The US State Department admitted that the crew of the American destroyer Donald Cook was demoralized after meeting with a Russian Su-24 bomber that did not have bombs or missiles on board. We found out why this happened and what else Russia has that is inspiring.
On an unnamed frequency
On April 10, the American destroyer Donald Cook entered the Black Sea. On April 12, a Russian Su-24 front-line bomber flew over the destroyer. On April 14, after a generally ordinary incident - our planes do not regularly approach the ships of a potential enemy in neutral waters - the Pentagon made an extremely emotional statement, accusing Russia of violating its own traditions and international treaties. It was mentioned that the crew of the Donald Cook was demoralized after the meeting with the bomber; a number of media reported that 27 American sailors wrote reports of dismissal from the fleet. What scared the destroyer crew so much?
The Donald Cook is not the rusty Zaporozhye submarine, but a fourth-generation US Navy destroyer whose main weapon is guided missiles. This is the most massive post-war ship with a displacement of more than 5,000 tons: 62 have been built since 1988, with 13 more planned. The Cook's main weapons are Tomahawk cruise missiles with a flight range of up to 2,500 kilometers, capable of carrying nuclear warheads. In conventional and attack versions, the destroyer is equipped with 56 or 96 such missiles, respectively.
The 380 people who make up the ship's crew are reliably protected. The Donald Cook's combat posts are surrounded by Kevlar - each ship carries 130 tons of this expensive but durable material. The small superstructure is covered with material that absorbs radar radiation. Below the waterline, the destroyer is protected by armor made of high-strength magnesium-aluminum alloys. To reduce underwater noise, air is supplied to the edges of the propellers. As a result, a cloud of bubbles is formed, distorting and smoothing out the hydroacoustic “portrait” of the ship.
Finally, the Donald Cook is equipped with the latest Aegis combat information and control system - among other things, it integrates the air defense systems of all ships on which it is installed into a common network, allowing it to simultaneously track and fire at hundreds of targets. On the edges of the destroyer's superstructure there are four huge antennas of a universal radar, replacing several conventional radars. Along with the Tomahawks, fifty anti-aircraft guided missiles of various classes are waiting in the universal launchers at the bow and stern.
It would seem that the appearance of such a ship in the Black Sea should cause shock and awe. And so it happened, but from the wrong side. The Russian Su-24 front-line bomber that arrived at the Donald Cook did not have bombs or missiles on board. Under the fuselage hung one container with a Khibiny electronic warfare system. Having approached the destroyer, the Khibiny turned off its radar, combat control circuits, data transmission systems - in short, they turned off the entire Aegis, just as we turn off the TV by pressing a button on the remote control. After this, the Su-24 simulated a missile attack on the blinded and deafened ship. Then another and another - a total of 12 times.
When the bomber took off, the Donald Cook hurriedly headed to the Romanian port to calm her nerves. He did not approach Russian waters again. The Americans are accustomed from afar, in complete safety, to crush poorly armed detachments of some desert partisans with missiles. And if that doesn't work out, they don't play.
Soldiers of the invisible front
The more complex the electronic system, the easier it is to disrupt its operation using electronic warfare methods and means. - said the head of the research center for electronic warfare and assessing the effectiveness of reducing the visibility of the Air Force Academy Vladimir Balybin. - To win a modern war, it is not enough to achieve air supremacy. It is also necessary to ensure information superiority.
In addition to the Khibiny, the domestic military-industrial complex produces many different devices capable of discouraging both regular enemy units and bandits and terrorists. The Airborne Forces began to receive Infauna complexes. Installed on an armored personnel carrier or other military equipment, the complex finds and jams enemy radio communications in the HF and VHF bands, and “puts to sleep” remotely controlled landmines. They will certainly explode - but only after a column of Russian military personnel passes over them and moves away to a safe distance.
"Infauna" has one more function - optical sensors placed on the sides of the vehicle detect flashes of shots and give the command to set up a smoke screen to shield the column from fire. The "Judoist" information security complex, among other things, finds and neutralizes electronic devices that have been unauthorized connected to data transmission channels.
