U.S. Drone Downed by Russian Fighter Jet Over Black Sea: Footage Reveals Destructive Incident
In a recent turn of events, the United States military has disclosed footage of a Russian jet reportedly colliding with one of its drones over the Black Sea. The American drone allegedly had to be submerged near Crimea on Tuesday due to the significant damage sustained in the encounter.
Russia denies its Su-27 fighter jet clipped the propellers of the drone, but the video released by the US appears to support the American account of events. The Pentagon decided to make this video public in order to validate its version of events.
The incident occurred without any clear indication of the drone's approach from the video footage, which only shows the sea, sky, and clouds. The US claimed the confrontation lasted anywhere from 30-40 minutes, but the released video is incredibly brief, lasting less than a minute.
The video depicts a Russian Su-27 making two extremely close passes while apparently releasing fuel towards the drone. The first pass results in the camera lens being smeared, while the second pass is even closer, causing the drone's video feed to malfunction. Upon resuming, a curved propeller blade from the rear of the drone can be seen.
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby informed the BBC that it is unclear whether the Russian pilot's actions were intentional or not. However, he emphasized that the moves were "unnecessarily reckless and unprofessional." Surveillance missions over the Black Sea will continue, but military escorts are deemed unnecessary due to the increased risk to pilots.
Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) has previously showcased its use of advanced drones in sophisticated operations, including the deployment of an armed autonomous naval drone equipped with anti-aircraft missiles. This drone has allegedly successfully engaged Russian warplanes[2]. In response, Russia has announced plans for an independent military drone force and has intensified missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities such as Kyiv[1][3]. The US and Russia seem to be actively seeking the remnants of their respective drones over the Black Sea for intelligence and technological assessment purposes[4].
The incident over the Black Sea, involving a Russian Su-27 jet and an American drone, has escalated the discussion around war-and-conflicts and politics in general-news. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, in an interview with the BBC, expressed concerns over the Russian pilot's "unnecessarily reckless and unprofessional" actions, while Russia has been intensifying missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities like Kyiv. The US and Russia are both actively seeking the remnants of their drones for intelligence and technological assessment purposes.
