The United States has resumed surveillance drone flights over the Black Sea region following a Russian fighter jet intercept on Tuesday that led to the downing of a U.S surveillance drone, two U.S. officials said on Friday.
An RQ-4 Global Hawk flew a mission to the region on Friday, the officials said, with one adding that it was the first such drone flight since the Tuesday incident. Pentagon officials have repeatedly stressed this week the incident would not stop Washington from flying such missions.
Still, the downing of a U.S. MQ-9 drone on Tuesday was the first direct U.S.-Russian incident since the Ukraine war began, worsening already tense relations between Washington and Moscow as both countries publicly traded blame.
Russia has denied U.S. accusations that its two Su-24 fighter jets acted recklessly around the unmanned U.S. aircraft, and instead has blamed "sharp maneuvering" by the drone for the crash.
However, the Pentagon released a video on Thursday showing a Russian Su-27 fighter jet coming very close to the drone and dumping fuel near it, in what U.S. officials said was an apparent effort to damage the American aircraft as it flew.
It also showed the loss of the video feed after another close Russian maneuver, which the Pentagon said resulted from a Russian jet colliding with the drone.
The video ends with images of the drone's damaged propeller, which the Pentagon said was caused by the collision, making the aircraft inoperable and leading it to crash into deep waters.
The incident over international waters was a reminder of the risk of direct confrontation between the United States and Russia over Ukraine, which Moscow invaded more than a year ago and which Western allies have supported with intelligence and weapons.
© Thomson Reuters 2023.
39 Comments
gcbel
With a flight of F-35 just outside radar detection range I hope
Superlib
Good.
sakurasuki
Russia will resumes fuel spray, few galons of fuel that really cheap for taking down millions dollar of drone. That's really cost efficient compared take down a baloon with an expensive missiles, even experienced there was miss with that.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Not when you crash your junk fighters in the process of trying to clip the drone. Also I am glad environmental catastrophe is just another way of saying Russian normal operating procedures at this point.
Bronco
Russia now knows several things:
1: It's relatively easy to take down a US multi-million dollar drone without firing a shot.
2: The US is unable to convince fellow NATO member Turkey to allow the US NAVY to enter the Black Sea.
3: Russia can take down US drones over international airspace and Biden will do nothing.
theFu
The video proves, once again, as usual, that Russia is lying.
Unprofessional flying by Russian pilots, but I have no doubt they were ordered to get the drone down without using weapons.
Turkey is considering allowing US warships into the Black Sea again. I haven't seen any decision about that, just that they are considering it.
US drones will stop flying straight and level when hostile fighters approach. If they are going to go down, they should try to damage the hostile aircraft flying too closely. The times of sharing the skies are over.
The video proves what Russia did for the world to see. They should be embarrassed.
Bronco
Check the rules governing right-of-way.
1: 'Piloted aircraft enjoy right-of-way over drones. Drones must yield to piloted aircraft in all cases. This is for the preservation of human life.
2: Piloted aircraft are permitted to dump fuel provided it doesn't endanger any other piloted aircraft or people on the ground.
No humans were endangered by the actions of the Russian pilot.
In fact all pilots involved in the encounter arrived home safely and enjoyed dinner with their families, and probably a few beers at the bar recounting their hotshot flying.
wallace
Russia attacked a NATO country.
Kuku
Quite vice versa - highly professional! Brilliant! It were the Americans who decided that they could do everything anywhere in the world. Petty provocateurs
Cards fan
Because they can. They can fly wherever they want in international airspace. Maybe the US airforce should act "professional" and start shooting down Russian planes in international airspace.
bass4funk
Yes.
Biden will never go that far.
Bronco
Just one snag with that plan.
There's standing order from the Pentagon that forbids US 5th Gen fighters like the F-22 or F-35 from flying in airspace that is monitored by Russia's advanced S400 air defence system.
The Black Sea is covered by the S400, so no F-22s or F-35s can enter.
Cards fan
Fun fact: those aren't the only planes in the US arsenal.
Cards fan
Right, because that would be pretty stupid. Just like Russia downing the drone.