The product "Lesochek" performs the same functions as "Infauna", but is much more compact - it can be carried in a backpack or suitcase. With such a case it is convenient to go to important business negotiations - the most advanced security service will not be able to eavesdrop on them. For businessmen, there is a civilian version of "Lesochka" - it can be mounted in the trunk of a Mercedes.
If the “Lesochek” product had been working in General Romanov’s UAZ in Grozny in 1995, the explosion of the vehicle of the commander of the internal troops might not have happened, said Balybin.
The basis of the radio-electronic protection of tactical formations of the Russian Army is the Borisoglebsk-2 complex. It includes an automated control center and four types of jamming stations - in a single algorithm they find sources of enemy activity on the air and jam them.
The "Resident" device finds and blocks satellite and cell phones, subscriber GPS navigation systems. It proved its effectiveness during the conflict in South Ossetia, disorienting Georgian drones. In Chechnya, the head of the electronic warfare department of the Voronezh Air Force Academy, Vladimir Khrolikov, fought with terrorists:
We had tracking stations throughout the territory. As soon as there was activity on the air, we made a note and passed it on to the gunners. Dzhokhar Dudayev, as you know, was destroyed by a missile aimed at the signal of his satellite phone. In Grozny, electronic warfare specialists neutralized radio-controlled landmines rolled into asphalt.
The re-equipment of Russia's strategic nuclear forces with the latest electronic warfare systems is proceeding at an accelerated pace, said Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Rogozin. If the army and navy as a whole will be re-equipped by 70 percent by 2020, then the electronic warfare capabilities of the strategic potential will be updated by 100 percent.
Electronic warfare is what allows our smart weapons to operate and other people's smart weapons to fall asleep. And this is correct,” the Deputy Prime Minister noted.
The incident involving the flight of a Russian Su-24 bomber over the American destroyer Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea is reminiscent of déjà vu. Exactly two years ago, a similar meeting between “Kuk” and “Sushka” over the Black Sea caused a lot of noise. According to media reports, in April 2014, the crew of this American warship was frightened by the electronic warfare equipment used by a Russian aircraft, which paralyzed the onboard equipment of the destroyer - then 27 crew members filed a transfer report.
Two years after that incident, the defendants “relocated” to the Baltic Sea. Here, according to the American side, two Su-24 aircraft, presumably without ammunition, flew close to the destroyer Donald Cook, which was conducting training sessions with the participation of a Polish Air Force helicopter. Russian bombers flew near the American ship for two days in a row and also prevented the takeoff of a Polish helicopter. A Russian Ka-27 military helicopter was also spotted nearby.
“We have deep concerns about unsafe and unprofessional Russian maneuvers.
These actions could potentially increase tensions in relations between countries,” the representatives were quoted as saying.
Hero of Russia, Honored Test Pilot of the USSR, Colonel Anatoly Kvochur also noted that all pilots must master this maneuver - flying at an extremely low altitude. It is necessarily included in the combat training course for fighter-bomber aircraft, as well as for tactical bombers, which is the Su-24.
“It is used for covert approach to the target. This is especially important when the terrain is rough, and above the sea it can be seen from afar.
But at a good speed, and it was about 900 km/h, it is difficult to detect such an aircraft in advance - at low altitude it is a point, which then turns into a large, rather loudly humming object,” the interlocutor says.
As is known, Su-24 bomber - front-line bomber with variable sweep wing, designed to launch missile and bomb strikes in simple and adverse weather conditions, day and night, including at low altitudes with targeted destruction of ground and surface targets. A variable-sweep wing is a type of fixed-wing, heavier-than-air aircraft design that allows one type of wing geometry, the sweep, to be changed in flight. At high flight speeds, a larger sweep is more effective, and at low speeds (takeoff, landing), a smaller sweep is more effective.
