A Russian jet was about to shoot down a British spy plane. We were on the verge of World War III
A Russian fighter jet nearly shot down a British surveillance plane last year, according to a US military document made public online and taken up by the Washington Post , an incident more significant than previously disclosed and which could have attracted states United and its NATO allies directly into the war in Ukraine.
The incident nearly happened on Sept. 29 off the coast of Crimea, the heavily fortified Ukrainian peninsula that Russia captured in 2014 and has used to base its Black Sea naval fleet and launch attacks elsewhere in Ukraine.
Interior of an RC-135 River Joint
The document, one of dozens of leaked classified Pentagon documents that sparked a Justice Department investigation, refers to the incident as a "near-killing of the UK RJ," a reference to the moniker "Rivet Joint” common to RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft. The aircraft is used to pick up radio broadcasts and other electronic messages.
British Defense Minister Ben Wallace revealed the incident to the British House of Commons in October, saying two Russian Su-27 fighter jets had intercepted the RC-135 in international airspace over the Black Sea, flying "recklessly" , with an aircraft that had approached within 5 meters of the British aircraft.
One of the Russian jets "released a missile" remotely, Wallace told lawmakers – but he didn't describe the crash as a near-shoot, attributed the missile launch to a "technical malfunction" and said he spoke to senior Russian defense officials. Apparently this was not considered in this way by the USA.
The incident highlights the balance that Western military officials have tried to maintain in trying to help the Ukrainian military and gather information about the war without getting directly involved in the conflict with Moscow. Russian officials have tried to paint NATO nations as aggressors, while the US and its allies have said they support Ukraine but are not at war with Russia.
According to the NATO treaty, if one member of the military alliance is the victim of an armed attack, all members of the alliance consider it an attack and respond collectively. Then the shooting down would have led to World War III.
The document was printed with letterheads for the Pentagon General Staff and details surveillance flights over the Black Sea from the day the near-down was reported through Feb. 26.
The document is labeled “SECRET/NOFORN,” a classification that indicates it should not be shared with non-US citizens. The document details a number of other Russian reactions to surveillance flights by US, British and French aircraft between October and the end of February, including one on December 30 in which another British Rivet Joint, accompanied by two British Typhoon fighters, it was intercepted by Russian jets which approached within 30 meters. While France and the UK prefer human-guided aircraft for reconnaissance missions, the US has preferred MQ-4 and RQ-9 drones, one of which was shot down by the Russians.
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The article A Russian jet was about to shoot down a British spy plane. We've Been on the Edge of World War III comes from Scenari Economici .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/un-jet-russo-stava-per-abbattere-un-aereo-spia-britannico-siamo-stati-al-limite-della-terza-guerra-mondiale/ on Sun, 09 Apr 2023 19:57:27 +0000.