a particular cause for concern,” Pentagon spokesperson Peter Cook said.
He characterised the incident as “inadvertent” and not an intentional act of hostility.
A US military official had said the American pilot was buffeted by the turbulence from the Russian jet’s engines, feeling the plane’s “jet wash”.
