US Central Command Says Russian Pilots Tried To ‘Dogfight’ US Jets Over Syria

Air Force Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, 9th Air Force (Air Forces Central) commander, prepares for flight at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, April 4. During the mission, the general flew over airspace in Syria. (Staff Sgt. Micah Coate/Air Force)  

CNN: Russian pilots tried to ‘dogfight’ US jets over Syria, US Central Command says 

Russian pilots tried to “dogfight” US jets over Syria, according to a spokesman for US Central Command, part of a recent pattern of more aggressive behavior. 

The attempts have happened in several of the most recent instances of aggressive behavior from Russian pilots, Col. Joe Buccino said. 

The Russian pilots do not appear to be trying to shoot down American jets, a US official told CNN, but they may be trying to “provoke” the US and “draw us into an international incident.” 

 In military aviation, dogfighting is engaging in aerial combat, often at relatively close ranges. 

A video released by US Central Command from April 2 shows a Russian SU-35 fighter jet conducting an “unsafe and unprofessional” intercept of a US F-16 fighter jet.  

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Update #1: Russians seem to be baiting US jets to dogfight in Syria, general says (Air Force Times)  

Update #2: Russian Warplanes Are ‘Trying to Dogfight’ US Jets Over Syria, General Says (Defense One)

WNU Editor: Russia has also been saying the same thing about the US .... Russia protests over ‘provocative actions’ by US forces in Syria (Al Jazeera).