Russian fighter jet collides with US Air Pressure drone around Black Sea

WASHINGTON – A Russian jet collided with a U.S. Air Drive drone around the Black Sea on Tuesday, causing the drone to crash just after an “unsafe and unprofessional intercept,” the U.S. armed forces documented.

The incident occurred Tuesday early morning when two Russian SU-27 fighters executed an intercept of the MQ-9 Reaper drone that shown the pilots’ “deficiency of competence,” in accordance to a statement from U.S. European Command. Just one of the fighters clipped the propeller of the drone, forcing U.S. operators to bring it down in international waters.

National stability adviser Jake Sullivan briefed President Joe Biden on the incident, John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, informed reporters Tuesday. Russian pilots have intercepted U.S. warplanes in latest months but not in this sort of a “reckless” manner, Kirby claimed.

“It is the initial time that an intercept resulted in the splashing of a person of our drones,” Kirby said.

Kirby and armed forces officials stressed that the Reaper drone was operating in intercontinental airspace when it was knocked down. The Russian fighters dumped gas on the drone and flew in entrance of it right before the collision.

“Our MQ-9 aircraft was conducting plan operations in intercontinental airspace when it was intercepted and strike by a Russian plane, ensuing in a crash and complete reduction of the MQ-9,” Air Force Gen. James Hecker, commander, U.S. Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa, claimed in a assertion. “In actuality, this unsafe and unprofessional act by the Russians nearly brought on both of those aircraft to crash.”

“U.S. and Allied plane will carry on to operate in intercontinental airspace and we call on the Russians to perform on their own skillfully and safely,” Hecker included.

Russian pilots have engaged in “a pattern of perilous action” that led up to Tuesday’s crash, according to European Command.

“These intense actions by Russian aircrew are unsafe and could lead to miscalculation and unintended escalation,” the assertion said.

Tale carries on

Point out Department officers program to talk right with their Russian counterparts to categorical issue about this unsafe and unprofessional intercept, Kirby mentioned.

The crash of the drone comes amid heightened tensions with Russia about the war in Ukraine. Because Russia invaded Ukraine in Feb. 2022, the United States has sent much more than $30 billion in military services support to Ukraine.

This post initially appeared on United states of america Today: Russian fighter jet collides with US Air Force drone more than Black Sea