Earlier on Tuesday, Russia’s General Staff said US and Russian air crews held a joint exercise in Syria establishing radio contacts and exchanging messages about parameters of their flights.
“This test was a prudent measure solely to ensure that, in the event Coalition aircraft encounter a Russian aircraft during operations in Syria, one of the established and agreed upon modes of communication in the agreement functioned,” Baldanza said.
The Pentagon spokesperson said the test assured that the first communication between the US and Russian pilots would not happen during an unplanned encounter.
“The test was conducted in the skies of south central Syria and lasted about 3 minutes,” Baldanza added.
In October, senior officials from the US Department of Defense and the Russian Ministry of Defense signed a memorandum of understanding to avoid mishaps during the countries’ military operations in Syria.
(Sputnik)
3/11/15
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A U.S. fighter aircraft and a Russian fighter aircraft conducted a communication test in skies over south central Syria on Tuesday to validate safety protocols agreed between the two countries last month, a U.S. military official told Reuters...
ReplyDeleteThe U.S. military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the two aircraft came within 5 miles (8 km) of one another. The test lasted about 3 minutes.
REUTERS
The Pentagon downplayed an interaction between one U.S. fighter aircraft and one Russian fighter aircraft in the skies over Syria on Tuesday, describing it as a 3-minute-long test tied to newly agreed safety protocols and not a military exercise...
DeleteRussia, whose defense ministry had branded the interaction as a joint military exercise, agreed with the United States to safety protocols last month aimed at preventing an accidental clash over Syria as the former Cold War foes carry out parallel, bombing campaigns.
REUTERS