![]() It includes a ground control station and satellite equipment and has a 66ft wingspan. The MQ-9 Reaper is a large unmanned Air Force aircraft that is remotely operated by a two-person team. The ministry said the Russian aircraft were scrambled to intercept the drone but did not use weapons on it or impact it. Nations routinely operate in international airspace and waters, and no country can claim limits on territory outside of its own border. Ever since the 2014 annexation of Crimea and long before Russia invaded Ukraine last year, Moscow has claimed that US surveillance planes were flying too close to its borders while ignoring the notices issued by Russia. Russia has declared broad areas near Crimea off limits to flights. It claimed that “as a result of sharp manoeuvre, the US drone went into uncontrollable flight with a loss of altitude and collided with the water surface”. It said that the Russian military scrambled fighters to intercept the US drone. The Russian Defence Ministry said the US drone was flying near the Russian border and intruded in an area that was declared off limits by Russian authorities. It is not clear if the collision was an accident or intentional, but both sides agree the Russian aircraft were trying to intercept the drone.Īs a result of sharp manoeuvre, the US drone went into uncontrollable flight with a loss of altitude and collided with the water surface Russian Defence Ministry The official spoke on condition of anonymity to provide mission details. A US defence official said it was operating west of Crimea over the Black Sea. The Pentagon said the drone was “well clear” of any Ukrainian territory, but did not provide details. ![]() Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder said the collision probably also damaged the Russian fighter jet, but the Su-27 was able to land. They said the Russian jets flew around and in front of the drone several times for 30 to 40 minutes, and then one of the Russian aircraft “struck the propeller of the MQ-9, causing US forces to have to bring the MQ-9 down in international waters”.Īir Force General James Hecker, commander of US Air Forces Europe and Africa, said that the Russian jet’s actions “nearly caused both aircraft to crash”. The Pentagon and US European Command said that two Russian Su-27 aircraft dumped fuel on the MQ-9, which was conducting a routine surveillance mission over the Black Sea in international airspace. ![]()
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