“Since they came with a straight wing - this is a wing for cruising flight and landing - it is obvious that the speed was low,” explains Kvochur. —
If they folded the wing to maximum sweep, it would be possible to fly at a speed of 1300-1400 km/h, which would lead to a serious bang, because supersonic speed pulls along the so-called shock wave and pulls such a wave along with it. This wave can lead to the destruction of some weakly reinforced structures, such as antennas, and on the ground it can lead to the destruction of small buildings,” the pilot specifies.
He noted that, obviously, the commanders did not allow the wing to be folded so as not to aggravate the situation. “If these pilots made such a maneuver on their own initiative, based on patriotic and professional considerations, then this is up to the commander, but I would encourage them for their professionalism,” says the Hero of Russia.
According to military sources in the United States, Russian planes flew over the destroyer Donald Cook in international waters at an altitude of less than 30 m, about 10 m from it, which, in their opinion, was “unprofessional and unsafe.”
“On Tuesday, a pair of Russian combat Su-24s, presumably without weapons, circled the Cook 11 times. At one point, the Russian plane was 30 feet (9.14 m) from the ship,” Pentagon spokeswoman Michelle Baldanza said in a statement.
Commenting on the American side’s statements about “unprofessional behavior,” the honored Russian pilot emphasized that everything was done cleanly, without any rough edges.
“In general, flying over the sea at an extremely low altitude is a rather serious matter, because it is difficult to determine the altitude. When you fly over the earth's surface, there are some irregularities, there is something for the eye to catch on, and so is the sea and the sea. This is a serious matter that requires professionalism,” he told Gazeta.Ru.
At the same time, he added that it is much easier to fly next to a ship, which is a landmark, having its own altitude. “It would be possible to fly so that a wave would rise and steam up the water a little, washing the Americans’ eyes a little,” Kvochur joked.
Meanwhile, the American side, having studied the incident, used diplomatic channels to appeal to Russia. The US congressman in charge of naval affairs stated that "US naval activity in Europe must be expanded to respond to the threat posed by Russia's international behavior." Although, as retired US Navy officer Rick told The Navy Times, the American destroyer did not open fire on Russian aircraft flying dangerously close to the ship, since they were unarmed and did not pose a threat: “We are not at war with Russia,” Hoffman said, noting that you can’t kill people just because “they’re annoying.”
Let us recall that Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Donald Cook equipped with an Aegis air defense system with interceptor missiles, as well as Tomahawk cruise missiles. The decision to defeat targets threatening the ship can be made automatically.
As official representative of the Russian Ministry of Defense Igor said on Thursday, all flights of Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft are carried out in strict accordance with international rules for the use of airspace over neutral waters. “The flight route of the Russian aircraft passed through the area where the US Navy destroyer USS Donald Cook was located, approximately 70 km from the Russian naval base. Having discovered the ship in the visual visibility zone, the Russian pilots turned away from it in compliance with all safety measures,” Konashenkov said.
As Colonel Kvochur explained to Gazeta.Ru, as for the lapel, this is indeed the case, and once again emphasized the professionalism of the pilots when performing the maneuver. “They did not fly over the ship and its superstructures at such a speed that they hit people on the deck. They turned away and walked to the side at a considerable distance. If they went supersonic, there would be a bang. But I hope that in the near foreseeable future it will not come to this in relations with American partners,” he concluded.
Warsaw also expressed its opinion on what happened. The head of Poland said that together with the United States they would “think about a common response” to the incident, since “it was carried out mainly against a Polish helicopter.” According to him, “this type of provocative behavior” has been observed “for some time”, and the question is “what is its purpose and why was it necessary.”
After 1991, when an Iraqi MiG shot down one of the American Hornites over the Persian Gulf, F/A-18s had no combat contact with Russian-built fighters. However, in November 2000, there was still a meeting between American carrier-based aircraft and Russian Air Force fighters, which was “as close as possible” to combat.
To begin with, we should give the floor to the American pilot, a direct eyewitness to the events described (the text of his letter, sent by e-mail from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk, against the will of the author of the message, became public).
“...The voyage was quite easy and interesting: 54 days at sea, 4 in port and 45 hours of flight in October alone! (for comparison, many pilots of the Russian Air Force have an annual flight time of about 45-60 hours, with the required 200-250) Yes, we flew off our asses! Since I became one of the squadron commanders, I have been flying a lot. Here's an interesting story (and it's not bullshit).
