A Russian fighter jet collided with a US surveillance drone over the Black Sea, causing the unmanned US aircraft to crash in international waters. The incident involved a Russian Su-27 fighter jet and a US MQ-9 drone.
The Collision
The MQ-9 was reportedly an unarmed reaper drone conducting a typical reconnaissance mission. A statement issued by the US officials claimed that the aircraft was “conducting routine operations in international waters when it was intercepted and hit by a Russian aircraft.”
The US has conducted regular surveillance flights in this region since the Russia-Ukraine war broke out.
A US 🇺🇸 MQ-9 Reaper Drone was hit by a Russian Fighter Jet over the Black Sea today, says the US Military
— Ukraine Battle Map (@ukraine_map) March 14, 2023
The Su-27 acted recklessly by dumping fuel on the Drone, then hitting its propellor, causing it to crash
This appears to be a purposeful attack by Russia on the US Military pic.twitter.com/zNtTQY5LlL
The US Summons Russian Ambassador
US Air Force Gen. Commander James Hecker revealed that even before the collision, the Su-27 fighter dumped fuel on the drone and flew in front of it several times in a “reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner.” He added that incidents of such kind exemplify a “lack of competence in addition to being unsafe and unprofessional.”
The US State Department summoned Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov to discuss the crash and the “pattern of dangerous actions” by the Russian pilots, which could further lead to “miscalculations and unintended escalation.”
The #UnitedStates has taken measures to ensure that the drone flooded in the #BlackSea does not fall into the wrong hands. This was stated by the representative of the US National Security Council John Kirby.
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) March 15, 2023
The downed American drone was not equipped with a weapon, according to… https://t.co/S3eTdpH58G pic.twitter.com/H6PTEFBfhZ
Russia Denies Direct Contact
The Russian Defence Ministry denied that the Russian jet made any direct contact with the US aircraft and remarked that the drone crashed after a “sharp manoeuvre.” Furthermore, the ministry stated that the MQ-9 drone had its transponders — devices used to track aircraft — turned off.
Antonov claimed in a statement that the American aircraft “deliberately and provocatively” moved towards Russian territory. He added that the US might be “collecting information” which can be “used by the Kyiv regime to strike at [Russia’s] armed forces.”
The incident can be termed the “first direct contact” between the US and Russia since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as highlighted by Elisabeth Braw, a senior at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington.
The US officials reassured that they would continue routine aircraft surveillance over international waters in coordination with the relevant host nations and prescribed international laws.