The U.S. military was forced to take down one of its own drones Tuesday after it collided with a Russian fighter jet over the Black Sea.
The MQ-9 drone was brought down in international waters after its propeller was struck by one of two Russian Su-27 aircraft that conducted an “unsafe and unprofessional intercept,” US European Command (EUCOM) said in a statement.
“Several times before the collision, the Su-27s dumped fuel on and flew in front of the MQ-9 in a reckless, environmentally unsound, and unprofessional manner,” EUCOM added.
“This incident demonstrates a lack of competence in addition to being unsafe and unprofessional.”
Air Force Gen. James B. Hecker, the commander of US air operations in Europe and Africa, said the drone was carrying out “routine operations in international airspace” and claimed the Russian jet’s actions “nearly caused both aircraft to crash.”
The collision took place just after 7 a.m. local time and follows “a pattern of dangerous actions by Russian pilots while interacting with US and Allied aircraft over international airspace, including over the Black Sea,” according to EUCOM.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that while the incident was “not the first time” US aircraft have been intercepted by Russian jets, “it is the first time that an intercept resulted in the splashing of one of our drones.”
Tuesday’s incident took place weeks after the US military intercepted eight Kremlin fighter jets near Alaska in two separate incidents.
Read more at https://nypost.com/2023/03/14/russian-fighter-jet-forces-down-us-drone-after-collision-over-black-sea/
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