Russian Su-27 Jet Scrambled to Intercept US P-8A Poseidon - Russian MoD

12:30 GMT, 28 January 2019

CC BY-SA 2.0 / Rob Schleiffert / Su-27 Stargard

On 24 January, the Russian Defence Ministry stated that a Russian Su-27 warplane was scrambled to intercept another target that was spotted over the Baltic Sea close to the Russian border. The spotted target turned out to be a Swedish reconnaissance aircraft, called Gulfstream.

Sputnik

A Russian Su-27 fighter jet scrambled to intercept a US Boeing P-8A Poseidon military aircraft above the Baltic Sea, the Russian Defence Ministry said in a press release on Monday without specifying when the incident took place.

The ministry added that Russian airspace control systems discovered an air target approaching Russia's state border over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea.

"To intercept the target, a Su-27 fighter jet was scrambled. The Russian jet's crew approached the flying object while maintaining a safe distance, where it identified it as a US Boeing P-8A Poseidon military aircraft," the ministry's statement noted.

Russian Su-27 Jet Scrambled to Intercept Swedish Reconnaissance Aircraft (VIDEO)

24 January 2019, 04:34 GMT

Following the move, the foreign jet moved away from the Russian border and the Su-27 successfully returned to its military base.

The ministry's announcement follows its earlier report released on 24 January of a Russian Su-27 jet being scrambled to intercept a Swedish reconnaissance aircraft spotted over the Baltic Sea, close to the Russian border.