What Again? US Spy Plane Approaches Russian Border in the Baltic Sea

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15:34 10.05.2016 source : Sputnik

A US reconnaissance plane has been detected flying over the Baltic Sea near the Russian border, according to the website liveuamap.com, which tracks the movement of military aircraft.

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The US surveillance plane RC-135W was tracked down flying over the southern area of the Baltic Sea near the Russian border, the Rambler News Service reported, citing the liveuamap.com website which monitors the movement of military aircraft.

The plane's tail number, 62-4131, was tracked as it flew over the territory of the United States less than 24 hours ago, according to the website planefinder.net.

The aircraft reportedly conducted a 10-hour observation flight at an altitude of more than 10,000 meters, during which the plane could be seen flying near the Russian border for a least two hours.

US Air Force RC-135 surveillance plane

The Tuesday flyover is the latest in a series of incidents with the RC-135 aircraft and Russian warplanes in the Baltic Sea in the past few weeks.

Late last month, Pentagon officials claimed that the Russian fighter jet Su-27 allegedly performed a "barrel roll" within about 24 feet of a US Air Force RC-135 reconnaissance plane.

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At the time, the Russian Defense Ministry said that the flight of the Su-27 was held in accordance with international regulations on the use of airspace.

For his part, Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov denied similar allegations from a separate incident earlier in April.

"The reports of foreign media saying that a Russian Su-27 allegedly flew in dangerously close proximity to a US RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft in the skies over the Baltic Sea on April 14 are not true," he said.