Russian jet puts on afterburners just metres from US aircraft over Black Sea

In scenes reminiscent of Top Gun as a Russian fighter jet 'buzzed' a US surveillance aircraft by getting dangerously close to it while flying over the Black Sea.

Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon said the Russian SU-27 made a high-speed pass directly in front of the US EP-3 aircraft and came "very, very close".

The Russian jet then made a second pass, activating its afterburners, where fuel is dumped into the exhaust plume for added thrust, creating even more turbulence.

A statement by the US Navy said the crew of the EP-3 reported turbulence following the first interaction, and vibrations from the second.

The US EP-3 Aries was conducting routine operations when it took off from Souda Bay, Greece.

The US Navy statement continued: "While the Russian military is within its right to exercise within international airspace, this interaction was irresponsible. We expect them to behave within international standards set to ensure safety and to prevent incidents ... unsafe actions increase the risk of miscalculation and potential for midair collisions."

A Twitter account for the Russian Embassy in the US posted a brief statement about the encounter on Monday, saying "the Su-27 jet's crew reported identifying the #US EP-3 Aries spy plane and accompanied it, preventing a violation of Russian airspace and followed all necessary safety procedures."