Russian fighter jet hits American drone over Black Sea says US military

Russian fighter jet hits American drone over Black Sea says US military

US authorities have described it as an 'unsafe and unprofessional intercept'

A Russian fighter jet has struck the propeller of a US drone over the Black Sea, causing US forces to bring it down in international waters, the US military said.

The US European Command said in a statement that two Russian Su-27 fighter jets “conducted an unsafe and unprofessional intercept” of a US MQ-9 drone that was operating within international airspace over the Black Sea.

It said one of the Russian fighters “struck the propeller of the MQ-9, causing US forces to have to bring the MQ-9 down in international waters”, adding that 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”.

“This incident demonstrates a lack of competence in addition to being unsafe and unprofessional,” it added.

The incident comes amid soaring Russian-US tensions over Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

Published: by Radio NewsHub
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