The U.S. Department of Defense is not happy after a Chinese fighter jet did a barrel roll over one of its planes.
The incident apparently occurred in international airspace east of Hainan Island on Tuesday.
The Pentagon says the Chinese warplane passed underneath the American plane three times before it did the barrel roll over the plane.
The Pentagon's John Kirby called the incident "aggressive" and "unprofessional" in a press conference Friday. He also said they sent a formal complaint to Beijing about the incident.
But why such powerful language? It seems like the Chinese pilot was just playing around.
The strong reaction is likely because of the 2001 crash that occurred between Chinese and American planes in the same area. That crash led to an international dispute between the countries that was never really resolved.
The crash resulted in the death of a Chinese pilot and, after an emergency landing in China, the capture and interrogation of American pilots before their eventual release.
Chinese officials have not yet responded to the complaint.
This video contains images form the U.S. Navy, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., and Getty Images.
