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| Comparison of the Strength of Russian Sukhoi Su-27 Fighter Jets with US MQ-9 Reaper Drones |
International Military - A Russian Su-27 fighter jet is said to have rammed and downed a United States MQ-9 Reaper reconnaissance drone over the Black Sea. Also Read In Russia's Hands The Sea Monsters of the Soviet Union Become More Scary This news is the version from the US military.
Meanwhile, on the Russian side, they denied that their fighter jet had made contact with the American drone causing it to crash. The incident added to tensions between Washington and Moscow, despite the state of war in Ukraine which is still raging.
Apart from the different versions of each, there are a number of comparisons regarding the power of the Su-27 fighter jet and the MQ-9 Reaper drone. The following is a comparison of the strength of the Russian Su-27 fighter jet with the United States MQ-9 Reaper drone.
1. Russian Su-27 Fighter
Sukhoi Su-27 Having the designation as 'Flanker' by NATO, the Su-27 is a twin-engine fighter that has qualified capabilities. Quoted from Airforce Technology, this fighter jet entered production in 1982.
The Su-27 is powered by two AL-31F turbofan engines designed by the Lyulka Engine Design Bureau (NPO Saturn). Then, there is also the Phazotron N001 Zhuk coherent pulse-Doppler radar which has track-while-scan and look-down/shoot-down capabilities.
Turning to armament, this Russian fighter jet is equipped with a 30mm GSh-301 weapon with 150 rounds of ammunition and a variety of externally mounted missiles, rockets and bombs on the ten available hardpoints. The weapon is combined with the aircraft's infrared search and track system, laser rangefinder, radar and target designator mounted to provide optimal detection, tracking and strike capabilities.
2. US MQ-9 Reaper Drone
The United States Air Force's MQ-9 Reaper is a development of the MQ-1 predator drone. In its duties as a supervisor, this drone has been operating for a long time in reconnaissance against US enemies.
Quoted from Military Today, the MQ-9 Reaper has quite a long endurance. This is of great benefit to its surveillance role in regular combat or patrolling. Armed with the Honeywell TPE331-10 turboprop engine, the power that can be generated can reach 900 HP and has a range of up to 1,852 km and an endurance of around 14 hours.
Then, in its arsenal, the MQ-9 Reaper can be equipped with AGM-114 Hellfire anti-tank missiles, Brimstone air-to-surface missiles, GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bombs, GBU-38 JDAM, and so on.