When a Russian fighter jet collided with a large American surveillance drone over the black sea On Tuesday, it was a rare but serious incident that prompted a US diplomatic outcry and raised concerns that Russia could seize the device and seize sensitive technology.
American and Russian officials gave conflicting versions about the crash between the MQ-9 Reaper drone and the Russian Su-27 fighter, and they blamed each other. However, a Pentagon spokesman raised the possibility that the Defense Department declassified and released video of the collision.
Defense officials said the drone it has not been recovered. But the Pentagon declined to say whether efforts were underway to collect wreckage or Reaper parts.
This is what is known -and what not- about the accident.
What Washington says has happened
The Pentagon and the US European Command said so two Russian Su-27 aircraft unloaded fuel on the MQ-9, which was conducting a routine surveillance mission over the Black Sea in international airspace.
They explained that Russian planes were flying around and in front of the drone several times for 30-40 minutes and then one of the Russian planes “struck the MQ-9’s propellerforcing US forces to shoot down the MQ-9 in international waters”.
Air Force General James Hecker, commander of the US Air Force in Europe and Africa, said the actions of the Russian plane “nearly caused both planes to go down”.
Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder said the collision was likely the Russian fighter was also damaged, but that the Su-27 managed to land. He didn’t want to say where he did it.
The Pentagon reported that the drone was “well away” from any Ukrainian territory, but gave no details. A US defense official said it was operating west of Crimea on the Black Sea. The official spoke on condition of anonymity when giving details of the mission.
It is not clear whether the collision Was it accidental or intentional? but both sides agree that Russian planes were trying to intercept the drone.
What Russia says happened
The Russian Defense Ministry said the US drone I was flying close to the Russian border and entered an area declared a no-fly zone by the Russian authorities. The Russian military sent fighters to intercept it. He stated that “following a sudden maneuver, the American drone started an uncontrollable flight with loss of height and collided with the surface of the water”.
Russia established the flight ban in large areas near the Crimea. Since annexing Crimea in 2014 and long before Russia invaded Ukraine last year, Moscow has denounced US surveillance planes flying too close to its borders ignoring Russian warnings.
Countries routinely operate in international airspace and waters, and no country may set limits on territories located outside its borders.
According to the Ministry, Russian aircraft have been mobilized intercept the dronebut they did not use their weapons and “came in contact” with him.
What is an MQ-9 Reaper?
The MQ-9 Reaper is a large unmanned aircraft of the Air Force which is remotely operated by a team of two people. It includes a ground control station and satellite equipment and has a wingspan of 20 metres. The team consists of a qualified pilot in charge of flying the aircraft and a military crew member in charge of driving the sensors and guide the weapons.
Typically used during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars for surveillance and air strikes, the Reaper can be armed or unarmed. can carry up to eight laser-guided missilesincluding Hellfire missiles and other sophisticated projectiles, and can hover above targets for up to 24 hours.
To measure 11 meters long and 4 meters high and weighs 2,200 kilograms. She can fly at an altitude of up to 15,000 meters and has a range of around 2,500 kilometres.
The Reaper, which began operations in 2007, has replaced the Air Force’s smaller Predator drones. Each Reaper costs approx 32 million dollars.
diplomatic dusting
The clash resulted a diplomatic protest.
On Tuesday, the State Department summoned the Russian ambassador, Anatoly Antonov, to a meeting with Karen Donfried, deputy secretary of state for Europe.
“We are speaking directly with the Russians, again at high levels, to convey our strong objections to this unprofessional and dangerous wiretap that led to the downing of the US drone,” said State Department spokesman Ned Price.
And White House Homeland Security spokesman John Kirby said the United States “will express our concern about this unprofessional and dangerous wiretap.”
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had not spoken to his Russian counterpart about the incident, Ryder said.
It already happened?
It’s not the first time that Russian planes fly so close to US planes in the Black Sea, prompting the Pentagon to publicly condemn the crash for endangering crews. In 2020, Russian aircraft they passed each other in front of a B-52 bomber which flew over the Black Sea and was 30 meters from the nose of the bomber, causing turbulence.
Russian jets also flew moops running out of warships Americans during exercises in the Black Sea. In 2021, Russian warplanes flew over the USS Donald Cook, a Navy destroyer that had taken part in a major exercise.
Until last year’s Russian invasion of Ukraine, US warships were most frequently deployed to the Black Sea in response to the 2014 Russian attack on Crimea.
For the most part, however, military interceptions – both air and sea – are commonplace and have occurred multiple times with Russian aircraft in the Pacific, particularly in the north. Last month, US warplanes intercepted two Russian TU-95 bombers in international airspace off the coast of Alaska and they “escorted” them for 12 minutes, according to the Pentagon.
And Russian planes have performed similar missions and have also flown over US Navy vessels. In the Pacific. In most cases, wiretaps are considered safe and professional.
It is unclear whether the Russian pilots were willing to approach the Reaper or dump fuel on it because they knew it was unmanned and therefore posed no risk to an American pilot or crew. The deliberate shooting down of a manned aircraft, by wounding or killing crew members, could be considered an act of war.
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Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.