US drone collides with Russian fighter jet

US MQ-9 Reaper drone (archive image)

According to the US military, the drone was on a routine mission.

(Photo: Reuters)

Berlin New tensions between the US and Russia: An unmanned US military drone has collided with a Russian fighter jet in international airspace over the Black Sea. US forces then had to bring the drone down, the military said on Tuesday, complaining that “unsafe and unprofessional” action on the part of the Russian side caused the incident.

The U.S. Armed Forces drone was the MQ-9 Reaper. The drone was in international airspace over the Black Sea when it was harassed by two Russian planes, the US Air Force said. The incident reportedly happened on Tuesday morning.

The Russian Su-27 fighter jets initially dumped fuel several times directly in front of the drone, which was then rammed by one of the jets. Then it crashed, said General James Hecker, commander of the US Air Force in Europe and Africa, according to the statement. The drone was on a routine mission.

Russian jet collides with US drone: Russia denies shelling

The Russian Defense Ministry has denied any responsibility for the crash. The drone was neither shot at nor attacked in any other way, according to a statement distributed by the Tass state agency on Tuesday evening.

A Russian Air Force alarm squad was deployed to identify an unknown intruder over the Black Sea. During a sharp evasive maneuver, the drone rapidly lost altitude and fell into the sea, according to the Russian military. “The Russian warplanes did not use any onboard weapons, did not come into contact with the UAV and returned safely to their home base.”

US summons Russian ambassador

The US has also summoned the Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov. The meeting at the Foreign Ministry was “constructive” and the question of possible “consequences” for Russia because of the incident was not raised, the Russian state news agency reported after the call at the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.

Su-27 fighter jets (archive image)

“We believe it is important that lines of communication remain open,” the embassy quoted Antonov as saying. Russia does not seek confrontation and stands for pragmatic cooperation in the interests of the peoples of both countries.

The incident is one in a series of dangerous actions by Russian pilots with US and Allied aircraft in international airspace, including over the Black Sea, the US military had also complained about. These aggressive actions by the Russian aircraft crew are dangerous and could lead to misjudgments and unintended escalations.

The MQ-9 Reaper has a length of 10 meters and a wingspan of 20 meters. It can be equipped with rockets and is controlled from afar.

US President Joe Biden informed of US drone crash

With the Russian attack on Ukraine, the NATO countries have intensified surveillance of the airspace in Europe. Reconnaissance planes are permanently in the air over the Black Sea and the western border of Ukraine to record the movements of the Russian military.

US drone collides with Russian fighter jet

National Security Council communications director John Kirby said such intercepts are not in themselves uncommon. However, this case stands out due to the uncertain approach of the Russian side, which led to the complete loss of the drone. US President Joe Biden was informed of the incident.

If the Russians’ action was intended to prevent the United States from flying and operating in international airspace, then this message would not succeed. “Because that’s not going to happen,” Kirby pointed out. “We will continue to fly and operate in international airspace over international waters. The Black Sea does not belong to a single nation.”

The Ukrainian Air Force has defended the military incident by US reconnaissance drones there. “The Black Sea is not an inland sea of ​​Russia, as they have occupied the Sea of ​​Azov and consider it theirs,” said the spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, Yuriy Ihnat, on television in Kiev on Wednesday night. The countries bordering the Black Sea are also NATO members, including Turkey and Romania, which is why the US drones act there on a legal basis.

With agency material.

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First publication: 03/14/2023, 06:22 p.m. (last updated: 03/15/2023, 08:32 a.m.).

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