A Russian fighter jet clipped the propeller of a US surveillance drone making it crash over the Black Sea on Tuesday and triggering a US diplomatic protest and raising concerns about the possibility Russia could recover sensitive technology.
The Pentagon said 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.
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 the MQ-9 fall in international waters.
However, the Russian defence ministry said that Moscow “views this incident as a provocation” involving a US MQ-9 drone and Russian Su-27 fighter jet.
What Happened?
Two Russian Su-27 jets carried out a reckless intercept of the American spy drone while flying in international air space, according to the US. It said the Russian fighter jets dumped fuel on the MQ-9 – possibly trying to blind or damage it – and flew in front of it in unsafe manoeuvres.
After around 30 to 40 minutes, at 7:03 am (0603 GMT), one of the jets then collided with the drone, causing it to crash, the US military said. Russia has not recovered the drone and the jet was likely damaged, the Pentagon said.
Russia’s defence ministry denied that its aircraft had come into contact with the American drone, which it said had crashed after “sharp manoeuvring”. It said the drone had been detected near the Crimea peninsula, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
“The Russian fighters did not use their onboard weapons, did not come into contact with the UAV and returned safely to their home airfield,” the defence ministry said.
The accounts of the incident in the Black Sea, which is bordered by Russia and Ukraine among other countries, could not be independently verified.
All About MQ-9 Reaper Drones
The MQ-9 Reaper is a large unmanned aircraft (UAV) that is remotely operated by a two-person team. Manufactured by General Atomics, it includes a ground control station and satellite equipment and has a 66-foot (20-meter) wingspan.
The team includes a rated pilot who flies the aircraft and an enlisted aircrew member who is charged with operating the sensors and guiding weapons.
Used during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars for surveillance and airstrikes, the drones can be either armed or unarmed. It has the capacity of carrying up to eight laser-guided missiles, including Hellfire missiles and other sophisticated munitions and can loiter over targets for about 24 hours.
It is about 36 feet long, 12 feet high, and weighs about 4,900 pounds (11 meters long, 4 meters high, and 2,200 kilograms), according to Associated Press. It can fly at an altitude of up to 15 kilometers and has a range of about 2,500 kilometers.
The Reaper, which first began operating in 2007, replaced the Air Force’s smaller Predator drones. Each Reaper costs about $32 million.
About Russian Su-27 jets
The Sukhoi Su-27 is a Russian superiority fighter plane, which was first introduced into the Soviet Union air forces during the 1980s. It was known as Flanker and is capable of flying at more than twice the speed of sound.
With a range of 1,800 miles, the Su-27 is equipped with air-to-air missiles and various other ammunitions.
The armament of the Russian jet includes radar-guided or infrared-homing air-to-air missiles, unguided air-to-ground rockets, conventional bombs and cluster bombs and a gun firing 30-mm exploding shells.
The Su-27 is also operated by Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, India, China, and Vietnam apart from Russia.
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