Russian fighter forces down U.S. drone close to Ukraine over Black Sea, U.S. calls incident 'dangerous' and warns could lead to 'unintended escalation'
An MQ-9 Reaper takes off at Wheeler-Sack Army Air Field in Fort Drum, N.Y., Feb. 14, 2012.A Russian fighter jet collided with the rear propeller of an unmanned U.S. military drone in the international airspace over the Black Sea on Tuesday morning, forcing the U.S. to bring the drone down off the coast of Ukraine, U.S. officials said.
U.S. European Command, or EUCOM, labeled the incident as "dangerous" and said in a statement that it could "lead to miscalculation and unintended escalation." The incident is apparently the latest in what EUCOM described as "a pattern of dangerous actions by Russian pilots while interacting with U.S. and Allied aircraft over international airspace, including over the Black Sea."
Over a span of at least 30 minutes, the two jets executed 19 close passes by the drone, spraying some of their jet fuel on the craft during the last three or four of those passes, the official said. The first official described the collision as resulting from "the pure incompetence" of the Russian pilot whose actions were "flat-out dumb."
President Joe Biden was briefed on the incident by his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, Kirby said.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Ukraine live briefing: U.S. summons Russian envoy after surveillance drone forced down over Black SeaThe State Department summoned Moscow’s envoy in Washington after a Russian plane collided with a U.S. surveillance drone, forcing it to crash over the Black Sea, according to American officials. Russia has denied responsibility. Follow our live coverage.
Read more »
Russian jets force down U.S. drone over Black Sea, military saysBreaking news: Russian jet strikes an American surveillance drone, forcing it down over the Black Sea, U.S. says
Read more »
Russian fighter jet collides with US Air Force drone over Black SeaA Russian jet collided with a U.S. Air Force drone over the Black Sea, causing it to crash after an 'unsafe and unprofessional intercept,' the U.S. military reported.
Read more »
'Reckless' Russian fighter jet downs U.S. drone over Black Sea: Air ForceThe Air Force accused the Russian jet of acting 'in a reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner.'
Read more »
Russian fighter jet forces down US drone over Black Sea after intercept | CNN PoliticsA Russian fighter jet forced down a US Air Force drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday after damaging the propeller of the American MQ-9 Reaper drone, according to a US official familiar with the incident.
Read more »
US: Russian fighter jet hits American drone over Black SeaSTUTTGART, Germany (AP) — The U.S. military said a Russian fighter jet on Tuesday struck the propeller of a U.S. drone over the Black Sea, causing U.S. forces to bring it down in international waters.
Read more »