The U.S. Air Force European Command said today that a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper reconnaissance drone was shot down over the Black Sea in international waters due to "reckless and incompetent" actions by the crew of a Russian Su-27.
Source. This was reported by the BBC.
In a statement, the command said that today at 7:03 a.m. CET, two Russian Su-27 aircraft carried out a "dangerous and unprofessional" interception of the drone.
One of the Russian planes, the statement said, struck a propeller of the US MQ-9, forcing the US military to sink the drone.
"Our MQ-9 aircraft was conducting routine operations in international airspace when it was intercepted and shot down by a Russian aircraft, resulting in the crash and total loss of the MQ-9," said General James Hecker, commander of the US Air Force in Europe and Africa. – "This dangerous and unprofessional action by the Russians nearly resulted in the downing of both aircraft.
Hecker added that US and allied aircraft will continue to fly in international airspace in accordance with international law.
The "aggressive actions" of the Russian crew "are dangerous and could lead to miscalculation and unintended escalation," the general emphasized.
The White House said that President Joe Biden had been informed of the incident.