Sukhoi Su-27 jets ‘chase away’ NATO F-18 shadowing Russian defence minister’s plane

The NATO plane being chased by Su-27 fighter jet. (Source: Russian Defence Ministry)

A major crisis was averted in the skies over Baltic sea when a pack of Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jets escorting a plane carrying Russian defence minister chased away a NATO F-18 jet. The NATO jet was allegedly trying to shadow the plane in the air, Zvezda TV, the television channel of the Russian Defense Ministry, reported.

In footage released by the Russia Ministry of Defence (MoD), the NATO warplane can be seen approaching minister Sergey Shoigu’s plane, which was en route from Kaliningrad region. The minister’s plane was being guarded by two Su-27 fighter aircraft which soon sprung into action. The moment the Su-27s made a move, the NATO plane swerved left to bug out.

https://youtu.be/-HAkqvTiwr8

According to RT, a similar air encounter occurred over the Baltic Sea in 2016, when a Eurofighter jet shadowed a minister’s plane. That time, the NATO aircraft kept a reasonably distance of about 2 km from the Russian minister’s aircraft.

Sukhoi fighter jets are the workforce of the Russian air force and are used globally, including by the Indian Air Force. The Su-27 Flanker is a Russian fourth-generation fighter jet that has been around since the 1980s.