The US military said in a statement that two Russian Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jets carried out an “unsafe and unprofessional” strike against a US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone operating in international airspace over the Black Sea.
At approximately 7:03 CET, one of the Russian Su-27s hit the MQ-9 propeller. US forces were to shoot down the MQ-9 in international waters. -27 and flew in front of the MQ-9 in a reckless, unfriendly and unprofessional manner.”
Russian Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet
The first reports said that a fighter jet and a drone had collided over the Black Sea. From the wording of the report of the US military, it follows that the Su-27 did not shoot down the drone, but hit its propeller.
“Our MQ-9 was performing routine operations in international airspace when it was intercepted and engaged by a Russian aircraft, resulting in the MQ-9’s crash and total loss,” said US Air Force Gen. James P. Hecker. : “Indeed, this dangerous and unprofessional act by the Russians almost caused both planes to crash.”
According to him, American and allied aircraft will continue to operate in international airspace and “we call on the Russians to act professionally and safely.”
The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper UAV is the backbone of the U.S. Air Force’s UAV fleet. The main problem is that it is not very well protected and basically easy to drop.
Reapers are currently the largest combat drones in the Pentagon’s arsenal, and a small number of them fly CIA missions, carrying special Hellfire R9X missiles known as “Flying Blades.”
Reapers have successfully flown missions in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia.
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