Russian fighter jet forces US MQ-9 Reaper to crash land in the Black Sea

On Tuesday morning a Russian Su-27 Flanker fighter jet struck a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea close to Ukraine.

The U.S. Air Force had to bring the unmanned aerial system down in international waters, resulting in a complete loss of the drone. The Russian aircraft almost crashed too from the collision.

This was no accident.

According to the U.S. European Command (EUCOM), the Russian fighter jet intentionally tried repeatedly to interfere with the flight of the U.S. unmanned aerial system, dumping fuel on it and flying in front of the MQ-9.

The U.S. drone was most likely conducting an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) mission, monitoring the situation over Ukraine from a distance.

A Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker on the Sanicole airshow, 2019. (Photo by Tibboh/Wikimedia Commons)

This isn’t the first instance when Russian aircraft act aggressively against NATO aircraft flying in international space around Ukraine. Back in September, another Su-27 Flanker launched an air-to-air missile against a Royal Air Force RC-135W Rivet Joint surveillance aircraft, again in international airspace over the Black Sea.

The U.S. military hasn’t specified if it will launch a recovery mission to prevent any sensitive technology from potentially falling into Russian hands.

Last year, when a British F-35B and U.S. F-35C Lighting II stealth fighter jets crashed in the Mediterranean Sea and South China Sea respectively, the Royal Navy and U.S. Navy mounted operations to recover the aircraft.

Feature Image: An MQ-9 Reaper flies a training mission over the Nevada Test and Training Range, July 15, 2019. MQ-9 aircrew provide dominant, persistent attack and reconnaissance for comabtant commanders and coalition partners across the globe. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman William Rio Rosado)