(CNN) A Russian fighter jet Forcefully shot down a US Air Force drone A US MQ-9 Reaper drone damaged its propeller over the Black Sea on Tuesday, according to the US military.
A Reaper drone and two Russian Su-27s were flying in international waters over the Black Sea on Tuesday when a Russian jet deliberately flew ahead and repeatedly dumped fuel on the unmanned drone, a statement from the US European Command said.
The aircraft then struck the drone’s propeller, prompting US forces to bring the MQ-9 drone down in international waters. Pentagon spokesman Brig. General Patrick Ryder said on Tuesday that the Russian plane flew “in close proximity” to the drone for 30 to 40 minutes before it crashed shortly after 7 a.m. CET.
“While our MQ-9 aircraft were conducting routine operations in international airspace, the MQ-9 was intercepted and attacked by a Russian aircraft, causing the MQ-9 to crash and become a total loss,” Air Force Gen. James P. Hecker, commander of US Air Force Europe and Air Force Africa, said in the statement. “In fact, this unsafe and unprofessional action by the Russians almost caused both planes to crash.”
The incident is the first time since Russia that Russian and US military aircraft have made direct physical contact Invaded Ukraine A year ago, and likely to escalate tensions between the two countries, the US called Russia’s actions “irresponsible, environmentally unfriendly and unprofessional”.
Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov will meet with Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Karen Tanbride on Tuesday afternoon, a senior State Department official said. Antonov was called to the department “to express our strong objections,” department spokesman Ned Price said Tuesday, adding that U.S. Ambassador to Russia Lynn Tracy “conveyed a strong message to the Russian Foreign Ministry.”
President Joe Biden National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan was briefed on the incident Tuesday morning, National Security Council communications coordinator John Kirby said. Ryder said Defense Department officials “have not specifically spoken to Russian officials” about the incident.
Price said separately that the US was “engaging at a high level with our allies and partners” regarding the incident. He said the United States was “not in a position to talk about what the Russians wanted to do” with the maneuvers, but ultimately the intent was less than “what actually happened.”
Kirby said it was “unusual” for Russian aircraft to intercept U.S. aircraft in the Black Sea, adding that other interceptions had taken place in recent weeks.
But he said Tuesday’s episode was unique in how “unsafe, unprofessional and reckless” Russian actions were.
The Russian Defense Ministry denied contact with the drone in a statement on Tuesday, saying warplanes “scrambled to identify the intruder” after spotting the intruder in the Black Sea, adding that the drone “entered an unguided aircraft with a loss of altitude.” .”
“The drone flew with its transponders, exceeding the boundaries of the temporary airspace regime established for special military operations, communicating with all users in international airspace and issued in accordance with international standards,” the ministry said.
The U.S. Department of Defense is currently declassifying images from the incident, Ryder said Tuesday. He also said that Russia did not recover the downed drone.
Russian and American aircraft operated during the Black Sea Ukraine warBut this is the first known such interaction, a fatal escalation at a crucial time in the fight.
The US has been operating Reaper drones in the Black Sea since before the start of the war, and has been using spy drones to monitor the area. According to the Air Force, Reaper drones can fly at altitudes of 50,000 feet and have the sensitivity and capabilities to gather intelligence and conduct long-range surveillance, making them ideal platforms for monitoring movements on the battlefield and in the Black Sea. .
This story has been updated with additional details.
CNN’s Kevin Lipdock, Katarina Krebs and Radina Kikova contributed reporting.
