by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. MQ-9 surveillance drone grounded in the Black Sea on Tuesday after it was intercepted by Russian fighter jets, the U.S. military said, citing “dangerous” maneuvers prior to the attack. which is the first such incident since the start of the war in Ukraine.
While the Pentagon reported that one of the two Russian Su-27 fighter jets had hit the propeller of the American drone, rendering it inoperable, the Russian Ministry of Defense denounced “brutal maneuvers” of the drone and denied any contact between Russian planes and the drone.
The US State Department said it had summoned the Russian ambassador to Washington over the incident, condemned by the White House and the Pentagon, which said it saw a risk of escalating tensions.
This incident is part of a context of dangerous behavior by Russian pilots operating near the fleet of the United States and its allies, including above the Black Sea bordered in particular by Russia and Ukraine, declared the US army.
In a statement, she said that two Russian Su-27 fighters came to intercept the American MQ-9 drone, one of them then collided with it, at 18:03 GMT, after the Russian planes performed dangerous maneuvers.
Washington has no warships deployed in the Black Sea but regularly sends drones for surveillance missions in and around the region.
“Our MQ-9 aircraft was conducting routine operations in international airspace when it was intercepted and hit by a Russian aircraft, causing it to fall and the total loss of the MQ-9,” General James Hecker said. responsible for supervising American aviation in the region.
“In fact, this dangerous and unprofessional act by the Russians nearly caused the downfall of both aircraft,” he added in a statement.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said that the American drone had run aground at sea following a brutal maneuver on its part.
“The Russian fighters did not use their weapons, did not make contact (with the drone) and returned safely to their base,” he said.
If interceptions of this type have already taken place in the past, this one is notable for its “dangerous and unprofessional” nature, the White House said.
Representatives of the US State Department will speak directly with their Russian counterparts to “express our concerns”, said the spokesman for the National Security Council of the US Presidency.
“There is no need for us to do any checking with the Russians before flying in international airspace,” John Kirby said.
(Report Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Trevor Hunnicutt, Sabine Siebold, Doina Chiacu, Humeyra Pamuk and Caleb Davis; French version Jean Terzian)
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