3 countries that buzzed the US in 2017

Harold C. Hutchison
Mar 31, 2018 2:59 AM PDT
1 minute read
Fixed Wing photo

SUMMARY

One thing that has happened a number of times this year are close encounters. Or, to put it bluntly, times where the U.S. military got buzzed. Three countr…

One thing that has happened a number of times this year are close encounters. Or, to put it bluntly, times where the U.S. military got buzzed. Three countries were major offenders: Russia, China, and Iran. Here's a breakdown of the incidents by country.


3. Russia

There were at least four major incidents where Russia buzzed American forces. On Feb. 10, an Ilyushin Il-38 "May" maritime patrol aircraft and three Sukhoi Su-24 Fencers carried out multiple passes on the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78). In May, a Su-27 Flanker came within 20 feet of a P-8 Poseidon. The following month, an Air Force RC-135 was buzzed by another Flanker. In November, another P-8 Poseidon had a Russian fighter come within 50 feet.

Not cool, Russia. Not cool. (A Su-24 Fencer buzzes USS Porter (DDG 78) in the Black Sea on Feb. 10, 2017 | YouTube Screenshot)

2. China

The Chinese have been major offenders in unsafe encounters. In 2001, one of their fighter pilots collided with a Lockheed EP-3E Aries II electronic surveillance plane. The crew of the EP-3E made it, but the Chinese pilot was killed. In May, there were two incidents, starting with a Su-30 doing a Top Gun stunt. About a week after that, two Chengdu J-10 "Firebird" fighters buzzed a P-3. In July, there was a near-collision between a J-10 and an EP-3E.

A Chinese Su-27 Flanker fighter makes a fly by, March 24, 2007. (DoD photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. D. Myles Cullen)

1. Iran

The Iranians have had their history of unsafe interactions and picking fights. These are not just limited to aerial incidents, either. In January and April, the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Mahan (DDG 72) was harassed by Iranian "fast attack craft" in the Straits of Hormuz. A third incident involving the Mahan took place in May.

In June, an Iranian vessel aimed a laser at a Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion. July saw the Cyclone-class patrol craft USS Thunderbolt (PC 12) forced to fire warning shots at Iranian speedboats. August saw two incidents where Iranian drones buzzed a carrier. The first incident, on August 8, nearly caused a mid-air collision with a F/A-18E Super Hornet. An Aug. 15 incident saw a close pass on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68).

An Iranian drone in flight. (Image: IRNA)

Hopefully, 2018 will not see more of these passes, but these three countries do seem to make it a habit.

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