A Russian fighter jet flew within 10 feet (3 meters) of a US Navy surveillance aircraft, in what US officials called an unsafe intercept over the Black Sea, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.

US Navy Captain Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said the Russian SU-27 fighter made the maneuver on Wednesday near a US Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft that was conducting operations in reportedly international airspace.

Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said on Wednesday that the Poseidon aircraft did not have its transponders turned on, and that it approached Russia's southern border twice.