Pentagon Admits Russian Flyby

ByABC News
December 7, 2000, 7:57 PM

Dec. 7 -- At least two Russian fighter jets buzzed a U.S. aircraft carrier three times in recent weeks then rubbed it in by sending close-up photographs directly to the ship via e-mail, the Pentagon said today.

But the Navy insisted that in all three incidents on Oct. 12 and 17 and again Nov. 9, in which Su-24 and Su-27 jets flew near the USS Kitty Hawk in the Sea of Japan, they had the fighters on radar from the moment they launched and the jets never presented any surprise or threat.

We dont think there is much reason to suspect that the Russian government has any hostile intent toward U.S. Navy ships operating in international waters. Therefore we dont intend to react as if we did, said Rear Adm. Steve Pietropaoli, the Navys top spokesman.

No Pictures Even

The Clinton administration did not lodge an official complaint with Moscow.

But Pietropaoli and Pentagon spokesman Ken Bacon revealed that about two weeks after the Oct. 17 incident in which two jets roared unescorted less than 1,000 feet over the ship, the Russian air force squadron e-mailed three black and white photos to the ship with a brief written message in Russian.

Pietropaoli balked at revealing what it said. He also declined to make the photos available, only telling reporters that they showed the deck of the ship while it was refueling.

But ABCNEWS has learned the pictures show in sequence the Russians getting closer and closer to the point of the last picture where there are a number of U.S. personnel on deck, looking up and an F/A-18 ready to launch.

An EA-6B had already launched to escort the Russians away.

Shrugging it Off

Both Bacon and Pietropaoli took pains to insist the incident had no military importance.

Its a curiosity more than anything, Pietropaoli said. We didnt regard it as any big deal.

Such incidents are rare these days, but occurred hundreds of times during the Cold War as U.S. and Soviet forces tested each other.