A US military “Reaper” surveillance drone fell into the Black Sea on Tuesday after a Russian Su-27 fighter jet struck its propeller, an act that was deemed “reckless” by the US military.
“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,” US Air Force General James Hecker, who oversees the US Air Force in the region, said in a statement.
“In fact, this unsafe and unprofessional act by the Russians nearly caused both aircraft to crash.”
Russia denies hitting US drone
In a confrontation over the Black Sea, a US drone fell down, although according to the Russian defense ministry, Russian fighter jets didn’t fire weapons or hit the drone.
According to the ministry, the American drone was flying close to the Russian border when it trespassed into a region that Russian officials had deemed off-limits. It said the drone made a quick turn and then fell into the ocean when the Russian military sent fighters to intercept it.
In an earlier statement, the US military said over the Black Sea, a Russian fighter jet engaged in a “brazen breach of international law” by colliding with the propeller of an American surveillance drone, prompting US forces to bring down the unmanned aerial vehicle.
