US drone collides with Russian fighter over Black Sea Moscow denies contact

An American drone has crashed after colliding with a Russian jet over the Black Sea. The US accuses Russia of “unsafe and unprofessional action”.

03/14/2023 | Update: 03/14/2023 – 7:34 pm | by martin murphy

US MQ-9 Reaper drone (archive image) © Portal

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

The US 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. According to information, the incident happened on Tuesday morning.

Russian Su-27 fighters initially dropped fuel several times directly in front of the drone, which was then hit by one of the jets. It then crashed, said Gen. James Hecker, commander of the US Air Force in Europe and Africa, according to the statement. The drone was on a routine mission.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has denied any responsibility for the accident. The drone was not shot or attacked in any other way, according to a statement distributed by the state news agency Tass late on Tuesday.

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

Su-27 fighter jets (pictured) © Portal

This incident is one of a series of dangerous actions by Russian pilots with US and Allied aircraft in international airspace, including over the Black Sea, the US military further lamented. These aggressive actions by the Russian aircraft crew are dangerous and could lead to errors in judgment and unintentional 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 Biden reported on the incident

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

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

If the Russian action was aimed at preventing the United States from flying and operating in international airspace, 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 in international waters. The Black Sea does not belong to a single nation”.

The US wants to summon the Russian ambassador in Washington. US State Department spokesman Ned Price said in Washington that he expects the ambassador to attend the high-level meeting at the State Department on Tuesday.

He will be informed of “strong objections to the clearly unsafe and unprofessional interception” of the drone. Price emphasized that when the US learned the details of the incident, it informed its highest-level allies and partners.
With agency material.