US Military Says MQ-9 Reaper Drone Collided With Russian Jet Over Black Sea

Russian officials have yet to respond to the US claims about the incident. The US and its allies conduct frequent surveillance flights in the Black Sea, sometimes close to Russian territory.

According to US European Command, a US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone collided with a Russian Su-27 fighter jet, an incident that risks a major escalation of the tensions between Washington and Moscow.

European Command said in a press release that two Russian Su-27 fighters intercepted the MQ-9. “At approximately 7:03 AM (CET), one of the Russian Su-27 aircraft struck the propeller of the MQ-9, causing US forces to have to bring the MQ-9 down in international waters,” the command said.

It’s not clear where in the Black Sea the incident occurred or how close to Russian territory the MQ-9 was operating. Gen. James B. Hecker, the commander of US Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa, claimed the MQ-9 was conducting a “routine” flight and blamed the collision on the Russian pilots.

“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,” he said.

“In fact, this unsafe and unprofessional act by the Russians nearly caused both aircraft to crash,” Hecker added.

Russian officials have yet to respond to the US claims about the incident. The US and its allies conduct frequent surveillance flights in the Black Sea, sometimes close to Russian territory.