Russia fighter jet collides with US drone over Black Sea amid concerns of Iran arms transfers
Loss of the USAF MQ-9 comes as Russia has provided weapons technology to Iran, including US arms captured in Ukraine.
A Russian fighter jet collided with a US MQ-9 drone over the Black Sea early on Tuesday, leading to the “complete loss” of the unmanned aircraft, the US military said.
The US MQ-9 “was conducting routine operations in international airspace” when a Russian Su-27 struck the drone’s propeller, forcing it to crash, US European Command said in a press release.
US officials said it remains unclear whether the collision was deliberate, but the Russian fighter jet and another Su-27 repeatedly “dumped fuel on and flew in front of the MQ-9 in a reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner” prior to the impact, the US military said.
The collision also nearly caused the Russian pilot to crash the Su-27, the commander of US Air Forces in Europe and Africa, Gen. James B. Hecker, said in a statement.