Yrral
As usual you do not know what you are talking about,I am not disputing the account,but GPS Coordinates would be all the evidence,unless the US is spying for Ukrainain,these drone take off and head from the Romanian coast toward Crimea
HonestDictator
It is far harder to cover a lie, than to expose the truth. Putin can't squirm his version of Russia out of this one. While I may not appreciate everything the US military may end up having to do, I do trust in their ability to have actual authentic proof and evidence to back up claims like this.
Eastman
sure they can try good luck again,I am pretty sure that Russia have enough of stock of airplane fuels to use again.
efficient and cheap way how to neutralize US drones.
so good luck.
prepare new drones "top guns"...
wallace
Next time the US should explode their drone and take out the fighter planes,
TaiwanIsNotChina
It's not gasoline, it's more expensive than that. If you are fine with Russia being associated with environmental crimes in addition to war crimes, I guess you would applaud this.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Russia is also unable to convince Turkey for their warships to leave the Black Sea, so it's not really a US directed thing.
Blacklabel
Very close to and near it.
see how small changes in small words happen?
what happened to actually hitting it and also dumping fuel on it?
Blacklabel
This phrase again.
nothing was “shot down”.
kaimycahl
Russia playing with fire can get burned the best thing to do is as soon as the Russian aircraft decides to spill fuel it could be a deadly game all the drone had to do is shoot a flare and the fuel trail will go right back to that Russian aircraft making it a ball of fire
starpunk
It's international airspace. The Black Sea itself belongs to no one. Not to Turkey, not to Ukraine, not to Moldova, not to Russia. Anybody can utilize, sail and fly in the area. Just like the Gulf of Sidra also is international waters and not a Libyan bay as Qaddafy defined it.
Raw Beer
The information obtained by these drones is used by Ukraine in their attacks against Russia. And Russia had declared a flight restricted zone in this area, so we can expect any future drone to meet the same fate.
It might be the first direct incident, but only if you ignore the bombing of Nord Stream pipelines.
So did the US, when they bombed the pipelines…
Cards fan
A distinction without a difference. Regardless of how they did it, they clearly caused it to fall out of the sky, and that was very stupid. Weird how the "America first" crowd is again putting America last.
Attacks against Russia? Lolol no, they're defending themselves. There wouldn't be drones there if Russian troops just stayed in Russia. Pathetic.
Who cares what the lying liars in thee Russian government "declare." They've no right to dictate how international airspace is used. Pathetic.
ClippetyClop
Yippee-ki-yay, great movie. If this can actually be done they should do it, it would be brilliant.
This fellow still believes that Ukraine attacked Russia. Someone want to tell him?
Superlib
What are you calling it?
Rodney
USA claims full rights over the Black Sea and Sea of China and Pacific Ocean and Artic.
Blacklabel
A collision that has not been confirmed as intentional or unintentional.
exactly what the US military rep called it.
Blacklabel
Regardless nothing was “shot down” and no fuel was dumped on the drone according to this new article.
fallaffel
No, it's used for attacks against Russian targets in Ukraine. There's a huge difference.
Awa no Gaijin
Facepalm !
Eyes a rollin .
It was an unmanned drone in international airspace !
Awa no Gaijin
USA claims are just a wet dream and have no place in reality
Russia and China have a similar wet dream issue.
Awa no Gaijin
You obviously watch way too many Hollywood movies !
Do you think the jet was just hovering while dumping fuel ?
Very amusing thought tho thankyou !
Realistically nope not possible !
Awa no Gaijin
Are you quite sure about that ?
Looking at the mass media and what people are led to believe is staggering !
It's situational as to whether it's easier to hide or expose truth .
As sometimes there's no evidence -hence no proof.
Cards fan
It's pretty hard to claim it was "accidental" when the Russian Defense Ministry is awarding medals to the pilots involved.
It's very odd how the "America first" crowd continue to run defense for Russia.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/18/russia-gives-awards-to-fighter-pilots-involved-in-us-drone-crash
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/russia-awards-fighter-pilots-us-drone-crash-incident/
ClippetyClop
It's incredible how MAGA translates into supporting Russia destroying a US plane in international waters. One such American Vatnik here even claimed to have served in the US forces.
TaiwanIsNotChina
You just said the drone was in international airspace. USA claims are quite literally what UNCLOS says.