So, I’m sitting there and chatting about all sorts of bullshit with my deputy, and we hear a call from the CIC (combat information center - the “brain” of the ship) on the box. -They say: “Sir, we have spotted Russian planes.”
The captain replies: “Declare the alarm, scramble the fighters.” From the center they say: you can only announce “Alert-30” (departure 30 minutes (!) from the moment of announcement). The captain swore and said: “Get everything you can into the air as quickly as possible!” I ran to the navigator's telephone and contacted the squadron duty officer. It wasn't our squadron that was on duty that day, so I told him to find out who was on duty and make them get off their asses and rush to the flight deck (only Alert 7 assumes you're already on the flight deck and ready to go into the air: “Alarm 30” means you are still sitting in the waiting room).
Soon Russian Su-27 and Su-24 at a speed of 500 knots passed directly over the bridge of the Kitty Hawk. Just like in the movie "Top Gun"! The officers on the bridge spilled their coffee and said...! (An obscene expression that has a very emotional Russian counterpart.) At that moment I looked at the captain - his face was purple.
The Russian fighters made two more tight turns at low altitude before we finally launched our first aircraft from the deck. It was... EA-6B "Prowler" (electronic warfare aircraft). Yes, yes, we launched the unfortunate Prowler one on one against a fighter right above the ship. Our pilots were already asking for help when finally the F/A-18 from the “sister” squadron (I use this term literally, since they looked like a company of “women of easy virtue” (the phrase in quotation marks has been replaced by a more decent one - administration's note), flirting with the Russians) took to the air to intercept. But it was too late. The whole team raised their heads and watched as the Russians made a mockery of our pathetic attempt to stop them.
The funny thing is that the admiral and the commander of the aircraft carrier formation were in the command room for a morning meeting, which was interrupted by the hum of the turbines of Russian aircraft circling above the aircraft carrier's control room. The commander's staff officer told me that they looked at each other, at the flight plan, made sure that the launch was only a few hours later that day, and asked: “What was that?”
Four days later, the Russian intelligence service emailed the commander of Kitty Hawk with photographs of our pilots rushing around the deck, desperately trying to get the planes into the air...”
The events described in the letter took place in the Korean Strait area on October 17, 2000. Two Su-24MR reconnaissance aircraft and a covering flight of Su-27 fighter-interceptors from the 11th Air Force and Air Defense Army took part in the flyby of the American multi-purpose aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. . According to the then Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force, Anatoly Karnukov, “this was planned reconnaissance, during which, however, unusual tasks were solved.” At the same time, no international agreements were violated by the Russian side.
It should be noted that the American naval maneuvers took place only 300 km from the Russian coast, which in itself could not be regarded as a friendly act towards our country. Therefore, the actions of Russian aviation were completely justified and legal.
According to the Commander-in-Chief, the intelligence results “were impressive.” Su-24MRs made several approaches to the aircraft carrier, photographing everything that was happening on the flight deck. The photographs showed panic on board the ship: the sailors began to urgently cut the hoses connecting the aircraft carrier to the tanker, which at that time was transferring fuel aboard the Kitty Hawk.
The F/A-18 fighters were able to take off only after the second approach of the Russian reconnaissance aircraft, but the Su-27s immediately led them away from the ship with a diversionary maneuver, which allowed the reconnaissance aircraft to carry out several more flights over the aircraft carrier, which was completely defenseless from the air. According to press reports, the flyby by Russian Kitty Hawk aircraft was repeated on November 9 and was also successful.
Here's how the media described these events:
1) On December 7 in Washington, US military officials Kent Bacon and Admiral Stephen Pietropaoli held a press conference at which they revealed some details of a series of incidents in the Sea of Japan, when Russian Su-27 and Su-24 reconnaissance aircraft flew at a critical distance to the American aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk based there.
