Watch: Russian Su-35 fighter flies uncomfortably close to US F-16 in 'unsafe' manoeuvre
A Russian fighter carried out an unsafe manoeuvre directed towards a US aircraft during an "unprofessional" encounter over Alaska, the US has said.
Footage captured from the cockpit of an F-16 aircraft shows a Russian Su-35 Flanker flying at an uncomfortably close distance during an interception mission.
North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) described the actions of the Su-35 pilot as unprofessional and dangerous.
The incident happened after US aircraft scrambled to intercept four Russian military aircraft that had been operating in the Alaska Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ).
Norad commander General Gregory M Guillot said: "Norad aircraft flew a safe and disciplined intercept of Russian military aircraft in the Alaska ADIZ.
"The conduct of one Russian Su-35 was unsafe, unprofessional and endangered all – not what you'd see in a professional air force."
The Russian aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace.
According to Norad, this type of Russian activity occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat.
An ADIZ begins where sovereign airspace ends and is a defined stretch of international airspace that requires the ready identification of all aircraft in the interest of national security.
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