MOSCOW, Dec 8 - RIA Novosti. On Wednesday, Russian Su-27 fighters flew over the Black Sea at a minimum distance to French Rafale and Mirage fighters trying to approach the border of the Russian Federation, according to data distributed by the Russian Defense Ministry.
According to a video published by the military department, Russian Su-27 fighters of the Southern Military District approached a pair of French aircraft at a distance of only a few tens of meters. Russian pilots filmed French planes, going with them on a parallel course. The video, in particular, shows French pilots in the cockpits of their planes and the national flags of France painted on the sides of foreign fighters.
According to the materials of the Ministry of Defense, a pair of French fighters "Rafale" and "Mirage" were armed with air–to-air guided aircraft AIM-9 and Meteor. The planes were also equipped with outboard fuel tanks, which increase the flight range.
As reported earlier in the National Defense Control Center of the Russian Federation, on December 8, Russian radars over the neutral waters of the Black Sea detected air targets approaching the border. Su-27 fighters were raised to escort them, which identified these targets as French fighters and were nearby until they left the Russian border.