Some time later, the carrier received an email containing two photographs of the Kitty Hawk's deck taken from Russian aircraft during one of these Russian Air Force actions, Bacon said Thursday. The letter also contained a short message in Russian, the contents of which Amiral Pietropaoli refused to clarify, UPI reports. According to him, the letter was not sent from the Russian Ministry of Defense, and its sender is unknown to the Pentagon representative.
In addition, Kenneth Bacon said that at a press conference a week ago, when he also spoke about the actions of Russian pilots, he made a number of inaccuracies. Firstly, there were not two cases of overflight of Russian aircraft, but three - on October 12, October 17 and November 9. Secondly, in the October 17 incident, the planes were not “detected at an acceptable distance” a few hundred meters from the ship, as previously reported by the Russian Air Force, but flew directly over the aircraft carrier, causing confusion for the US military. At this moment, pictures were taken and subsequently sent to Kitty Hawk.
Lenta.ru 8.12.00
2) Russian military aircraft in the Sea of Japan successfully carried out an operation to overcome the air defense of an American aircraft carrier multi-role strike group led by the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk (KittyHawkCV63). A message about this, published by the Izvestia newspaper, was confirmed to Interfax on Tuesday by informed sources in the Russian military department. According to them, this happened twice in the Sea of Japan at the moment when the US aircraft carrier group was heading for exercises in the Korean Strait (October 17) and when it was returning from maneuvers (November 9) ... (Interfax November 14, 2000)
According to some reports, the planes were from the 11th Air Army (commander - Lieutenant General Anatoly Nagovnitsyn). The Kitty Hawk's deck was completely unprepared for resistance, and the Americans seriously decided that they were being attacked, and in a panic they began to cut the fuel communications so that there would be no big explosion and fire during the attack. Then they raised the Hornets and tried to accompany the Sushi to the coast.
On the same day, Anatoly Kornukov stated that “The leadership of the General Staff of the Armed Forces highly appreciated the work of the Russian pilots who opened the air defense system of the US aircraft carrier strike force led by the Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier.” According to him, all pilots will be nominated for awards. “This was a planned reconnaissance, although during it unusual tasks were solved. The results of this reconnaissance are impressive,” the commander-in-chief emphasized.
On October 17, 2000, two Su-24 and Su-27 combat aircraft from the 11th Air Force and Air Defense Army of Russia discovered the Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier and flew in close proximity to it, at an altitude of approximately 60 m. At the time of the flyby, the ship was replenishing supplies on the move in the northern part of the Sea of Japan, between the island of Hokkaido and the Russian mainland. After the flyby, Russian pilots sent the photographs they took to the aircraft carrier's website. The flights were repeated on October 20 and November 9
A month later, representatives of the US Department of Defense officially acknowledged the fact of the aircraft carrier overflight. Russian media prefer the term “conditional destruction”.
In the video, one of the American sailors can be heard shouting that the Russian plane is flying above the deck below the superstructure level: “It’s flying at bridge level! Below the bridge level!
Su-24 landing. Photo: Valery Sharifulin/TASS
Dangerous maneuvers: Russian Su-24 bombers repeatedly flew over the American destroyer Donald Cook 30 meters above the deck in the Baltic Sea. This was reported by Reuters, citing its own military source in the US leadership.
Journalists note that the first incident occurred on April 11. Then two bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces flew 20 times next to the destroyer Donald Cook, which was conducting joint maneuvers with Poland in the southeastern part of the Baltic Sea. The next day, as the agency’s interlocutor said, the situation repeated itself: on April 12, the Su-24 approached Donald Cook at an even shorter distance, and on that day a Russian helicopter flew up to the destroyer.
In a video of a fighter jet overflight released by the Pentagon, one American sailor shouts that a Russian plane is flying above the deck below the ship's superstructure. The video was filmed from the deck of an American destroyer. It can be seen that an airplane is flying over the ship, and it is indeed flying very low: “It’s flying at the level of the bridge!” Below the bridge level!
