Pentagon warns of ‘unintentional escalation’ after Russian jet downed US drone

The Pentagon issued a stern warning after a Russian fighter jet reportedly collided with a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea.

Two Russian Su-27 jets were reportedly flying in tandem over international waters on Tuesday when one of them collided with a drone.

Following the incident, US European Command and US Air Force Europe issued a statement criticizing Russia for a “dangerous pattern.”

“At approximately 07:03 (CET), one of the Russian Su-27 aircraft crashed into the propeller of an MQ-9, causing US forces to shoot down the MQ-9 in international waters,” the statement said.

He continued: “Several times before the collision, Su-27s dumped fuel and flew in front of MQ-9s in a reckless, environmentally unsafe and unprofessional way. This incident demonstrates a lack of competence in addition to being unsafe and unprofessional.”

This incident follows a pattern of dangerous actions by Russian pilots when interacting with US and allied aircraft in international airspace, including over the Black Sea.

Finally, the statement warned:

“These aggressive actions by the Russian crew are dangerous and could lead to miscalculation and unintentional escalation.”

Fox News reports that a Pentagon spokesman said the Russian plane headed towards Crimea and landed there. However, it is not clear if he was damaged in the collision.

Gen. James B. Hecker said the Reaper drone was “performing routine operations in international airspace when it was intercepted and shot down by Russian aircraft, causing the MQ-9 to crash and be completely lost.”

“In fact, this unsafe and unprofessional action by the Russians almost led to the crash of both planes,” he added.

National Security Council strategic communications coordinator John Kirby told reporters that “it is not uncommon for Russian aircraft to intercept US aircraft over the Black Sea.” He added that Tuesday’s incident was “not uncommon”.

Noting that there have been other intercepts recently, Kirby said that Tuesday’s incident stood out “because of how unsafe and unprofessional it was, really reckless, to bring down one of our planes.”

The message of the Russian Defense Ministry says that a drone was found flying “near the Crimean peninsula in the direction of the state border of the Russian Federation.”

He insisted that the Russian planes “did not make contact with the unmanned aerial vehicle and returned safely to their airfield.” And he accused the drone of “violating the borders of the temporary airspace regime established for conducting a special military operation, communicated to all users of international airspace and published in accordance with international standards.”

CNN reports that the US has been using drones over the Black Sea since before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“According to the Air Force, Reaper drones can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet, and they have sensors and capabilities to collect intelligence and conduct reconnaissance for extended periods of time, making them an ideal platform for tracking movements on the battlefield and in the Black Sea. ”, he added.

The drone’s software has reportedly been erased. US officials are reportedly considering a rescue operation.

We strive for truth and accuracy in all our journalistic material. Check out our editorial standards.

Comment below