According to US Central Command, Russian pilots attempted to 'dogfight' with US planes above Syria.

Russian pilots have been attempting to "dogfight" US jets over Syria, according to a US Central Command spokesman. The attempts have occurred in several of the most recent instances of aggressive behavior from Russian pilots. A video released by US Central Command from April 2 shows a Russian SU-35 fighter jet conducting an "unsafe and unprofessional" intercept of a US F-16 fighter jet. A second video from April 18 shows a Russian fighter that violated coalition airspace and came within 2,000 feet of a US aircraft. Since the beginning of March, Russian jets have violated deconfliction protocols a total of 85 times, including flying too close to coalition bases, failing to reach out on the deconfliction line, and more.

US officials have reached out to their Russian counterparts over the recent incidents, and the Russians have responded, but never in a way that acknowledges the incident. US officials have reached out to their Russian counterparts over the recent incidents, and the Russians have responded, but never in a way that acknowledges the incident. US pilots have refused to engage in dogfights and are adhering to protocols of deconfliction measures. The US has approximately 900 service members in Syria as part of the ongoing campaign to defeat ISIS. In March, a Russian SU-27 fighter jet collided with a US MQ-9 Reaper drone in international airspace over the Black Sea. The collision damaged the drone’s propellor, forcing it down in the water in an incident the US described as “unsafe, unprofessional, and even “reckless.” Russia subsequently presented state awards to the pilots of the Russian jets.