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| A Tense, Russian Su-27 Fighter Jet Hits and Drops the US MQ-9 Reaper Drone in the Black Sea |
International Military - One of two Russian Su-27 fighter jets rammed and downed a United States Air Force MQ-9 Reaper reconnaissance drone in a tense incident over the Black Sea on Tuesday morning.
The US European Command (EUCOM) said the incident occurred during an unsafe and unprofessional intercept by two Moscow fighter jets. "Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms were operating in international airspace when [Russian] aircraft approached," EUCOM said in a statement quoted from its official website, Wednesday (15/3/2023).
"One of the Su-27s hit the propeller of the MQ-9, resulting in the operator throwing the drone overboard," the EUCOM statement continued. "Several times before the collision, the Su-27 dumped fuel and flew in front of the MQ-9 in a reckless, unfriendly and unprofessional manner," complained EUCOM, accusing the Russian military of incompetence.
General James Hecker, commander of the US Air Forces in Europe and Africa, said the drone was conducting routine operations in international airspace and the incident resulted in the "total loss" of an MQ-9.
EUCOM said the US routinely operates drone flights in international airspace to support Europe's collective defense and security and support the national goals of US allies, partners and. Hecker said flights would resume, and called on Russia to behave professionally and safely. The Kremlin and Russia's Ministry of Defense have yet to comment on the alleged incident.
The US has long acknowledged that it provided Ukraine with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information in the fight against the Russian invasion, while insisting that Washington is not a party to the battle.
US and NATO spy planes routinely fly over the Black Sea and close to Crimea, sometimes just before Ukrainian troops launch attacks on the Russian-controlled peninsula.
Last week, a US strategic bomber simulated a missile strike with St Petersburg ostensibly as the target. The maneuver lasted as long as the plane was flying in international airspace and NATO countries.
The US routinely uses the phrase "unsafe and unprofessional" to describe incidents in which interceptors chase a US drone, spy plane or fighter jet that gets too close to the Russian border.