A US Air Force spy plane intercepted by a Russian fighter jet while on an electronic eavesdropping mission, engaged in a Cold War-era aerial game of chicken over Russia a day after the downing of Malaysian flight MH17 by Russian-backed rebels in Ukraine.
The US State Department confirmed that the RC-135 Rivet Joint aircraft avoided a confrontation with the Russian jet by flying into Swedish airspace, without permission, on July 18.
The US jet was detected flying legally in international airspace while eavesdropping on Russian military communications.
The Russians took the unusual step of tracking it from a land-based radar installation before dispatching at least one fighter jet to intercept it.
A US military official said the plane might have flown through the airspace of other countries but it is not known if it had permission to do so.
The confrontation came at a particularly sensitive time for relations between Washington and Moscow, a day after the shooting down of flight MH17, apparently by pro-Russian rebels. The West has accused Russia of arming the separatists, an allegation Moscow has denied. The US is now in talks with Sweden about future incursions into Scandinavian airspace.
In April, a Russian Su-27 Flanker fighter jet came within about 30m of a US Air Force RC-135U reconnaissance plane over the Sea of Okhotsk, risking a collision.
Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package. 
