A Russian Air Force SU-27 fighter jet collided with a US drone on Tuesday during an incident over international waters in the Black Sea, the US military said.
In a statement, the US Forces in Europe command confirmed the incident, specifying that it occurred early in the morning, when one of the two Russian fighter jets flying in the area hit one of the drone’s (unmanned aerial device) propellers. .
The US Air Force would eventually crash its own drone.
US Forces Europe Commander James Hecker accused the two Russian aircraft of performing an “unprofessional” maneuver to ensure that the United States and its allies “will continue to operate in international airspace.”
“This incident shows a lack of competence, but is also unsafe and unprofessional”Hecker said, explaining that the Russian planes dropped fuel before the collision and flew “recklessly” in front of the drone.
The commander denounced “a pattern of dangerous actions” by Russian pilots, at a particularly sensitive time due to the escalation of tensions in Ukraine.
The White House said US President Joe Biden had already been informed of the incident by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
The Black Sea is an area closely monitored by NATO since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, where the skies are often the scene of interactions between drones and aircraft from the countries of that military alliance and the Russian armed forces.
The Reaper drone, manufactured by the American company General Atomics, is a remote-controlled aircraft of the MALE type, that is, of medium height and long range.
The aircraft is equipped with state-of-the-art sensors to perform surveillance operations at a cruising speed of 335 km/h.
With a wingspan of 20 meters, it has a flight range of more than 24 hours. It can carry different types of weapons such as laser-guided or GPS-guided bombs or Hellfire missiles. The ground crew consists of four people.
In addition to the United States, several European armies rely on Reaper drones, including the United Kingdom, Italy, France and Spain.
Source: DN