The Russian Ministry of Defense said that the Russian pilots turned away from the American destroyer in compliance with all safety measures. As ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said, “the reason for such a painful reaction from our American colleagues is unclear.” He noted: “The crews of Su-24 aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces carried out scheduled training flights over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea. The flight route of the Russian aircraft passed through the area where the US Navy destroyer Donald Cook was located, approximately 70 km from the Russian naval base."
In turn, the White House condemned the flights of Russian Su-24s over a US Navy destroyer in the Baltic Sea. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the US administration considers them "not consistent with military standards of conduct."
This topic is actively discussed in foreign media. The dangerous nature of the flights is noted by the CNN website. A Polish helicopter was on board the American ship for training purposes. This led to speculation that the Russians had sent a warning signal to Poland. The US military says the plane simulated a combat attack by flying over the ship at low altitude.
The Russian military maneuvers come amid rising tensions on NATO's eastern flank. Earlier this month, the US deployed additional military forces to Europe. F-15 fighters were stationed in Iceland and the Netherlands, F-22s in Britain. In February, the United States announced it would send six F-15s to conduct exercises in Finland, with additional armored vehicles and artillery stationed in Norway, which borders Russia, CNN concluded.
The US military emphasizes that Donald Cook was in neutral waters. As noted by ABC television, the incidents occurred three times this week - on April 10 and 12. The Su-24s were not armed with missiles; they flew over the destroyer, performing a maneuver as if in an attack, an ABC TV source said.
According to the Wall Street Journal, one of the episodes occurred when a Polish helicopter was supposed to take off from the deck of Donald Cook, but the takeoff had to be postponed because of the Su-24. The Russian Su-24 performed one of the maneuvers 9 meters above the destroyer.
The Pentagon has already called these maneuvers by Russian aviation the most aggressive in recent times.
Donald Cook is a fourth-generation US Navy destroyer whose main weapon is guided missiles. According to the BBC, the destroyer was heading to the Polish port of Gdansk. Navy Times writes: “The Russian pilots certainly tickled the nerves, but were not a real threat.” As military expert Captain Rick Hoffman, former commander of the frigate DeWert, told the publication, “If you have visual contact, you can see that there are no weapons on board the fighter, and you can’t shoot at people just because they annoy you.”
deputy editor-in-chief of the online publication "Daily Journal"“You just have to wonder: even if the Americans do not take any action, the maneuvers are still quite dangerous. What if a disaster occurs while maneuvering over an American destroyer, and a Russian plane falls? This could well lead to a military conflict. Russian leaders consider it necessary to get on Americans' nerves from time to time. Let's hope that their nerves are in order. This is a provocation and a sign to prevent them from approaching our borders. If you remember, Mr. Medvedev, when he served as president, said that Russia has the right to privileged interests in certain regions. We certainly include the Baltic and the Black Sea as such regions. In this way we defend our right to a privileged interest. But this is a kind of air hooliganism. Our planes do not fly over Chinese ships this way.”
The United States has reached out to Russia through diplomatic channels over reports of Russian aircraft approaching an American destroyer, the US European Command said in a statement. Meanwhile, there were calls in the US Congress to strengthen the US fleet in Europe. As Randy Forbes, Chairman of the House Naval Services Subcommittee, said, "U.S. naval activity in Europe must be expanded to address the threat posed by Russia's international behavior."
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called the flight of a Russian Su-24 near the destroyer “unsafe and unprofessional.” NATO will raise this issue at the NATO-Russia Council meeting on April 20. The Polish Foreign Ministry said that Poland and the United States will develop a common response in connection with the incident with Russian aircraft in the Baltic Sea.
The Americans accuse the Russians of aggressiveness. Pentagon video shows the Russian plane acting aggressively.
Russian warplanes flew threateningly over the USS Donald Cook several times in the Baltic Sea, news outlets reported on April 13, citing US Defense Department sources. Sources, who wished to remain anonymous, reported that on April 12, a Su-24 attack aircraft flew at an altitude of ten meters above an American missile cruiser.
“This is the most aggressive behavior we have seen before,” said a US official who wished to remain anonymous. On Wednesday, the White House said it was "concerned" about the behavior of Russian military equipment.
