Russian Fighter Aircraft Shoots Down an American Drone Over the Black Sea

According to the US military, a Russian fighter jet damaged the MQ-9 Reaper drone’s propeller on Tuesday, forcing a US Air Force drone to crash into the Black Sea.

Two Russian Su-27 aircraft and the Reaper drone were flying over international seas over the Black Sea on Tuesday when one of the Russian planes purposefully passed in front of the unmanned drone and repeatedly dropped gasoline on it, according to a statement from US European Command.

The drone’s propeller was then struck by the aircraft, which led US Marines to shoot down the MQ-9 drone in international seas.

In a statement, Air Force Gen. James B. Hecker, head of the US Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa, claimed that one of his MQ-9 aircraft was engaged in regular operations in international airspace when it was detected and struck by a Russian aircraft. In reality, the Russians’ careless and unprofessional behavior almost resulted in the collision of both planes.

Since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine just over a year ago, this incident marks the first time that Russian and US military aircraft have come into direct contact. The US has called Russia’s actions “reckless, environmentally unsound, and unprofessional,” and tensions between the two countries are likely to rise as a result.

National Security Council communications coordinator John Kirby claims that national security advisor Jake Sullivan briefed President Joseph Biden on the event on Tuesday morning.

Kirby He said that Russian aircraft intercepting US aircraft over the Black Sea was “not unusual” and that there had been additional intercepts in recent weeks.

The “unsafe, unprofessional, and irresponsible” nature of the Russian activities, he claimed, made the incident on Tuesday special.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has been contacted by CNN for comment.

Over the course of the Ukrainian War, Russian and US planes have flown over the Black Sea, but this is the first recorded instance of such engagement, a potentially hazardous uptick at a crucial juncture in the combat.

Even before the start of the war, the US has been flying Reaper surveillance drones over the Black Sea to keep an eye on the region. Reaper drones are an excellent platform for tracking movements on the battlefield and in the Black Sea since they can fly as high as 50,000 feet, have sensors, and are capable of doing reconnaissance for lengthy periods of time.