Russian Jet Collides With US Drone On Black Sea
A Russian fighter jet forced down a US Air Force drone that was flying over the Black Sea.
The US’s MQ-9 Reaper Drone and two Russian Su-27 aircraft were flying over international waters over the Black Sea on 14th March 2023. One of the Russian jets intentionally flew in front of and dumped fuel on the unmanned drone several times. The aircraft then hit the propeller of the drone, prompting US forces to bring the drone down in Black Sea. A US spokesman said that the Russian aircraft flew in the vicinity of the drone for 30 to 40 minutes before colliding. They added, “Our MQ-9 aircraft was conducting routine operations in international airspace when it was intercepted and hit by a Russian aircraft, resulting in a crash and complete loss of the MQ-9. This unsafe and unprofessional act by the Russians nearly caused both aircraft to crash. Russia’s actions were reckless and unprofessional.” The incident marks the first time Russian and US military aircraft have come into direct physical contact since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine last year in February. This can increase tensions between the two nations.
After the drone was downed, the Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov was summoned by the US government. He said that Russia does not want confrontation between his country and the US. He also claimed that Russia had informed about this space that was identified as a zone for special military operations. He said, “We have warned not to enter, not to penetrate. How would the US react if a Russian drone came close to New York or San Francisco.”
The US has not recovered the downed drone from the Black Sea and they feel that they are going to be able to recover it as where it fell into the Black Sea – it’s very, very deep water.