Context
Russian military aircraft in Portugal
Expresso 03/22/2016Putin: Türkiye will regret shooting down the Russian plane
El Mundo 03.12.2015Who shot down a Russian military plane?
Yeni Asya 11/30/2015 The Western NATO alliance is increasing the presence of its military equipment in Eastern Europe, especially in the Baltic countries and Poland. Russia has long demonstrated its outrage at NATO's expansion of its spheres of influence toward Russia's borders. NATO-Russia relations became strained in 2014 when Russia seized the Crimean peninsula and began supporting pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine.“We cannot regard what happened other than as a provocation, as another expression of aggressive intentions towards the United States, NATO and Poland,” said Polish Defense Minister Antoni Marikiewicz in an interview with the RMF radio channel.
The Russian media did not cover the incident very widely. The news was reported with reference to American sources.
The destroyer Donald Cook set sail from Gdansk, Poland, on Monday with a Polish helicopter on board, Reuters news agency reported.
Events began to develop on the same day, when the Donald Cook was in neutral waters at a distance of 70 nautical miles from Russian-owned Kaliningrad. Then, according to the Americans, two Russian Su-24 aircraft flew over the warship 20 times at an altitude of only ten meters. On Tuesday, fighter jets flew over the destroyer 11 times, but even lower.
In addition, on April 12, a Russian Ka-27 helicopter photographed the American warship, circling it several times. After that, the Su-24 flew over the American ship so low that “a wave rose in the sea,” AFP said. According to the Americans, “it was not noticed that Russian aircraft were armed.”
“The destroyer crew tried to contact them [the Russian pilots] by radio, but they did not respond,” a US military source told Reuters.
The head of the press service of the Ministry of Defense, Igor Konashenkov, said on Thursday on his Facebook page that the Russian Su-24s were conducting training flights and, “having discovered the ship in the visual visibility zone, the Russian pilots turned away from it in compliance with all safety measures.”
“To be honest, the reason for such a painful reaction from our American colleagues is unclear,” Konashenkov wrote.
In his opinion, the principle that gives American ships the right to move freely in neutral waters also gives Russian aircraft the right to fly freely in international airspace.
At the height of the Cold War, in 1972, the United States and the Soviet Union signed a bilateral treaty to prevent the emergence of dangerous situations between the countries' armies at sea. The treaty prohibited simulating attacks on aircraft and ships like those we have recently observed, performing aerial maneuvers over ships, or dropping dangerous objects near them. The contract is still in force.
“Donald Cook is part of the US missile defense system. When such a warship passes near Russian territorial waters, it attracts Russia's attention and it begins to demonstrate its presence. Russia is making it clear that it is particularly uncomfortable with such a ship being nearby,” says Captain Juha Kukkola of the Finnish National Defense University.
NATO and Russia have been arguing for a long time about the missile defense system of NATO countries, which the military alliance plans to deploy on Polish territory in 2018. Russia strongly opposes such an intention and believes that the NATO system is contrary to Russia's defense goals.
Kukkola recalls that the events of the beginning of this week were not particularly exceptional for NATO-Russia relations over the past two years. After the seizure of Crimea and the outbreak of war in eastern Ukraine, similar threats are observed, in particular, in the Black Sea.
Did Russian fighter jets create a truly dangerous situation, as the US claims?
Captain Kukkola says the level of risk depends on different factors. One of them is the existing political relations between countries. Using such a destroyer, the country's leadership expresses its opinion “in accordance with the political situation.”
“On the other hand, the level of risk is also influenced by the level of professionalism of the crew of Russian, and especially American ships,” says Kukkola.
Professionalism reduces the risk of misinterpretations and life-changing decisions made in panic. A professional can understand from many details what the other party is doing. It is obvious that Russia wanted to clearly demonstrate its protest through its maneuvers, but did not want to create a dangerous situation in the Baltic Sea.
“The Russians still did not pursue the goal of provoking the Americans to shoot down the plane,” says Kukkola.
A demonstrative expression of one's opinion, quickly spreading in the press, was sufficient for Moscow.