The video was filmed from inside the cockpit of a US bomber taking part in exercises over the Baltic Sea earlier this month
DRAMATIC footage has emerged of the moment a US bomber is intercepted over the Baltic Sea by one of Vladimir Putin's fighter jets.
The video, filmed from the bomber's cockpit, shows the Russian aircraft coming within 100ft of the plane before "banking" and manoeuvring beneath it.
The planes come so close the Russian pilot is clearly visible and at one point he appears to wave or salute at his US counterparts in a move reminiscent of a scene from the Tom Cruise blockbuster Top Gun.
It occurred during the 45th edition of the BALTOPS exercises, in which the Royal Navy is playing a key role.
The footage, obtained by , shows the Russian Su-27 approaching to the right of the US Air Force B-1B.
The US bomber had been temporarily stationed at RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire in order to take part in the exercises.
The website stated that the Russian pilot acted in a "non-aggressive manner" throughout.
It was not known exactly what date the hair-raising confrontation occurred, but just last week the Russian Defence Ministry stated it was deploying jets to carry out intercepts of US bombers.
Standoffs such as these are common around the Baltic Sea given the amount of Russian and Western naval and air force units stationed close to one another.
The bomber was flying through the region for this year's BALTOPS - an annual exercise organised by US commanders in Europe.
Created to improve US and Western security in the region, it is viewed as a threat by the Kremlin.
Air Forces Monthly reported the Su-27 fighter jet seen in the video is stationed in Kaliningrad, a tiny Russian exclave sandwiched between Lithuania and Poland that provides Putin with access to the Baltic.
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