On Tuesday, a U.S. surveillance drone was brought down by a Russian fighter jet over the Black Sea, when the propeller of the unmanned aerial vehicle was struck by a Su-27s.
This marked the first incident of a U.S. aircraft being brought down by a Russian warplane since the height of the Cold War. The MQ-9 drone was operating within international airspace at the time.
In response to the incident, the White House National Security spokesman, John Kirby, stated that U.S. President Joe Biden was briefed by national security adviser Jake Sullivan. Kirby added that the U.S. State Department officials would directly contact their Russian counterparts to express their concerns over the “unsafe and unprofessional intercept.”
The U.S. European Command released a statement from Stuttgart, Germany, stating that the Russian Su-27 fighter jets had conducted an “unsafe and unprofessional intercept” of the MQ-9 drone. Prior to the collision, the Su-27s had dumped fuel on and flown in front of the MQ-9 several times in a “reckless, environmentally unsound, and unprofessional manner.”
As a result of the incident, the MQ-9 drone crashed into international waters in the Black Sea, highlighting the escalating tensions between the U.S. and Russia over Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
“This incident demonstrates a lack of competence in addition to being unsafe and unprofessional,” the statement added.
U.S. Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa Commander, Gen. James B. Hecker, stated that the MQ-9 aircraft was conducting routine operations in international airspace when it was intercepted by a Russian aircraft, resulting in a crash and complete loss of the MQ-9.
While Moscow has voiced concern about U.S. intelligence flights near the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014, there was no immediate reaction from the Kremlin regarding the incident. The U.S. stated that the incident would not deter them from continuing their missions in the area, as the Black Sea belongs to no one nation.
“if the message is that they want to deter or dissuade us from flying, and operating in international airspace, over the Black Sea, then that message will fail,” Kirby said, adding “that is not going to happen.”
“We’re going to continue to fly and operate in international airspace over international waters,” he said. “The Black Sea belongs to no one nation.”
However, the U.S. European Command warned that this aggressive behavior by Russian pilots during interactions with U.S. and Allied aircraft over international airspace, including over the Black Sea, is dangerous and could lead to unintended escalation.
Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. David Berger, expressed his greatest concern regarding this type of collision both in Europe and the Pacific. He emphasized that whether an incident is intentional or not, it forces the nation’s leaders to try and sort it out quickly from afar.
This incident has once again highlighted the growing tensions between the U.S. and Russia over Moscow’s war in Ukraine. However, the U.S. European Command has warned that these aggressive actions by Russian aircrew are dangerous and could lead to unintended escalation. With the possibility of future incidents like this, it is important for the nation’s leaders to quickly sort out any potential misunderstandings and prevent any further dangerous situations from occurring.