A Russian jet collided with a U.S. Air Force drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday, causing the drone to crash after an “unsafe and unprofessional intercept,” the U.S. military reported.
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The incident occurred Tuesday morning when two Russian SU-27 fighters conducted an intercept of the MQ-9 drone that demonstrated the pilots’ “lack of competence,” according to a statement from U.S. European Command. One of the fighters clipped the propeller of the drone, forcing U.S. operators to bring it down in international waters.
The Russian warplanes intercepted and buzzed the drone for about a half hour before the crash, Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, told reporters Tuesday. The collision damaged the Russian fighter, but it was able to land, he said. U.S. drone operators crash landed the damaged MQ-9 into the sea, Ryder said.
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