Russian plane flies close to aircraft carrier, US dispatches 2 fighter jets to respond?

A video circulating on social media shows a Russian Navy Il-38N patrol aircraft flying very close to the US aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson at a low altitude, according to Theaviationist.com on March 28.

According to Theaviationist.com , the video shows that while the Il-38N was flying close to the US aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, an F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet and an F-35C stealth fighter jet, both from the carrier, were "escorting" the Russian aircraft.

Russian aircraft, escorted by US F-35s, fly close to the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson.

The video, first posted on Instagram by user @ryans_warbirds, quickly gained attention and was shared on social media platforms X/Twitter and Bluesky. It appears the Instagram user who posted the video was serving on the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier, although it's unclear whether they filmed the video themselves, according to Theaviationist.com.

There is currently no information on the reactions of the US or Russia to the video.

Images from a video posted on social media appear to show an F-35C (left) and an F/A-18 (right) "escorting" an Il-38N (center) as the Russian aircraft flew very close to the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier.

Photo: Screenshot from a video posted by Theaviationist.com

Although en route to the area of ​​responsibility of the U.S. Central Command, the Vinson Carrier Strike Group has spent the past several weeks operating in the Pacific Ocean near Japan. This is a common operating area for Russian intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft, which are frequently intercepted by Japanese fighter jets, according to Theaviationist.com .

The Vinson Carrier Strike Group arrived in the South Korean port city of Busan in early March and is currently ported in Guam. The USS Nimitz, which departed on March 21 for its final deployment before decommissioning, will take over the USS Carl Vinson's role in Asia.

A Russian Il-38N aircraft in the waters between Japan and the Korean Peninsula in 2023, and the US aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson.

Photo: Japan Air Self-Defense Force/U.S. Navy

In comments on Instagram, the person who posted the video claimed that Russian planes had been circling the US aircraft carrier "for a whole week," according to Theaviationist.com . Carrier strike groups are excellent opportunities to conduct intelligence-gathering missions, so it's not surprising to hear about this activity.

A Russian-language post on the Telegram messaging app on March 18 also appeared to refer to the same event, stating that an Il-38 belonging to the Russian Pacific Fleet was conducting combat training in the waters between Japan and the Korean Peninsula, according to Theaviationist.com .

The Il-38N is an upgraded version of the Ilyushin Il-38 maritime patrol aircraft, which was put into service by the Soviet Navy in 1967. In terms of role and age, the Il-38 is almost equivalent to the American Lockheed P-3 Orion aircraft.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/may-bay-nga-bay-sat-tau-san-bay-my-dieu-dong-2-chien-dau-co-doi-pho-185250329150356145.htm