* US military said a Russian fighter jet clipped the propeller of the MQ-9 drone
* Crash forced the US drone down over the Black Sea in a total loss of the aircraft
* US slams Russian fighter pilots as incompetent, unsafe and unprofessional
The State Department has summoned Anatoly Antonov, Russia's ambassador to the US, to voice protest after a Russian fighter jet collided with and destroyed an American Reaper drone over the Black Sea.
US officials said the MQ-9 surveillance drone was downed early on Tuesday following an 'unsafe and unprofessional intercept' in international airspace by two Russian Su-27 fighter jets.
Pentagon officials said the Russian fighters harassed the drone by dumping fuel on it and flying in front of it, before one Su-27 clipped the propeller of the $32 million drone, forcing it down over the Black Sea in a total loss of the unmanned aircraft.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: Here is the Pentagon briefing on this incident .... WATCH: Pentagon holds briefing after reports Russian war plane hits U.S. drone over Black Sea (PBS/AP). This pretty well sums up how the Pentagon is responding to this "incident" .... Russia Goes Kinetic With U.S. in Skies Over the Black Sea, and the USAF Response Is Unbelievable (PJ Media).
Russian Su-27 Fighter Jet Fforces Down US drone Over Black Sea
US military drone crashes into Black Sea after Russian intercept -- Reuters
Russian fighter jet forces down US drone over Black Sea -- CNN
U.S. had to crash drone in Black Sea after damage from Russian jet -Pentagon -- Reuters
Russia claims US drone maneuvered sharply, crashed into water -- The Hill
US surveillance drone conducting 'routine operations' struck down by Russian fighter jet over Black Sea -- ABC News Australia
Mutual accusations after Russia downs US drone over Black Sea -- France 24
White House's spokesman: drone incident was unsafe, unprofessional, reckless -- Reuters
Russia pilots reckless in drone collision - US -- BBC
Russian jet’s collision with U.S. drone sparks diplomatic flurry -- Politico
What’s known and not about US drone-Russian jet encounter -- AP
US accuses Russia of downing drone over Black Sea: What we know -- Al Jazeera
Factbox: What happened to the U.S. drone downed near Ukraine? -- Reuters
MQ-9 Reaper: what is the US drone that collided with a Russian jet and how is it used? -- The Guardian
5 comments:
Obama got all wee weed up and told his charge, Biden, to do nothing.
It does seem reckless behavior on the part of the Russian pilot. "Clipping the propeller" of the drone with the body of a jet in mid flight can easily cause the jet to lose control and crash, can it not? The Russian got lucky I think. Of course I am not a pilot and I could be wrong, but isn't contact between two airplanes mid flight quite dangerous for both planes?
Minor damage to the nose of the plane versus loss of the drone. The drone was to be retired this year, so it is not like Russia attrited the fleet.
Russian pilot was given a choice by high command. Combat mission over Bakhmut or attack a drone. He wisely chose attacking a drone to make Putin happy.
The Reaper is not like a Global Hawk. It cannot get battle field intel from that distance.
It could keep the Russians honest about not attacking grain ships.
"Can it not?" Uh, probably not.
Clipping, say, Mt Rushmore or the Eiffel Tower would be a different story.
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