A Russian fighter jet collided into an American Reaper surveillance drone over the Black Sea in international airspace on Tuesday, according to the U.S.
European Command. In a press release, the U.S. Air Force said that at 2 a.m. Eastern (7 a.m. local time) a Russian Su-27 aircraft struck the propeller of the U.S.’s MQ-9 aircraft, which conducts intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
It was accompanied by a second Su-27 that wasn’t involved in the collision but that U.S. officials said was also involved in “unsafe” conduct. “Several times before the collision, the Su-27s dumped fuel on and flew in front of the MQ-9 in a reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner,” the U.S.
release said. “This incident demonstrates a lack of competence in addition to being unsafe and unprofessional.” Read more: Airdrie man on Ukraine frontlines shares autonomous farming, drone skills U.S.