An American drone and a Russian plane have been involved in a collision in the airspace over the Black Sea, according to the US Department of Defense, which is summoning the Russian ambassador after the incident. Russia says the drone was too close to the Russian border. It is the first known time that a US Air Force drone is in direct confrontation with Russian attack aircraft during the ongoing war of aggression in Ukraine. The US State Department is summoning the Russian ambassador in Washington DC, Reuters reports. The meeting will take place on Tuesday afternoon, local time. Russia responds that the plane was too close An unmanned American drone of the model MQ-9 flew over the Black Sea and is said to have been met by two Russian fighters of the model Su-27. According to statements from the US Department of Defense, the Russian planes flew very close and “recklessly” around the drone for just over 40 minutes, causing a collision between one of the Russian planes and the American drone’s propeller. The US Army has since “taken down” the drone, according to Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder. The drone is said to have been destroyed. At a press conference, Ryder does not answer whether the drone was armed. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the American drone was near the Crimean peninsula, which caused the fighter jet to be sent up to investigate the “intruder”. According to Russia, it is not a collision, but that the Russian planes flew close and that the American drone’s nimble maneuvers caused the drone to crash. The interaction took place over international waters. The US Department of Defense is tight-lipped about where the incident took place, other than that it happened across the Black Sea, the BBC reports. “A serious situation” – Obviously, it’s a serious situation, but it’s not entirely surprising. There have been a number of reconnaissance aircraft from the West over the Black Sea, and of course Russian planes as well, since before the war started, says Lieutenant Colonel Joakim Paasikivi. The confrontation occurred in international waters at 07:03 Swedish time on Tuesday. The United States condemned the incident and accused Russia of “reckless” behavior. The statement is made by John Kirby, who is a spokesperson for the US National Security Council. – It is remarkable how they managed to collide with this plane, the propeller is located at the back. It’s hardly something you can do on purpose, this was probably a careless flight, says Joakim Paasikivi. Following a pattern, the US military headquarters in Europe issued a press release about the incident. “Our MQ-9 aircraft was conducting a routine flight in international airspace when it was approached and hit by a Russian aircraft. It resulted in the MQ-29 crashing and being totally destroyed,” said James B Hecker, commander of the US Army. The press release further states that the incident “follows a pattern of dangerous actions by Russian pilots in various interactions with US and allied aircraft”. See Joakim Paasikivi’s analysis of the incident in the player above.
t4-general
Paasikivi on the confrontation over the Black Sea: “Careless flight”
