A Russian Su-27 fighter shot down a U.S. Reaper drone that was flying over the Black Sea. According to General James Hecker, commander of U.S. forces in Europe and Africa, the Russian aircraft collided with one of the drone's propellers, causing it to crash, as reported by CNN:
At approximately 7:03 AM (CET), one of the Russian Su-27 aircraft struck the propeller of the MQ-9, causing U.S. forces to have to bring the MQ-9 down in international waters. 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.
The incident is already under investigation. John Kirby, Department of Defense press secretary, said it is not the first U.S. drone intercepted by Russian fighters, although he added that it was a "reckless" and "unique" act because the Air Force will no longer be able to rely on the downed MQ-9 Reaper.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, the Black Sea has been a heavily guarded area by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Therefore, routine reconnaissance flights such as the one the U.S. drone was doing are conducted.
In November 2022, the U.S. deployed several MQ-9 Reaper drones to the military base in Larissa, Greece, as reported by Business Insider. These models can fly for 27 hours at a time and can reach an altitude of 50,000 feet.
