According to US Central Command, Russian pilots attempted to "dogfight" with US planes above Syria.

 

According to a spokeswoman for US Central Command, Russian pilots attempted to "dogfight" with US planes above Syria, continuing a recent trend of more aggressive behaviour.

According to Col. Joe Buccino, the attempts have occurred in numerous of the most recent incidents of hostile behaviour by Russian pilots.

According to a US official speaking to CNN, the Russian pilots do not appear to be attempting to shoot down American planes, but they might be attempting to "provoke" the US and "draw us into an international incident."

Dogfighting is the practise of aerial warfare in military aircraft, frequently at close quarters.

A Russian SU-35 fighter plane executing a "unsafe and unprofessional" intercept of a US F-16 fighter jet is seen in a video dated April 2 that was made public by US Central Command.

A second video from April 18 depicts a Russian fighter that flew into a coalition airspace violation and drew 2,000 feet—a fighter jet's range—from a US aircraft. A fighter jet can go that distance in a couple of seconds.

The US and have utilised a deconfliction line between the two military in Syria during the past few years to prevent unintended errors or contacts that may unintentionally lead to an escalation.

The Russians have responded to US authorities' inquiries about the most recent events, the official claimed, but "never in a way that acknowledges the incident."

Since the beginning of March, Russian jets have violated deconfliction protocols a total of 85 times, the official said, including flying too close to coalition bases, failing to reach out on the deconfliction line, and more.

Additionally, there were 26 occasions when armed Russian jets flew over American and coalition positions in Syria.

The official stated, "It appears to be consistent with a new way of operating." The official said, "US pilots have refrained from participating in the dogfights and are observing the deconfliction measures' protocols."