The Department of Defense has released a dramatic video of a Russian fighter jet downing a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper surveillance drone above international waters over the Black Sea.
The newly-declassified video shows the critical moment a Russian Su-27 fighter jet clipped the Reaper’s propeller, making the drone “unflyable.”
As Mediaite reports:
“Our MQ-9 aircraft was conducting routine operations in international airspace when it was intercepted and hit by a Russian aircraft, resulting in a crash and complete loss of the MQ-9,” U.S. Air Force General James Hecker, commander of U.S. Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa, said in a statement. “In fact, this unsafe and unprofessional act by the Russians nearly caused both aircraft to crash.”
The video, released Thursday morning, shows a jet approaching the drone, getting very close, then an apparent incident in which that footage turns to color bars, suggesting that the drone had been hit. Another clip shows the jet appearing to dump fuel on the drone as a means to damage it.
Fox News adds this morning that Russian warships have reached the crashed site, sparking concerns Russia hopes to recover and study the drone’s remains for reverse engineering.
A U.S. Defense official told Fox that the Kremlin “wasted no time.” Others expressed confidence the wreckage is out of reach:
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley said Wednesday the area of the Black Sea in which the drone landed is between 4,000 and 5,000 feet deep.
He made the remarks during a Pentagon press briefing alongside Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
Milley speculated that the drone debris has likely sunk to “significant depths” already, making recovery a difficult prospect.
National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby told CNN on Wednesday that the U.S. military has already moved to “protect our equities” and that they did not want anyone else “getting their hands on [the drone].”
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First Chinese surveillance balloons, now Russian air assaults. And Dems accused Trump of collusion. Unbelievable. No wonder Biden plans to run for “commissar.”
Incident reminds me of a JAG episode where Chinese Migs near China & plane landed in China
Only here Russians hit drone & it crashes, same story minus crew for P3
Such an incident actually happened when a Chinese J-8 fighter collided with a US EP-3E near Hainan IsIand off China’s coast. The EP-3 made an emergency landing in Hainan. Sadly, the J-8 pilot was lost. This happened on 4-1-2001.
“Others expressed confidence the wreckage is out of reach”
Due to the ineptitude and wokeness of our current administration and military, I’m not holding my breath on this one.
Meanwhile Joe steps out for an ice cream cone.