US says Russian warplanes attacked US drones over Black Sea

WASHINGTON — A Russian fighter jet attacked a U.S. surveillance drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday, hitting the drone’s propeller and causing American operators to bring it down. into international waters, according to the Pentagon, in the first known physical contact between Russian and US troops since the war in Ukraine began last February.

The downing of the MQ-9 Reaper, a tank of the US military’s aerial reconnaissance squadron, immediately escalated tensions between the White House and the Kremlin as US officials accused Russian forces of being involved. incident of dangerous behavior.

The unarmed Reaper drone was on a routine reconnaissance mission when it was intercepted by two Russian Su-27 fighter jets about 75 miles from Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula, US military officials said. miles to the southwest, which Russia has used as a base to launch devastating attacks.

“Many times before the collision, the Su-27s dumped fuel and flew in front of the MQ-9 in a reckless, environmentally unfriendly and unprofessional manner,” the European Command said. know in a statement. “This incident demonstrates a lack of competence in addition to being unsafe and unprofessional.”

John F. Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, says that there have been similar “intercepts” by Russian planes in recent weeks — nearly all of them, according to military officials. conducted without incident — but this one was “remarkable for its level of insecurity and unprofessionalism.”

He added that President Biden has been informed of the incident.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has increased tensions between Moscow and Washington, while turning the Black Sea into an effective battle zone. Russia has blocked Ukrainian ships in its ports, although Ukraine has been able to export its grain across the sea under an agreement signed last July between the two warring nations.

At the same time, Ukraine attacked Russian naval ships in the Black Sea as well as in the port. In April, a Ukrainian missile was sunk Moscowflagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, an attack that dented the invincible aura of the Moscow navy.

The war also strengthened the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, especially by strengthening relations between Washington and its border members with Russia, including Poland and the Baltic states. NATO countries have poured billions of dollars in military aid to support Ukraine, but the alliance has tried to avoid a direct confrontation with Russia, a nuclear-armed country.

Ned Price, a spokesman for the State Department, said the Russian ambassador to Washington had been summoned to receive a formal note of protest from the United States over the downing of the drone, which he called an “action.” unsafe, unprofessional interception” and “flagrant violation of international law”.

During a telephone press conference with reporters, he said the US Ambassador to Moscow, Lynne M. Tracy, had also “transmitted a strong message to the Russian Foreign Ministry”.

The Russian Defense Ministry denied that its fighters were responsible and offered a different explanation for the confrontation. It said in a statement that after the Russian Air Force dispatched fighter jets to identify the drones, the American drones maneuvered quickly, lost altitude and plunged into the water.

The statement said the drone flew near the Crimean Peninsula and headed for the Russian border with its identification transponder turned off, contrary to the guidance Russia has issued regarding the airspace for operations. its military presence in Ukraine.

But a US official said the downing of the drone was not any “coordinated move” by Russia. And many US officials say they have seen no information that this is the prelude to a broader strategy to harass US or NATO spy planes.

The drone attack is not necessarily an accident. For example, pouring fuel in front of the Reaper was clearly intentional. But US officials say they do not believe the Russians intend to use their aircraft to clamp the drone’s propeller, a risky move that could easily bring down not only the drone but also the drone. both Su-27.

While Russia has previously intentionally harassed US naval reconnaissance planes and ships, there have also been incidents in which Russian pilots independently performed dangerous maneuvers that resulted in the disqualified diplomat.

A senior US military official said the MQ-9 took off from its base in Romania on Tuesday morning on a regularly scheduled reconnaissance mission, which typically lasts about nine to 10 hours. While the Reaper can carry Hellfire missiles, the aircraft is unarmed, the official said.

Flying at about 25,000 feet, the Reaper’s sophisticated cameras and other sensors can peer into Russian-controlled Crimea while flying in international airspace, a typical mission the MQ-9 has performed well before. when the war in Ukraine started, the official said.

But Tuesday’s surveillance mission quickly took a dangerous turn. Brigade Commander General Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, said the Russian Su-27 jet flew near the US Reaper for about 30 to 40 minutes.

The much faster Russian fighter jets continuously zoomed around the propeller-powered Reaper, pouring fuel over it, ostensibly in an attempt to damage the drone’s camera or damage the sensors. its other, senior military official said.

The incident prompted US military officials to monitor it via video from a drone to an operations center at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, the military official said. General Ryder said the Defense Department is taking the necessary steps to declassify the images.

General Ryder declined to discuss any attempt to recover the sunken MQ-9 in waters controlled by the Russian Navy.

Unless this particular MQ-9 has a unique sensor onboard, it won’t, says David A. Deptula, a retired three-star Air Force general and dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Research. then “no great damage if the Russians can restore it”.

“MQ-9s have been lost in Yemen, Libya, Afghanistan and Syria, and parts have certainly been exploited/shared,” he said in an email.

Senior US officials have worried for months that some incident or misinformation about the Black Sea could lead to a larger problem. Last October, Russia fired a missile near an unarmed British surveillance plane flying over the Black Sea.

Russian warplanes regularly conduct “intercepts” – aerial checks of US and other allied aircraft – over the Black Sea, as well as other areas where Western and Russian aircraft fly in the air. neighboring regions, from the Baltic Sea to the coast of Alaska.

US officials say most of these skirmishes are handled professionally, but Russian warplanes have repeatedly come dangerously close to planes of the United States and other allies over the decade. past century with obvious threats.

Several incidents, including a near collision with a US warplane, have occurred in eastern Syria, where Russian military forces support the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

The MQ-9 Reaper drone is a staple of the United States Air Force fleet and is used for both surveillance and attack purposes.

The drone can reach speeds of up to 275 miles per hour and fly at an altitude of 50,000 feet. It is designed for long-duration missions, with some models capable of flying for up to 34 hours, according to its manufacturer, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.

Although the Reaper can drop bombs and launch missiles, its slow speed and lack of defensive weapons make it relatively easy to shoot down.

The MQ-9 Reaper is a newer, larger version of the MQ-1 Predator drone, used by the US Air Force until 2018. The Reaper is faster, has better sensors, and can carry more ammunition. More pharmaceuticals, according to a statement from the Air Force, paid up to $32 million for one of them.

The Reaper is controlled remotely by a team of pilots and sensor operators on the ground, often far away from the drone itself. The pilot controls the takeoff, flight path and landing, while the sensor operator controls the camera and monitoring equipment.

The United States has already used this type of aircraft in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. While the use of drones in attacks that have resulted in the death of civilians has drawn criticism, their defenders argue that their ability to hit a target with accuracy would be reduced. secondary damage.

Report contributed by Matthew Mpoke Bigg from London, Neil MacFarquhar And Carly Olson from New York, Lara Jakes from Rome, and Julian E. Barnes, Edward King And Michael S. Schmidt from Washington.