Translated from
A pair of Su-27s leaked fuel onto a drone and “recklessly” flew in front of an MQ-9
What is known about the American UAV that crashed over the Black SeaImage: (cc) Air National Guard
MQ-9 Reaper
On the evening of March 14, reports appeared in the media about a downed American drone over the Black Sea. Agence France Presse reported that a Russian plane “collided” with an American MQ-9 drone, causing the drone to fall into the Black Sea.
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Later, a similar message was published by the Al Jazeera agency, citing a source in the Pentagon. He accused Russian fighter pilots of unprofessionalism.
European Command statementThen the US European Command issued an official statement about the incident. It reported that a US MQ-9 drone was on a reconnaissance flight in international airspace over the Black Sea.
“At about 7:03 am (9:03 Moscow time - approx. IA Krasnaya Vesna ) , one of the Russian Su-27 aircraft hit the MQ-9 propeller, as a result of which the American forces had to shoot down the MQ-9 in international waters” , - noted in the message.
The European Command stressed that prior to the collision, the Russian fighters “leaked fuel onto the drone and flew in front of the MQ-9 recklessly, unsafe for the environment and unprofessional” . The incident shows the incompetence, lack of professionalism and unsafe behavior of Russian pilots, the European Command said.
“Our MQ-9 aircraft was performing routine operations in international airspace when it was intercepted and shot down by a Russian aircraft, resulting in the crash and total loss of the MQ-9,” the commander of the US Air Force, Europe and Africa, said in a statement . US Air Force general. James B. Hecker. “ In fact, this unsafe and unprofessional action by the Russians almost caused both planes to crash . ”
The statement called the actions of the Russian pilots dangerous, they "could lead to miscalculation and unintentional escalation . " Aircraft and drones of the US Armed Forces regularly fly over Europe in accordance with international laws “to strengthen the collective European defense and security” and "to support the national goals of allies, partners and the United States . "
Washington’s reaction
Later, White House National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby spoke to reporters. He stressed that President Joe Biden received all the information about the event over the Black Sea.
Kirby noted that Russian fighter jets have intercepted U.S. drones over the Black Sea before, but today’s incident "deserves attention because of how unsafe and unprofessional it was . "
At the same time, the coordinator stated that the UAV did not pose a danger to anyone and operated in international airspace. Kirby stressed that the US military will continue to fly over the Black Sea in accordance with international law.
He stated that the US State Department will contact Moscow on this issue in order to "directly state our concern about this incident . " After that, Washington summoned the Russian ambassador in connection with the UAV incident.
What did the drone do over the Black Sea
Recall that after the start of the special operation, American UAVs regularly make reconnaissance flights over the Black Sea. There is no doubt that all collected data is being transferred to the Ukrainian military. According to the assumption of a number of experts, American drones are used to give target designations to Ukrainian UAVs that attacked Crimea.
Note that the MQ-9 Reaper belongs to the class of heavy attack and reconnaissance drones. Its maximum speed exceeds 400 km / h, it is able to stay in the air for more than 24 hours in a row. The unit cost is estimated at $30 million (2.25 billion rubles). There are about 70 such drones in service with the US Armed Forces.
On March 14, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad arrived in Moscow on an official visit. The exact route of its passage is not known, but it could well pass over the Black Sea.
At 21:38 Moscow time, the press service of the Russian Defense Ministry published an official statement on the Telegram channel about the incident with the MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle.
The ministry said that on the morning of March 14, the means of controlling the airspace of the Russian Aerospace Forces recorded the flight of an American UAV in the direction of the Russian state border.
The U.S. unmanned aerial vehicle flew with transponders turned off and violated the borders of the area of the temporary regime for the use of airspace, which Russia established for a special operation in Ukraine and brought to the attention of all countries.
“In order to identify the intruder, fighters from the air defense forces on duty were raised into the air. As a result of sharp maneuvering around 9.30 (Moscow time), the MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle went into uncontrolled flight with a loss of altitude and collided with the water surface , ”the ministry said in a statement.
The Russian Defense Ministry stressed that Russian aircraft did not use airborne weapons and did not come into contact with the MQ-9. The fighters landed safely at their base airfield.
The Pentagon announced the reconnaissance mission of a US drone lost over the Black Sea.
The material is being added.
ИА Красная Весна
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A NATO warplane gets down in the Black Sea, but now it’s apparently Russia’s fault.
Pull the other one.
I bet it was the Ukraine
Not the first time they attacked a NATO country, just ask the Germans