MQ9 Reaper Public Domain
Military
Aviation
/ Russia
hostile flights
Under US allegations, Russia denies shooting down a Reaper drone
By: Rafael Ramos
On: 3/15/2023
Sukhoi Su-27
CC BY-SA 4.0, via wikimedia commons
On Tuesday (14), Russia was accused of having cut the propeller of a US MQ-9 Reaper drone and, consequently, shot it down over the Black Sea using its Sukhoi Su-27 fighters.
Tuesday's crash, which Washington blamed on reckless and unprofessional conduct, added to new tensions between Moscow and Western allies.
"We assume that the United States will refrain from further media speculation and stop flights near Russian borders," Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov said on Wednesday. "We consider any action using US weaponry to be openly hostile."
According to the Pentagon, the drone was performing a routine flight when it was recklessly and unprofessionally intercepted. Russia denies the claim, saying the drone was out of control and its jets had no contact with it.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the US was trying to keep the drone from falling into the wrong hands.
"We've taken steps to protect our actions regarding this particular drone — this particular aircraft," Kirby told CNN. He said Russian interceptions over the Black Sea were common but this one was "very unsafe, unprofessional and reckless".
"US and allied aircraft will continue to operate in international airspace and we urge Russians to conduct themselves in a professional and safe manner," said US Air Force Gen. James Hecker.
For its part, Kiev said the incident over international waters was evidence that the Russian president wants to escalate the conflict in Ukraine and draw the US in and involve other parties. "The aim of this all-in tactic is always to raise the stakes," said Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov.
Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder said the drone became "unflyable and uncontrollable, so we shot it down", adding that the collision also likely damaged the Russian aircraft, which he said was able to land after the incident. .
Rafael Ramos
Aviation enthusiast from an early age, he had his first contacts with the area developing that good old habit of spending dozens of hours in front of the screens of Micrsoft Flight Simulator and other simulators. With a solid background in various technological areas, including engineering and chemistry, Rafael has rejoined aviation as editor and author of articles and materials on our portal, providing invaluable help to the dynamics and expansion of the website and the aeronautical community, bringing us the news and updates so indispensable for us to remain current in our area of operation.
   
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