Four 'unsafe and unprofessional' Russian warplanes buzz US Navy ship

Aircraft fail to respond to destroyer's attempts to make radio contact

An armed Russian Su-24, a supersonic attack aircraft, flew to within 200 yards of the ship (file pic)

(US Navy/Reuters)

Four Russian warplanes have buzzed a US Navy ship in an “unsafe and unprofessional” manner in the Black Sea, the Pentagon has said.

The flybys happened on 10 February as the USS Porter was returning from an exercise with the Romanian navy.

An armed Russian Su-24, a supersonic attack aircraft, flew within 200 yards of the ship last week, reports NBC News.

The jet was travelling at more than 575mph, at an altitude of just 300 feet.

In a separate incident, two further unarmed SU-24s came to within 300 yards of the destroyer. A Russian IL-38, an anti-submarine aircraft, also flew close at an unusually low altitude.

The US Navy tried to contact the planes by radio, but there was no response, two defence officials told the news channel.

All the Russian warplanes were flying without their responders, the officials said, making it harder to identify them and increasing the risk of an accident.

Lt Col David Faggard, a US European Command spokesman, said: “Incidents like this are concerning because a miscommunication could turn into an accident or miscalculation.”

In 2016, asked about a Russian fighter jet barrel-rolling next to a US ship, Donald Trump suggested the Navy has “gotta shoot” if Vladimir Putin ignored calls to stop.

A Russian spy ship has also been spotted patrolling off the east coast of the US on 14 February.

The boat stopped at Cuba, before making its way north in international waters. It is expected to head back to the Caribbean island, reports CBS News.