theVibes.com:
Russian jet causes American drone to crash over Black Sea: US
Su-27 fighters intercepted unmanned MQ-9 Reaper over international waters, says European Command
The United States uses MQ-9 Reapers for both surveillance and strikes and has long operated over the Black Sea keeping an eye on Russian naval forces. – AFP pic, March 15, 2023
PARIS – A Russian fighter jet yesterday dumped fuel on an American drone over the Black Sea and then collided with it, causing the drone to crash, the United States military said, slamming the manoeuvre as “reckless”.
US European Command said two Russian Su-27 fighters intercepted the unmanned MQ-9 Reaper over international waters and one clipped its propeller.
“Several times before the collision, the Su-27s dumped fuel on and flew in front of the MQ-9 in a reckless, environmentally unsound, and unprofessional manner,” it said.
Moscow denied causing the crash of the drone, which the Pentagon said was on a routine ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) mission.
“As a result of a sharp manoeuvre... the MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle entered an uncontrolled flight with loss of altitude and collided with the surface of the water,” the Russian Defence Ministry said, adding that the two Russian jets had no contact with the US aircraft and did not use their weapons.
The US State Department said it had summoned Russia’s ambassador to protest.
“We are engaging directly with the Russians, again at senior levels, to convey our strong objections to this unsafe, unprofessional intercept, which caused the downing of the unmanned US aircraft,” spokesman Ned Price told reporters.
Russian intercepts over the Black Sea are common, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told journalists in Washington, but this one “is noteworthy because of how unsafe and unprofessional it was, indeed reckless that it was”.
Nato diplomats in Brussels confirmed the incident, but said they did not expect it to immediately escalate into a further confrontation.
A Western military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that diplomatic channels between Russia and the US could help limit any fall-out.
“To my mind, diplomatic channels will mitigate this,” the source said.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February last year has led to heightened fears of a direct confrontation between Moscow and the Nato alliance, which has been arming Kyiv to help it defend itself.
Reports of a missile strike in eastern Poland in November briefly caused alarm before Western military sources concluded that it was a Ukrainian air defence missile, not a Russian one.
The US uses MQ-9 Reapers for both surveillance and strikes and has long operated over the Black Sea keeping an eye on Russian naval forces.
“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,” said US Air Force General James Hecker, commander of US Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa.
“In fact, this unsafe and unprofessional act by the Russians nearly caused both aircraft to crash.
“US and allied aircraft will continue to operate in international airspace and we call on the Russians to conduct themselves professionally and safely,” he added.
Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder told journalists the drone was “unflyable and uncontrollable so we brought it down”, adding that the collision also likely damaged the Russian aircraft, which he said was able to land following the incident.
Several US Reapers have been lost in recent years, including to hostile fire.
One was shot down in 2019 over Yemen with a surface-to-air missile fired by Houthi rebels, the US Central Command said at the time.
According to media reports, a US MQ-9 crashed in Libya in 2022, while another went down during a training exercise in Romania earlier in the same year.
Reapers can be armed with Hellfire missiles as well as laser-guided bombs and can fly for more than 1,770km at altitudes of up to 15,000m, according to the US Air Force. – AFP, March 15, 2023
PARIS – A Russian fighter jet yesterday dumped fuel on an American drone over the Black Sea and then collided with it, causing the drone to crash, the United States military said, slamming the manoeuvre as “reckless”.
US European Command said two Russian Su-27 fighters intercepted the unmanned MQ-9 Reaper over international waters and one clipped its propeller.
“Several times before the collision, the Su-27s dumped fuel on and flew in front of the MQ-9 in a reckless, environmentally unsound, and unprofessional manner,” it said.
Moscow denied causing the crash of the drone, which the Pentagon said was on a routine ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) mission.
“As a result of a sharp manoeuvre... the MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle entered an uncontrolled flight with loss of altitude and collided with the surface of the water,” the Russian Defence Ministry said, adding that the two Russian jets had no contact with the US aircraft and did not use their weapons.
The US State Department said it had summoned Russia’s ambassador to protest.
“We are engaging directly with the Russians, again at senior levels, to convey our strong objections to this unsafe, unprofessional intercept, which caused the downing of the unmanned US aircraft,” spokesman Ned Price told reporters.
Russian intercepts over the Black Sea are common, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told journalists in Washington, but this one “is noteworthy because of how unsafe and unprofessional it was, indeed reckless that it was”.
Nato diplomats in Brussels confirmed the incident, but said they did not expect it to immediately escalate into a further confrontation.
A Western military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that diplomatic channels between Russia and the US could help limit any fall-out.
“To my mind, diplomatic channels will mitigate this,” the source said.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February last year has led to heightened fears of a direct confrontation between Moscow and the Nato alliance, which has been arming Kyiv to help it defend itself.
Reports of a missile strike in eastern Poland in November briefly caused alarm before Western military sources concluded that it was a Ukrainian air defence missile, not a Russian one.
The US uses MQ-9 Reapers for both surveillance and strikes and has long operated over the Black Sea keeping an eye on Russian naval forces.
“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,” said US Air Force General James Hecker, commander of US Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa.
“In fact, this unsafe and unprofessional act by the Russians nearly caused both aircraft to crash.
“US and allied aircraft will continue to operate in international airspace and we call on the Russians to conduct themselves professionally and safely,” he added.
Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder told journalists the drone was “unflyable and uncontrollable so we brought it down”, adding that the collision also likely damaged the Russian aircraft, which he said was able to land following the incident.
Several US Reapers have been lost in recent years, including to hostile fire.
One was shot down in 2019 over Yemen with a surface-to-air missile fired by Houthi rebels, the US Central Command said at the time.
According to media reports, a US MQ-9 crashed in Libya in 2022, while another went down during a training exercise in Romania earlier in the same year.
Reapers can be armed with Hellfire missiles as well as laser-guided bombs and can fly for more than 1,770km at altitudes of up to 15,000m, according to the US Air Force. – AFP, March 15, 2023
There are no , Zero, US forces involved in combat operations in Ukraine, but US and NATO have never made a secret that , just like the Police rock band song, every step Russia makes in or near Ukraine is being watched from NATO or International airspace by all manner of surveillance methods. And intelligence gathered quickly makes its way into Ukrainian hands, usually within hours.
ReplyDeleteThe Russians don't like it at all, but up to now, there has been Fuck All that they can do about it. The latest incident is an attempt to interdict the surveillance. It may well succeed, given the timidity of the Bidin Administration, who are easily self-deterred facing Russia, whose entire National economy is smaller than that of New York City or about the size of Italy.
Every breath you take
And every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
I'll be watching you
Every single day
And every word you say
Every game you play
Every night you stay
I'll be watching you
Every move you make
And every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
I'll be watching you
Wakakakaka…
ReplyDelete"There are no , Zero, US forces involved in combat operations in Ukraine"
Wow…
Never read about the death toll from one of the supersonic Kinzhal hit on a secret Kyiv hideout?
More than 40 & closed to 100 Yankee army personnel dead & heavily injured!
But u will never ever get this info from yr usual Yankee mouthpieces!
Indeed, who's watching who? Only the real Police would sing.