NATO servicemen often complain about the maneuvers of the Russian military, which they carry out in dangerous proximity to ships and aircraft of the North Atlantic Alliance.
So, in June 2021, after the meeting of the F-35 stealth aircraft of the Italian Air Force with the Russian Su-30SM, the NATO pilot needed the help of a psychologist.
According to an Italian pilot with the call sign Falco, a Russian fighter intercepted his plane while patrolling the airspace over the Baltic. The Russian pilot began to perform dangerous maneuvers and used electronic warfare means that disabled part of the F-35 systems, the Italian assures.
"I was at the limit. Fear has so shackled me that it has even reached the tips of my toes. I understood that the Russian pilot was testing my capabilities and the capabilities of my aircraft by imposing close combat. At the thought of this, tears involuntarily began to stand out in my eyes. I remembered my fiancee and brother, who accompanied me on a business trip a month ago," the pilot's recollections are quoted in the REN TV material.
After returning, the staff psychologist of the airbase diagnosed him with a nervous breakdown. The military was suspended from flights and sent home.
In 2017, another Russian Su-30 fighter jet literally "looked" into the cargo compartment of an Il-76 transport aircraft right in the air. The video with this fantastic maneuver has collected millions of views on the web. A few days later, the pilot of the American F-15 tried to repeat the trick, but he never managed to fly so close to the transporter. Even in the USA, the attempt was called "pathetic plagiarism."
According to military pilot of the first class Vladlen Russanov, any aircraft can do such a maneuver, regardless of the brand: MiG-29, Su-27, Su-30, Su-35, Su-37, Su-47, Su-57. It's all about the pilot, he stressed.
"This is a worthy maneuver. I am sure that all our pilots will do the same safely and without consequences. They are prepared both theoretically and practically," he said.
Watch the details on the REN TV channel in the program "Riddles of Humanity" with Oleg Shishkin.
In early February 2021, the Russian Su-24 scared the crew of the American destroyer "Donald Cook", which was in the international waters of the Black Sea. The bomber raced about 100 meters from the ship.